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.