Nokia 3720 classic: Handle without care

Introduction:

The Nokia 3720 classic is putting on its boots, pulling on its anorak, slinging its rucksack over its shoulder and striding out into the unfriendliest of environments: water, dust, tough ground…you name it, this device promises to shrug it off and keep on going.

After countless Nseries, Eseries, XpressMusic and classic releases and facelifts, Nokia look keen to revisit an almost forgotten niche of users - those who need a tough phone.

Well, the Finns have finally put that right and they seem to have a promising candidate on their hands for those who care less about features and even less about the weather. So, if you're after a handset that can survive the elements, get ready to check out the rugged Nokia 3720.

Nokia 3720 classic official photos

As a part of the Nokia classic series, the 3720 has a stylish oval design, nice handling, S40 user interface, decent display, FM radio and a 2 megapixel camera. But that's not all. As a ruggedized device, the Nokia 3720 classic has been designed to resist water, dust and to survive some pretty extreme situations.

Here is a list of what the Nokia 3720 classic can do for you and another one of the things that just didn't fit in that sort of tough body.

Key features:

• Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• 2.2" 16M-color QVGA display of excellent sunlight legibility
• 2 megapixel camera, autofocus and LED flash
• VGA video recording at 15fps
• S40 user interface, 6th edition
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Bluetooth (with A2DP) and microUSB port
• microSD card slot (4 GB supported, 1GB included)
• Rich preinstalled application package
• Ovi Maps and Ovi Share
• IP54 certified - dust and water jets resistant
• Metal screw lock mechanism on the battery cover
• Respectable BL-5CT battery (Li-Ion 1050 mAh)
• A dedicated key to use the camera flash as a flashlight

Main disadvantages:

• No 3G
• No dedicated camera shutter key
• No smart dialing
• No multi-tasking
• No office document viewer
• No lens protection
• Memory card slot under the battery
• No USB cable in the retail box

Well here we are, holding the rugged Nokia 3720 classic in our hands and just itching to submerge it in water or run over it with a car. It's not too often that we get the chance to play with devices from this specialized sector of the mobile market, so we hope you'll share our enthusiasm as we put it through a battery of tests.But we'll come to that eventually.

Top 5 Ways To Backup and Safeguard Your Mobile Data

How much information have you got stored on your mobile phone? Think about it - your contacts, addresses, important and memorable texts, hundreds of photos and tunes, and now, of course, dozens of apps. Losing your phone is now more costly than buying a new one - your whole life's stored on it.

Backing up your mobile data is therefore essential. But how do you do it?

Easy - you read the following guide on the top 5 ways to backup and safeguard your mobile data!

5. Desktop backup software

The majority of phones come with a CD (which I bet you've never installed!) that contains a set of utilities, including data backup. Different manufacturers have software of varying capabilities, of course, but most will let you backup your most important data onto your PC.

Although this is one solution, it has two major shortcomings:

1. It's only as safe as the data on your PC's hard drive, which you probably don't backup either!
2. You have to manually upload the data onto your PC - which means, if you're like the average human, you're likely to forget and hence backup infrequently.

That said, if you want to backup your phone's data onto PC, here are some of the official manufacturers' backup solutions.

Nokia

Nokia's PC Suite is particularly good, backing up everything on your phone including text messages, email, photos and all your contacts.

PC Suite covers virtually all Nokia's phones, and having used it, I can thoroughly recommend it.

Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson also has a similar backup utility called the Sony Ericsson Backup Manager. If that doesn't backup enough data for you, you could always try MyPhoneExplorer (although it won't work with Sony Ericsson's smartphones, such as the XPERIA range).

Samsung

Some of Samsung's phones share the same Symbian operating system as Nokia's phones, so it's no surprise that Samsung also has a backup utility that's very similar to Nokia's PC Suite. Called the Samsung PC Studio, you can backup virtually your entire set of mobile data onto your PC, including contacts, images, and even your tunes (although they are encoded at a lower bit-rate than you might like).

Motorola

Motorola also has its own backup utility.The Motorola Phone Tools 5.1 is an unbelievable $49 for a software download that should come as part of your mobile phone.

Not exactly a bargain, but luckily there are other options out there, so if you have a Motorola phone, carry on reading!

LG

LG apparently has a backup utility called the LG PC Suite, which should come on a CD with some LG phones. Finding it, though, is a nightmare! You'll need to go to LG's mobile phone web site and download a software installer to locate the software you want to download, and then download the software.

Good luck with that one!

Shareware and freeware tools

If none of these work for you, you could try some of the backup tools listed at Filebuzz. However, these all seem fairly old, so probably best to try them as a last resort - certainly use your phone's supplied software if you can.

4. Bloove

Using PC-based backup software is not necessarily easy, and it's not particularly pleasant, either, as it's a manual process. Fortunately, there are all manner of Web-based solutions that will sync your phone automatically for you, give you instant access to your data wherever you are, so you're not reliant on your desktop PC for storage, and will even let you share some of your data.

