Samsung Infuse 4G review: Extra legroom

Despite its humongous screen, the Samsung Infuse 4G has an impressively thin body. At 8.99 mm, it is only a tad thicker than a Galaxy S2. It does have an excuse though – it’s packing a larger screen than the current Samsung flagship. That’s the spirit.

Key Features

• Quad-band GSM and quad-band 3G support
• 21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support
• 4.5" 16M-color Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen of WVGA (480 x 800 pixel) resolution
• 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor, 512 MB of RAM
• 8 MP wide-angle lens auto focus camera with LED flash, face, smile and blink detection
• 720p video recording at 30fps
• Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g and n support
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity; Digital compass
• 16GB internal storage, microSD slot
• Accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Charging MHL microUSB port with USB host and TV-out (1080p) support
• Stereo Bluetooth v3.0
• FM radio with RDS
• Great audio quality
• Super slim and lightweight at 8.99mm and 139g
• 1.3MP secondary camera, video-call
• Full Flash support and GPU-acceleration enable 1080p flash video playback in the web browser
• Document editor
• File manager preinstalled
• The richest video format support we’ve seen

Main disadvantages

• All-plastic build
• No dedicated camera key
• Super slim body has poor grip when taking pictures
• Single-core processor
• No 1080p video recording despite having the same camera unit as the Galaxy S2
• Sheer size raises questions about single-handed use
• Non-hot-swappable memory card slot
• The device ships with Android 2.2 (Froyo), not the latest Gingerbread

Certain comparisons are not in the Samsung Infuse 4G’s favor. It looks like a flagship, but it’s not quite there. The Infuse just doesn’t have the raw processing power of the Galaxy S2. What’s fair’s fair though – it does look even more impressive.

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Posted in: 4G,samsung,touch

Samsung working on a WP7 version of the Galaxy S II

After sparking a furor in the Android world with its I9100 Galaxy S II flagship Samsung is obviously considering lending the form factor to another platform. A particularly juicy rumor has it that we will be seeing the ultra-powerful hardware run the latest edition of Microsoft's WP7, Mango.

The suspicion comes from a Bluetooth SIG certificate, issued to one Samsung i937. Seeing the profile of the smartphone it's obvious that it’s a WP7 device and plus the name has already surfaced through Occasional Gamers list of Windows Phone 7 handsets.

Now the bit where it shares the Galaxy S II hardware isn't as certain. It is based on the fact that the model name (SGH-i937) is really close to that of the US version of the Samsung Galaxy S II (SGH-i927). Well that and the fact that we would really love to see the super slim body and huge Super AMOLED Plus screen be available in as many forms as possible.

Of course a move to Windows Phone would also require the Galaxy S II chipset to be replaced with a Qualcomm Snapdragon, but those are quite capable too so it's no biggie.

Let's hope that Samsung doesn't leave us in the dark for much longer and unveils their upcoming WP7 smartphone soon. With the Mango update more or less bringing the Microsoft platform up to speed with its Android and iOS competitors, there'll be plenty of people waiting for some hot hardware to be announced to make the jump.

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Posted in: samsung,touch

Samsung I9103 Galaxy Z preview: First look

Now, the Samsung I9100 is obviously a winning formula so Samsung should be extra careful with any changes that it introduces.

Tegra 2 is a fine alternative to Exynos and we already know what kind of performance to expect. We’ve seen the switch to SC-LCD before – with the I9003 Galaxy SL. With the numbers the SuperAMOLED Plus packing I9100 is selling, it’s no surprise that Samsung will try to sell a few units that don’t use up their scarce SuperAMOLED recourses.

We’ve summarized the specs of the Samsung I9103 Galaxy Z to get you acquainted with the device quickly, so we can move on to the fun stuff.

Samsung I9103 Galaxy Z at a glance:

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, 3G with HSPA
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar phone
• Dimensions: 125 x 66.1 x 9.5 mm, 135g
• Display: 4.2" 16M-color SC-LCD capacitive touchscreen, 480 x 800 pixels
• CPU: Dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, GeForce GPU, Tegra 2 chipset
• Memory: 1GB RAM, 2GB ROM, 8GB storage, microSD card slot
• OS: Android OS, v2.3.3 Gingerbread with TouchWiz 4.0
• Camera: 5 megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash; face detection, geo-tagging; 1.3MP front-facing camera
• Video recording: 720p video recording
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, FM radio
• Battery: 1650mAh
• Misc: Built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor, Swype text input, Office document viewer/editor

Clearly, the I9103 Galaxy Z is meant as a companion of the I9100 Galaxy S II – early pricing info also suggests that the two belong to different market segments.

We would have liked an 8MP camera and 1080p video capture, but if sticking to the 5MP/720p camera specs means we can munch on Gingerbread for less cash than the S II would cost, then we won’t complain. After all, the original Galaxy S had a similar camera module and we’re quite pleased with it.