Bloove is one such Web-app. After installing the mobile client software, it will automatically sync your contacts and other important info onto its server. Bloove goes further than just data syncing, though, as it's designed almost as a replacement for your phone. Rather than use your phone to create text messages or manage your contacts, you use Bloove's Web interface instead.

Unfortunately, this only works if you're close to your PC, and somewhat negates the point of a mobile phone in the first place! Worse, it only auto-syncs with some phones, and will only backup a subset of the mobile data that you might want saved. See Bloove's site for a list of the features and the phones that it supports.

Worse still, unlike the other Web apps below, it's not free. You can store up to 100 messages and 15 contacts from one phone for free, or else pay $5 a month if you want to store more. This actually makes Bloove more expensive than some of the mobile network operators' own backup plans (AT&T, for example, will charge you $1.99 to backup your data), which isn't exactly a great recommendation!

However, if you want a way to work with your phone using a desktop-based interface rather than your phone's screen, using a tool that also backups (some) of your phone's data (if your phone is supported!) then Bloove might be worth a try.

3. Zyb

One such Web app is Zyb, which lets you backup and sync your contact information onto a Web site. Not only that, it also plays nice with Twitter and Facebook, and will let you see your friends' updates on these services, and even tell you where they are in relation to you.

As well as contact information, it'll also backup text messages and photos, and because it syncs automatically, it's always up to date - even if your friends change their contact details.

In order for it to work, you need a compatible phone, but that doesn't seem to be a problem, as it lists hundreds of phones that it works with (although there are no Android phones listed at the moment, which is something of a limitation).

If all you want to do is backup your phone, Zyb might be a bit of overkill, but given that it's free and automatic, it's a great choice if your desktop backup software from your phone's manufacturer is lacking in some way.

2. Mobical

Mobical offers Over The Air (OTA) synchronization between your phone and the Mobical servers. OTA means that your data is transferred using the mobile network itself, so no need for any cables or Wi-Fi connectivity. Indeed, you can even synchronize your data over an old 2G connection using really old mobile phones. As long as the phone supports a standard called SyncML (which most mobile phones have done for at least the past three years or so), then Mobical will sync with it.

The downside of such wide support is that Mobical plays to the lowest common denominator and will only backup a limited set of data. Specifically, contacts, calendars, tasks, notes, bookmarks, and text messages are supported, but not your emails, photos, tunes or apps.

Mobical is free and is an excellent solution if your phone will not work with any of the other services listed here, as it's pretty much guaranteed to work with any phone that supports WAP (i.e. virtually every phone since 2001!). You won't be able to backup all your data, but if you're just interested in contacts and text messages, it's a perfect solution.

Mobyko

Of all the different mobile backup companies out there, Mobyko is perhaps the best. Its site looks fantastic, the range of data it securely backs up is comprehensive (text, photos, videos, contacts, email - it's all stored securely, and presented via its web site whenever you need it), and it supports a huge range of phones in many countries.

It also allows you to see all of your backed up content on the Web in a glorious-presented web site. In fact, it adds a new dimension to the content you routinely store on your phone, but rarely actually use as it's usually buried away in your Inbox or phone's gallery.

However, there are two drawbacks to Mobyko that might make it a deal-breaker.

1. It costs money! OK so back in the day of desktop software, this wouldn't have been a problem, but it's a Web app, which are usually free. OK, so Mobyko has to make money, but Zyb's free so why not Mobyko?
2. The £24.99 you pay is for an annual subscription. You have to keep paying this money year after year to use the content you sync with Mobyko. This is bad enough, but £24.99 will only get you 250MB of storage. That's simply not enough, especially when you consider the size of photos and videos, which you'll want to continuously upload as you take pics (otherwise what's the point in a mobile data sync service?)

If it wasn't for the high cost and ridiculously small storage allowance, Mobyko would be the hands-down winner. As it is, Zyb is the best choice here if you want to backup your data in the cloud - so long as it supports your phone. Best of all, it's free, so you've got nothing to lose!

Summary

Backing up your mobile data is crucial now, and will become only more so as more of our lives are captured through the content we create and share through our mobile phones. There's no perfect solution at the moment, but it's a huge marketing opportunity, and Zyb will do most of the job you need it to until the perfect app is released.

Nokia N900

The Nokia N900 is the latest in Nokia's series of Internet Tablets, but perhaps more significantly the N900 is Nokia's first Linux-based mobile phone.

This is a significantly different device from previous Nokia Internet Tablets, and in fact there are very few handsets that come near it in terms of specifications. We would even go as far as to say that the N900 has just defined a whole new standard for others to beat.

A Linux phone has long been rumoured from Nokia as many industry observers think that Symbian struggles to meet the needs of newer and more powerful smartphones.

If you've ever seen a Nokia 770, N800 or N810 in the real world you might be shocked at how big they are - they are so big that they are difficult to carry around in a pocket. The N900 is a significantly smaller device, weighing 181 grams and measuring 111 x 60 x 18mm, compared with 226 grams and 128 x 72 x 14mm with the N810. This smaller size is mostly achieved through having a smaller display, a 3.5" 800 x 480 pixel touchscreen panel as opposed to the 4.1" display on the N810. The N900 is smaller and lighter than the Nokia E90 too, although Nokia don't seem to be pitching the N900 as a replacement for the E90.

There's a small slide-out QWERTY keypad with just three rows of keys and no navigation pad. If you're used to the more traditional layout of the E90, then you might find it a little disappointing, but it does look better than the keypad on the Nokia N97.

What really sets the Nokia N900 apart from the competition is the new Maemo 5 operating system, which is arguably the most powerful platform available on any mobile phone today. Based on the Debian Linux distribution, the N900 offers the possibility of some very sophisticated applications being available in the future. This runs on a 600 MHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor with 256MB of onboard RAM, plus 768MB of virtual memory for applications to use.

The supplied software includes a Mozilla-based browser with full support for Flash and Web 2.0 technologies, an email client which includes support for Microsoft Exchange, Instant Messaging, a media player, PDF reader, calendar and a range of other applications.

Maemo allows PC-style multitasking, and the new version of the interface is extremely polished looking and certainly appears to be as good as anything else on the market. There are a wide range of personalisation and customisation options, and there is also a lively developer community for add-ons. The operating system and applications can be updated "over the air", so there's no need to plug into a PC.

We mentioned earlier that this is the first Internet Tablet that is also a phone - the Nokia N900 has 900 / 1700 / 2100 MHz UMTS plus quad-band GSM, it also supports HSPA/HSDPA high-speed data with a maximum download speed of 10Mbps, and a maximimum upload speed of 2Mbps. As with previous Internet Tablets, the N900 supports 802.11 b and g WiFi. Unlike the iPhone, you can use the N900 as a tethered modem on a laptop computer.

Internal flash memory is up to 32 GB (which indicates that perhaps there will be a few different models available). The N900 will also take a 16GB microSD card, although it's possible that it will be able to take higher capacity cards when they become available.

On top of that, there is an integrated GPS receiver plus Ovi Maps for personal navigation. The large touchscreen should suit in-car navigation, although the GPS on the old N810 was often not all that reliable.. hopefully this has now been fixed.

The N900 also has a decent camera - in this case a 5 megapixel unit with autofocus, dual LED flash and a Carl Zeiss lens. Video recording is up to 800 x 480 pixels at a maximum of 25 frames per second which is comparable with other high-end Nokia handsets. There's a VGA resolution camera on the front for video calling.

You can geo-tag photos and videos with GPS coordinates, and the N900 includes a photo editor. Pictures can be uploaded and shared with others via Flickr or Ovi.

The media player can cope with MP3, AAC, M4A, WAV and Windows Media audio plus MPEG4, H.264 and H.263, Xvid and Windows Media video clips. You can output video to a TV using the supplied video out cable, and listen to audio using the standard 3.5mm audio socket. The N900 also comes with an FM transmitter, so you can play back to almost any stereo system without wires.

The N900 is designed to be always online, and this does tend to eat into the battery life. The 1320 mAh BL-5J battery gives up to 5 hours talktime on 3G and 9 hours talktime on GSM. Nokia haven't quoted a "standby time" as they envisage that the N900 will always have some sort of active data connection, which it should be able to manage for 2-4 days on a full charge. Nokia also say that the battery should be able to drive the N900 for a whole day's active use. Charging is done through the N900's microUSB port, so we guess that it can also be charged from a laptop as well as the supplied AC-10 charger unit.

So, it's an utterly comprehensive device when it comes to specifications and there are perhaps only two things that we can see that might be a problem. The first is the screen size - 3.5" is big, but nowhere near as big as the 4.1" display on the previous model. The second problem is price, Nokia say that the N900 will cost around €500 before tax and subsidy - and you can buy a laptop computer for that price.

Nokia say that the N900 should be available during Q4 2009 in any colour you like, as long as it's black.

Nokia Booklet 3G

Nokia have given a preview of the new Nokia Booklet 3G, Nokia's first Windows-based sub-notebook.. although it isn't actually their first PC.

The Booklet 3G comes with a 10" display, built-in 3G and 3.5G data, WiFi, integrated GPS, a video calling camera, a memory card reader and HD video output. The Booklet weighs just 1.25 Kg and is only about 2cm thick.

Nokia say that the Booklet 3G has up to 12 hours of battery life, which is extremely impressive. This will in part be due to the low-power Intel Atom processor that is in use, but we'll have to wait until next month to find out more about the Booklet 3G's hardware specifications.