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Posted in: samsung,touch

HTC Sensation review:

HTC has a flair for big names but Sensation sure is something else. The name simply sticks. We're talking a monster 4.3" S-LCD screen with qHD resolution (540 x 960). If the bump in resolution doesn’t mean much to you, picture this – the Sansation’s 4.3-inch screen has the same pixel density as a much smaller 3.7" screen with regular WVGA resolution.

The 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon chipset with the new Adreno 220 graphics bodes no good for rivals. But hey, that's the news we've been waiting for. A battle is brewing and dual-core domination is the prize.

Before we let the excitement of benchmarks cloud our minds, let's get the laundry list out of the way. Here's what the HTC Sensation has to offer and what didn’t work all that well.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support
• 14.4 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
• 4.3" 16M-color capacitive LCD touchscreen of qHD resolution (540 x 960 pixels); Gorilla glass
• Android OS v2.3 Gingerbread with HTC Sense 3.0
• 1.2 GHz dual Scorpion CPUs, Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 chipset
• 768 MB RAM and 1 GB storage for apps
• 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash; face detection and geotagging
• 1080p and 720p video recording @ 30fps
• Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA
• GPS with A-GPS
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• microSD slot up to 32GB (8GB card included)
• Accelerometer, proximity sensor and an auto-brightness sensor
• Front facing camera with video calls
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v3.0
• MHL TV-out (requires MHL-to-HDMI adapter)
• Smart dialing, voice dialing
• DivX/XviD video support
• HTC Locations app
• HTCSense.com integration
• HTC Portable Hotspot
• Ultra-fast boot times (if you don’t remove battery)
• Office document editor

Main disadvantages

• Serious "death grip" issue with Wi-Fi radio
• Less than impressed with the screen's outdoor performance
• Performance not quite as convincing as other dual-cores
• No dedicated camera key
• microSD is under the battery cover
• No unibody construction as advertised

You'll notice that "unibody" is not on the feature list - the back cover is certainly interesting but this is by no means a unibody. Let's not let that sully the great impression though - the Sensation is one of the most powerful droids around and it's on the shortlist if you're looking for the ultimate in smartphones.

The 8MP camera with 1080p video recording begs for a camera shootout. And the high-res S-LCD unit calls for another display test. So that's a lot of testing we have ahead of us.

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Posted in: htc,touch

Nokia N9 hands-on: First look

Nokia N9 at a glance

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar phone
• Dimensions: 116.5 x 61.2 x 12.1 mm, 76 cc
• Weight: 135 g
• Display: 3.9" 16M-color FWVGA (480 x 854 pixels) AMOLED capacitive touchscreen; Gorilla Glass, anti-glare polarizer, curved display, multi-touch input
• Chipset: 1GHz Cortex A8 CPU, PowerVR SGX530 GPU, TI OMAP 3630 chipset
• RAM: 1GB
• OS: MeeGo OS, v1.2 Harmattan
• Memory: 16/64GB storage, no microSD slot
• Camera: 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with face detection, touch focus and geotagging; HD (720p) video recording at 30fps, LED flash, front facing camera, video-calls
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 2.1, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, TV-out, NFC
• Misc: Polycarbonate unibody, built-in accelerometer, proximity sensor, uses microSIM cards

On paper, the Nokia N9 looks like solid, if not spectacular. As soon as you set eyes on the real thing though, there's no mistaking a smartphone that will reach for the top rather than settle for anything less.

The premium finish and the outward curved screen are nothing short of outstanding. And the great news is that the good impressions don't end with the exterior. We were pleasantly surprised by the MeeGo Harmattan platform and starting to doubt whether switching to Windows Phone 7 was the only option available to Nokia.

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Posted in: nokia,touch

Sony Ericsson W8 review:

Walkman has been lying low, the Sony Ericsson Yendo the closest they've been lately to a headline-grabber. Compared to the Yendo dumbphone, the W8 is a Swiss army knife. It’s a smartphone and will see to it that you're connected, be it your precious social network or the entire web. It has access to the Android Market and a good simple music player with storage for thousands of songs.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/EDGE, HSDPA 900/2100 / HSDPA 850/1900/2100
• 3.0" capacitive TFT touchscreen of HVGA resolution, 16M colors
• Scratch-resistant screen coating
• Android OS v2.1 Eclair with custom Sony Ericsson UI, featuring Timescape
• Qualcomm MSM7227 600 MHz processor, 168 MB RAM
• 128 MB onboard storage, microSD card slot (up to 16GB), 2GB card included
• 3 megapixel fixed-focus camera with geotagging, VGA video @ 30fps
• Wi-Fi connectivity
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
• Built-in GPS receiver, digital compass
• microUSB port, charging enabled
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Excellent audio quality
• FM radio with RDS
• Accelerometer for UI auto-rotate
• Social networking integration

Main disadvantages

• Limited storage for installing third-party apps
• Outdated Android version
• No multi-touch support
• Camera has no autofocus
• No DivX video support out of the box
• microSD slot under the battery cover
• No secondary video-call camera
• Fingerprint-prone glossy finish

There are some compromises, but they're inherited. The W8 owes them to its Xperia sibling. The lack of multi-touch and the outdated Android version immediately come to mind. In the camera department, the deal-breakers are the lack of autofocus and flash. There are almost no settings available either. The list goes on but no phone is perfect.