The Nokia Booklet 3G runs Windows, although Nokia are remaining tight-lipped about which version it will run, but it will either be Windows Vista or a version of the forthcoming Windows 7 operating system.

This is very much a Nokia device, with all sorts of built-in Ovi software that can synchronize with your phone, so for Nokia owners it should make everything very easy to use.. and it will drive customers to Nokia's Ovi suite as well.

There's no word on pricing or availability.. you'll have to wait until next month for that. We expect to see the Booklet 3G being heavily promoted alongside mobile data contracts when it hits the shops.

As an aside, Nokia did dabble in the PC market in the 1980s - the MicroMikko 3TT is one example of this.. and Microsoft and Nokia have been cooperating quite closely lately when it comes to software compatibility. Yes, the appearance of the Booklet 3G is a little surprising.. but it may well be a very smart move from Nokia.

Nokia 5230

How much would you pay for a Nokia touchscreen phone with a 3.2" display, GPS and 3.5G support? You would think that it might be quite expensive.. but you'd be wrong, because the new Nokia 5230 is priced at just €149 before tax and subsidy.

There are a few compromises to get the handset down to this price, but what is really surprising is just how many features are included. It's much cheaper than the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and even the new Nokia 5530 XpressMusic, but it is still competitive with both of those devices.

The display is a 3.2" 640 x 360 pixel touch-sensitive panel, almost identical to that on the 5800. The 5230 comes with A-GPS and Ovi Maps 3.0, you should be able to use it with Google Maps too if you want. The 5230 also supports dual-band UMTS and HSDPA with a maximum download speed of 3.6 Mbps. Media playback is pretty comprehensive, and there's a 3.5mm audio socket too. Because this is a Symbian S60 smartphone, then there is a wide range of software available to download, plus a useful built-in web browser, email client and even support for Microsoft Exchange.

The camera is only a 2 megapixel unit when it comes to stills photos, but it can record video at up to 640 x 480 pixels at 30 frames per second which is very good. The Nokia 5230 also lacks WiFi connectivity, but that would be asking a lot for a phone of this price.

The large 1320 mAh battery is meant to drive the 5230 for up to 4.3 hours talktime and 19 days standby time on 3G, and the size and weight are very similar to that of the existing 5800.

Memory on the Nokia 5230 is expandable up to 16GB, although there's no memory card in the standard sales package. There is a stereo wired headset included in the box, but at this price don't expect any other extras on top of that.

If the 5800 is too expensive for you, and you don't need WiFi and can manage with a fairly basic stills camera then the 5230 looks like an excellent choice. The inclusion of Exchange support along with a reasonable battery life could make this an interesting option for business users too.

Nokia say that the 5230 should be available during Q4 2009 in a wide variety of colours, priced at €149 SIM-free before tax. There will also be a "Comes with Music" version priced at €259 which comes with an unlimited music download subscription.

Samsung S3650 - a new touch phone on the cheap

It seems that Samsung have another budget touchscreen phone in store for us besides the already available Samsung S5230 Star - meet the Samsung S3650. It's got a quite compact design, unique colors and a 200 euro price tag. And it's almost knocking on your door due for release within 10 September.

Samsung are ready to introduce their next low-end cheap touchscreen phone. Next in line after the S5230 Star and the S5600 Preston is called Samsung S3650 (codenamed Corby) and comes in extremely compact and unique design. The handset's front is painted with standard black color while the rear panel shines in yellow.

Samsung S3650 Corby

The smallish rounded S3650 (called internally Corby - it should have another marketing pet name) has a 2.8-inch QVGA touch display, a 2 megapixel camera, quad-band GSM connectivity, Bluetooth, FM radio and microSD card slot. The S3650 is only 13mm thin and weighs 92 grams.

Following the recent trends, the Samsung S3650 will also come with native social networking integration including MySpace, Facebook and YouTube.

The Samsung S3650 is supposed to hit Europe before 10 September with a retail price of 200 euro. Even better - it has also passed the FCC scrutiny so the US should have it soon as well. We really hope that price will go down to at least 150 euro as otherwise it would be really hard for it to beat tough competition such as that of Nokia 5530 XpressMusic - the third most popular phone in our database.

Bear in mind though, that Samsung have not officially announced the S3650, so we're yet to hear all the details from the horse's mouth.

Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition

Today Nokia unveiled the Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition - a full GPS-centric variant of the Nokia 5800 XpresMusic. Using the momentum gained by the original XpressMusic handset, the new gadget matches the functionality of its predecessor almost perfectly. The main differences are the added lifetime Drive and Walk navigation license and the cool looking stand and car charger that allow you to easily use the phone as an in-car SatNav unit.

There's only one other difference compared to the original model according to the data sheet of the Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition. It will be available in Chrome and Black color combo rather than any of the two-colored versions of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic.

Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition will come in three different flavors, each packing quad-band GSM connectivity. Two of them will also pack WLAN and dual-band 3G with HSDPA, while the third one (we are guessing it will be available in either China or some emerging markets) will lack both connectivity options.

Unfortunately, judging by the promo video published, the Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition's 3.2" screen seems to be as poor under direct sunlight as the one of the first S60 5th edition handset. Considering that the handset is meant to sit on your dashboard, frequently exposed to sunlight, this flaw might make it somewhat less than a perfect travel companion.

But never mind our concerns, here goes the video in question for you to check out. It introduces the keys features of the Nokia 5800 Navigation edition and demonstrates the last version of Ovi Maps GPS navigation software that comes preinstalled.

Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition will start shipping before the end of the current quarter for an estimated 285 euro before taxes or subsidies.

Garmin Nuvifone M20 to hit Taiwanese market this month

Chunghwa Telecom, the largest telecom in Taiwan, announced the start of the advertising campaign of the Garmin-Asus Nuvifone M20, which is finally set to start selling in no more than two weeks time.

The SatNav-oriented Asus-Garmin nuvifone M20 is a WinMo PocketPC officially announced in February this year and showcased at MWC 2009. It seems it's now ready to hit the road outrunning its oh-so-late Asus-Garmin nuvifone G60.

Chunghwa Telecom will start selling the Nuvifone M20 along with Apple iPhone 3GS and HTC Hero at the end of this month. The complete SatNav Nuvifone M20 smartphone will be offered with various plans, including heavily-subsidized ones.

The Garmin Nuvifone M20 is expected to enter the heavily competitive GPS smartphone market, as it's fully armed in spec terms - 2.8 inches display, 4GB/8GB built-in memory, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3.2MP AF camera seem enough for the task. We will let you know the retail price of the device, when it appears on the market.

The finest mobile phones in the business

Now that's a sight that can make a geek's heart melt - six of the finest mobile phones of the year, laying next to each other. The reason behind this unusual gathering is a display comparison review that an Italian blog has conducted. For some reason they've also thrown in the Samsung i900 Omnia in the battle even though it's obviously unfit for such a challenge.

So here goes the contest - all displays are set to maximum brigntness and have the same picture preloaded. The handsets are then captured on video in various conditions (indoors, outdoors and in pitch darkness) to check out how they perform. The 65K color limitation of some of the contestants is a bit of a disadvantage at times with the selected photos but considered that it also shows in real life usage at times we don't find this unfair.

The first two contestants are the WinMo powerhouses HTC Touch Pro2 and Samsung I8000 Omnia II. The Android OS is represented by its two best-geared devices - the Samsung I7500 Galaxy and the HTC Hero, while the Symbian world reputation lays in the hands of the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD. Finally we get the omnipresent Apple iPhone (in its 3GS variety), which is still a benchmark for display quality even though it's nearly identical to the now two-year-old original iPhone. The only thing missing is the Nokia N97 but the comparison is still extremely useful as it stands.

The contestants

From what we see on the video the AMOLED displays of the three Samsung handsets (Omnia HD, Omnia II and Galaxy) swim laps around their LCD opponents indoors making all of the tested photos look far more vibrant and eye-pleasing. From the rest the Apple iPhone seems to have a slight edge over the HTC Hero in terms of brightness with the HTC Touch Pro2 being second bottom of the league. It is of course still miles ahead of the original Samsung Omnia but that is hardly a great consolation.

When sunlight is involved however we have a totally new order with the iPhone 3GS easily trashing all its opponents. The Omnia HD, HTC Hero and the Samsung Galaxy share second place here, but their performance is nowhere near their Apple rival. The Windows Mobile handsets are a disappointment in such conditions, but only a brief look at the blindingly reflective surface of the Samsung i900 Omnia is enough to tell you they've at least made some progress.

Back indoors and in the dark it's all about the AMOLED technology and high resolution again. The interesting part here is the extremely poor performance of the iPhone 3GS in such conditions. We are guessing this has something to do with the shooting settings of the camera used for this comparison as we've hardly found any fault with the actual phone. Leaving that aside it's pretty clear that the LCD units cannot match the contrast of their AMOLED competitors but have a slight edge as far as maximum brightness is concerned.

Now just imagine if the iPhone sunlight legibility could be combined with some of that AMOLED goodness. Nice right? Well we guess we won't have to wait a too much longer for that to happen.

Nokia 6710 Navigator review

GPS is a must-have for every self-respecting phone these days. And it doesn't even have to be a smartphone. From geotagging, through location-aware services and gaming, to full-featured in-car SatNav solution - at some point GPS is likely to have become essential to you even if you don't need to be told to take the next right turn. Anyway, we guess it all boils down to whether you need it or whether you want it. A dedicated in-car sat-nav device is the more than obvious choice if you need that. But then, there's always something for those who simply want more of their phone.