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Posted in: sony ericson,touch

Nokia X7-00 review: The stealth xpress

The Nokia X7 combines stainless steel and Gorilla glass into one seriously attractive package. It boasts stereo speakers (just two, rather than four as you might think looking at it) to justify its Xseries spot and an 8MP camera with 720p video recording.

The screen impressed us quite a bit as you'll see in our hardware chapter but that's not all we liked about the hardware. The software changes are not as far-reaching as we would have liked, but there are some key developments that that give Symbian a usability boost.

Here's the short version of what the Nokia X7 is about and what didn’t work out very well.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• Penta-band 3G with 10.2 Mbps HSDPA and 2 Mbps HSUPA support
• Stainless steel body
• 4" 16M-color AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of 640 x 360 pixel resolution; Impressive brightness and Gorilla glass protection
• 8 megapixel fixed-focus camera with dual-LED flash and 720p video @ 25fps recording; geotagging, face detection, smart zoom in video
• Symbian Anna OS
• 680 MHz ARM 11 CPU and 256 MB RAM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
• GPS receiver with A-GPS support and free lifetime voice-guided navigation
• Digital compass
• microSD card slot (8GB card pre-installed)
• DivX and XviD video support
• Built-in accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Stereo FM Radio with RDS
• microUSB port
• Flash and Java support for the web browser
• Stereo Bluetooth 3.0
• Excellent audio quality
• Smart dialing and voice commands
• Social networking integration

Main disadvantages

• Symbian Anna is still catching up with Android and iOS
• Uncomfortable volume rocker, SIM tray and microSD card slot
• Camera lacks auto focus, oversharpens images
• Relatively limited 3rd party software availability
• No office document editing (without a paid upgrade)
• Battery life is not on par with the best in business

Despite our complaints, this is the best that Symbian has ever looked and Nokia has picked excellent devices to carry it. While the other one, the Nokia E6, is a business phone through and through, the X7 focuses on the fun stuff. From taking photos and videos, through deeper social networking integration, to watching HD videos and browsing the web on the large 4" screen.

The Nokia X7 is something you'll want to show off to your friends. The Nokia designers have done a good job of breaking the touchscreen mould that makes so many phones look uniformly similar.

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Posted in: nokia,touch

LG Optimus Pad preview: First look

An 8.9" screen hits the sweet spot for tablets and LG's Optimus Pad shows good thinking. The first tablet of the company will want to make a difference among more or less uniform rivals. Tablets coming to the market look almost the same - screens, hardware, OS. There is very little room for experiment, but LG are keen to disagree.

3D is more of a fun show-off feature to have on the side - but LG has taken that very, very seriously. We already met with and were impressed by the Optimus 3D smartphone. Its tablet sibling didn't get an actual 3D screen, but it can take 3D stills and videos. Anaglyph 3D viewing is enabled with a standard pair of polarized glasses.

The Optimus Pad is based on the powerful NVIDIA Tegra 2 chipeset - the only one currently compatible with the Android 3 Honeycomb (though this is supposed to change with the upcoming 3.2 update). Its 8.9" TFT touchscreen of 1280 x 768 pixel resolution and 32GB of internal storage don’t sound too bad either. The imaging skills are the highpoint on the spec sheet.

LG Optimus Pad at a glance:

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 10.2 Mbps, HSUPA 2 Mbps
• Form factor: Tablet
• Dimensions: 243.8 x 150.0 x 12.7 mm, 621 g
• Display: 8.9" 16M-color WXGA (1280 x 768 pixels) TFT capacitive touchscreen
• CPU: Dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 proccessor, ULP GeForce GPU, Tegra 2 chipset
• RAM: 1GB
• OS: Android 3.0.1 Honeycomb
• Memory: 32 GB storage
• Camera: dual 5 MP, autofocus, LED flash with 1080p@24fps video recording; Stereoscopic 720p@30fps videos; geotagging, face detection; 2 megapixel front facing camera, video-calls
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2PD, standard microUSB port,GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, HDMI TV-out
• Misc: built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor, gyroscope sensor

So, on top of the ordinary Full HD video capture, you get 720p 3D video. At one point users of the Optimus Pad will want to consider the Optimus 3D smartphone. If they haven't already got themselves an LG 3D TV set.

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Posted in: LG,touch