For one, the Nokia Navigator line will not only make you want one but probably encourage you to think you need it. Third generation into it already, they may as well have a point. The Nokia 6710 Navigator has the pedigree and the native software, but also the right kind of innovation. The touch-sensitive zoom bar is a bold step ahead, and so relevant to navigation. It sure is a strong point in favor of the Nokia Navigator against touchscreen devices.

Be that as it may, the 6710 Navigator will perhaps never be entirely convincing against a full-touch operated phone that takes navigation seriously, not to mention dedicated sat-nav equipment. But when it comes to another important question, the latest Nokia Navigator is emphatically a winner. It's a phone before anything else and such a major upgrade it almost dooms predecessors to the scrap heap.

Keeping the same size as the preceding Nokia 6210, the latest Navigator by Nokia brings a larger and better screen, the impressive touch zoom bar beneath, Wi-Fi, better imaging, faster data, faster processing, updated interface, more power efficiency and incomparably better looks. Not bad at all, is it? There's plenty to discover on this one, so let's get on with it. Our plan is to help you find the Nokia 6710 Navigator before it finds you.

Key features

• Symbian OS 9.3, Series 60 3rd with FP2
• 600MHz ARM 11 processor
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Dual-band HSDPA 10.2 Mbps; HSUPA 2 Mbps
• 2.6" 16M-color QVGA display (bigger and better than the Nokia 6210 Navigator)
• Accelerometer for screen auto rotation, call silencing and alarm snoozing
• 5 MP autofocus camera (Carl Zeiss optics) with LED flash, secondary videocall camera
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UPnP technology
• Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, USB v2.0
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• microSD card slot, up to 16GB, hotswap (4GB card included - region specific)
• Standard 3.5mm audio jack
• Convenient USB and memo card slot cover
• Fast and responsive user interface
• Office document viewer
• Ergonomic design

SatNav-centric features

• Built-in GPS with A-GPS
• Digital compass (magnetometer)
• Ovi Maps 3.0 with lifetime drive turn-by-turn navigation license and landscape view mode
• Dedicated Navigator key (starts Maps or centers map on current position)
• Touch-sensitive zoom bar below the screen (fluid zoom in/out action in Maps, as well as gallery and web browser)
• Windscreen suction stand and car charger included in retail package

Main disadvantages

• Camera lacks trendy features such as face, smile or blink detection
• Video recording maxes out at VGA@15fps
• Alphanumeric keypad is somewhat crammed given the space available
• No smart dialing
• No DivX/XviD support out of the box (can be installed, possibly requiring a purchase)
• Awkward battery cover removal routine (pry-to-open)

Nokia 6710 Navigator live shots

The Nokia 6710 Navigator is the direct successor of the Nokia 6210 Navigator and the model designation alone is pretty telling of how far things have come. The third-generation handset has jumped a few steps in the chronological progression Nokia Navigators used to follow. Even with a cursory glance at the specs, it's clear the new 6710 is an overwhelming update to the 6210, let alone the first 6110 Navigator: larger display, touch-sensitive zoom bar, 5 MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics, Wi-Fi, better ergonomics, car stand and charger, etc.

Oh, we guess deep inside we'll always miss the superb Route 66 that powered the first Finnish navigator and that Nokia Maps will never really match - not so much for performance as for the feel. But it would be foolish to expect else: the home-brewed Maps application is perhaps the very reason Navigator phones exist in the first place. They're not best-selling mass-appeal devices but rather the platform that promotes the capabilities of the software. That said, a touchscreen Nokia **10 Navigator sure looks like the obvious next step.

New LG BL40 Chocolate phone goes king size

LG have announced a brand new top-end LG Chocolate phone that can only be described as king size! The LG-BL40 features a whopping 4.0" screen with a huge 800 x 345 resolution.

All that screen real estate means you can feature a lot - and I mean a lot! - of icons on the homescreen, which LG have gleefully done.

Question is, though - is it too big? Read on to find out...

LG BL40 overview

The LG BL40 is the fourth phone in LG's top end Black Label series of phones. The Black Label series has traditionally focused on style, with the LG Chocolate phones being the first of the Black Labels.

The BL40, in contrast, is not quite as stylish as its predecessors, if only because of its huge size!

That said, LG have gone out of their way to make sure the BL40 isn't quite as functional looking as your usual huge-screened phone, such as the Toshiba TG01 (which also boasts a 4" screen). To this end, the screen is made of "..curved tempered glass and is seamlessly encased in a glossy black finish and iconic red highlights."

And I have to admit, it's quite a handsome looking phone - but then again, my last two phones have been the T-Mobile G1 and Nokia E90, neither of which won awards for their style, so what do I know?!

LG BL40 Features

Although LG have been a bit shy in revealing the features of the phone so far, we do know that the screen - obviously! - is going to be its centerpiece.

Not only is it huge, but LG are making a big play about how it changes the way you interact with your phone.

According to LG, the screen features a 21:9 aspect ratio "for a panoramic, cinema-like quality and optimal mobile computing experience" that apparently makes browsing the Web much easier.

This is true - to a degree. My old E90 had a similarly huge screen (800 x 352 pixels with 16,7 million colors), which did making browsing easy. With no need to scroll left or right, Web pages could be viewed easily.

However, my smaller-screened G1 is actuallyt easier to use, because if you need to scroll left or right, you simply move the Web page around with your finger, or zoom in or out to the page. It's so much more intuitive, and speed of the G1 is such that it all happens instantly.

Having used both types of screen, then, I prefer the touchscreen approach of the G1, and would argue that screen size isn't necessarily all that important (which I never thouight I'd say!).

One tasty feature of the huge screen, though, is what LG are calling a "Dual Screen UI" - the ability to show two completely different types of content on the screen at the same time, with a video (for example) playing on the left of the screen, while you browse your calendar on the right.

If this works intuitively with a good response time, this could make using your phone so much easier, and make you much more productive overall.

Throw in the 5 megapixel camera, super-thin form factor, striking good looks and the plethora of other features that LG will no doubt throw into the mix, and the LG BL40 has the potential to be a cracking new feature phone - assuming it'll fit in your pocket!

Nokia 5730 XpressMusic review: Full musical keyboard

No news is good news and the Nokia 5730 XpressMusic is quite keen to go about humming that tune like it didn’t care. Recruiting Symbian for an entertainment job is nothing new really and no, we’re not surprised that yet another handset wants to be the N97 of its neighborhood. The Nokia 5730 XpressMusic doesn’t really shine but it’s fit enough to handle quite a workload. Whether you need a smartphone for the knack or for the fun of it, this all-in-one messenger promises a bit of everything: music, web, gaming and connectivity.

XpressMusic has long crossed the smartphone line but only just starting to take multitasking so seriously. WLAN, GPS and a full QWERTY keyboard go side by side with enhanced music and N-Gage to make the Nokia 5730 so universally appealing. We guess we’ve had enough proof that Symbian can handle it all, so let’s see how the 5730 XpressMusic lives up to its claims.

It’s pretty obvious there will be quite some Nokia 5630 XpressMusic here. It’s virtually the same handset – add or take. So, what’s the deal in the end with adding QWERTY and a bigger screen and taking some processing power?

Key features

• 2.4" 16M-color TFT display of QVGA resolution
• Four-row side-slide QWERTY keyboard
• Quad-band GSM and tri-band 3G (with HSDPA) support
• Symbian OS with S60 3.2 UI
• 369 MHz ARM11 CPU
• 3.5mm standard audio jack
• microSD card slot, 8GB microSD card prebundled
• 3.2 megapixel auto focus camera with a dedicated shutter key, geotagging and VGA video at 30fps
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g with UPnP technology
• Built-in GPS receiver and preinstalled Nokia Maps
• USB and stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) connectivity
• FM radio with RDS plus Internet radio
• Dedicated music keys
• N-Gage support
• Dedicated gaming keys
• Ovi Contacts integration
• Office document viewer
• Smart dialing
• Contacts bar on the homescreen
• N-Series-like gallery
• Nokia Say and Play (voice control to music player)

Main disadvantages:

• Fingerprint-prone cheap-looking plastic build
• No DivX/XviD support out of the box (can be installed, possibly requiring a purchase)
• Average camera performance
• Poor battery life
• Doesn't charge off microUSB connection
• No TV-out functionality

The Nokia 5730 XpressMusic is treating the younger crowd to the all-round skill of dad’s E75. Alright, it may not be as simple as that but the 5730 is only just some corporate email (and plenty of steel) short of Eseries excellence. The XpressMusic QWERTY messenger is heavy on entertainment of course - dedicated music keys and N-Gage-conscious design, along with full pack connectivity. The complete keyboard, elaborate organizer, the office package and GPS are enough to start talking business.

Nokia 5730 XpressMusic live shots

Well, even if the dedicated gaming buttons and the digital-style alphanumeric font used on the keys leave little doubt about the target audience demographics, the Nokia 5730 XpressMusic looks too big for its niche. The first QWERTY messenger in Nokia’s music lineup is a solid smartphone package that’s definitely worth the test ride.

Sony Ericsson Jalou (Sony Ericsson BeJoo)

The Sony Ericsson Jalou is a very distinctive looking and lightweight fashion phone, due to hit the shops in time for Christmas.

Sony Ericsson describe the Jalou's shape as a "facet cut jewel form" and although the look is reminiscent of the Nokia 7070 Prism, the Jalou is a much more sophisticated handset.

The "Jalou" and "BeJoo" are two different names for the same device - the phone will be called the "Jalou" worldwide except for France where the "BeJoo" name will be used. The reason? Well, according to Sony Ericsson the "Jalou" name is too close to the French word for "Jealous", which goes to show that giving products a name rather than a number can be fraught with danger*.

In addition to the standard version of the Jalou, there is also a Dolce & Gabbana variant with gold plating, a rose colouring and exclusive D&G content. Alternatively the standard (and presumably cheaper) Jalou comes in "Deep Amethyst", "Aquamarine Blue" and "Onyx Black" colour combinations.

The diamond shape is not the only thing that gives the Jalou a distinctive look - it's also a lot less tall than most clamshell phones, measuring just 73 x 45 x 18mm when closed. Sony Ericsson have gone for this unusual size to make the phone as compact as possible, so it should fit it into the tiniest bag or jacket pocket. The Jalou is also very lightweight, coming in at just 84 grams.

So, what does the Jalou actually do from a technical perspective? Well, it's a fairly standard 3G phone with a 2" 240 x 320 pixel display, a 3.2 megapixel camera, microSD expandable memory, stereo Bluetooth and a multimedia player. There's a semi-concealed external display underneath the glossy casing, and you can also use the Jalou as a mirror to check just how gorgeous you are looking.

In Europe, the Jalou will support 2100 MHz UMTS plus HSDPA downloads, there will also be a US version which supports 900 and 1700 MHz UMTS and has the very useful addition of built-in GPS. We don't know why there's no GPS in the European version.. that would have been a pretty cool thing to have in a fashion phone. But, in other words.. the Jalou's beauty is not just skin deep.

It's an unashamedly girlie phone - some of the applications on the Jalou include a step counter, zodiac application and of course all the usual features such as a web browser and email client, plus a media player and FM radio. The display might be a little small for web browsing, but the inclusion of 3.5G data does at least mean that it will be quite fast.

There's no word on pricing, our best guess is that the standard Jalou will retail for about €400 SIM-free. Sony Ericsson say that both the standard and the D&G version should be available during Q4 2009.

Nokia E52 review: E as in Exceptional

Eseries seem to have been around forever: grown-up, confident and reliable. It's a small but solid lineup that's gone a long way from a fairly late start. Perhaps they've got a point: the business Finns are not running against the clock to discover, but look always on the spot to deliver. Eseries are less likely to obsess fans really - they're more into serving customers. And here they go again: the Nokia E52 looks well set to reward that once an Eseries, always an Eseries user attitude.

We've come to take the lethal dress code for granted, and the E52 brings a welcome speed and stamina boost to the family. The 600 MHz CPU couldn't have been more at home in that razor sharp stainless steel outfit.

Compelling exterior and strong performance are the textbook definition of the business range of handsets where Nokia are clearly the standard-setters. The E52 in turn, appears to be the standard measure for business value - you pay for an entry level Eseries and get top-of-the-line smartphone treatment. Did anybody say bestseller?

Key features

• Compact metallic body and extra slim girth (9.90mm)
• Quad-band GSM support
• 3G with HSDPA 10.2 Mbps and HSUPA 2 Mbps
• 2.4" 16M-color display of QVGA resolution
• Symbian OS, S60 UI with FP2
• 600 MHz ARM 11 CPU and 128 MB RAM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UPnP technology, DLNA support
• Built-in GPS receiver, A-GPS support, digital compass
• Accelerometer for screen auto-rotation and turn-to-mute
• One-touch shortcut keys mean "business"
• 3 megapixel enhanced fixed focus camera with LED flash
• Secondary videocall camera
• 60 MB of internal memory, microSD expansion, ships with a 1GB card
• microUSB v2.0
• Standard 3.5mm audio jack
• Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
• FM radio with RDS
• Class-leading audio output quality
• N-Gage gaming support
• Ovi Maps preinstalled with trial turn-by-turn navigation license (10 days)
• User-friendly Mode Switch for swapping two homescreen setups
• Office document editor (with free MS Office 2007 update)
• Remote lock/wipe over-the-air
• Comfortable keypad
• Smart dialing
• Great battery life

Main disadvantages

• Disappointing camera features and performance
• Video recording maxes out at VGA@15fps
• No DivX or XviD support (can be installed, possibly requiring a purchase)
• No TV-out functionality

We guess you know what to expect from the Eseries and, in a way, the Nokia E52 is the most predictable of them business smartphones. It is a 3rd generation handset so to speak, and the straightforward linear progression from E50 and E51 should tell the whole story. Screen size, FP 2, GPS and system speed make the E52 a done deal for upgraders. But even users who consider it overqualified will find it hard to ignore.

The Nokia E52 live shots

Think big, act fast and look sharp is what Eseries have always stood for but there's something about the E52 that seemed to make our knees weak. It's the traditional Eseries styling - bold, confident but conservative enough to safely rule out uncontrollable displays of emotion. Still, the E52 must've hit the right spot and its commanding appeal is hard to define but hard to deny. So we'd better move on before we got too soft, and see if the ergonomics are on par or if they have been sacrificed for looks.