Nokia N97 is a high end cellphone and the biggest attraction here is the five megapixel camera with LED flash and autofocus. However, the quality isn’t as good as what I expected from a 5 MP camera. This camera can record videos too and you get two options for resolution. The video quality too is nowhere close to what you get on the iPhone. Another highlight of the Nokia N97 is the media playback capabilities. N series phones from Nokia are known for their music capabilities and this phone doesn’t disappoint either. The audio quality is really good and there is a 3.5 mm headphones jack which means you can use any standard headphones with the phone. If you are bored with the onboard music, there is FM radio onboard. For wireless music playback, the phone has Bluetooth 2.0 A2DP and in my  tests, this feature worked  [...]

LG KM710 is an attractive looking phone and it has a slider design. The phone has an iPod like circular navigation wheel for moving through the music lists. On the back, there is leather finish which feels really good in the hand. The surface of the phone is glossy but doesn’t attract a lot of fingerprints and remains clean all the time. Build quality too is pretty good. but the slider of my review model was wobbly. But the slider action was smooth and there wasn’t a lot of effort needed to instigate the slide. The display of LG KM710 is two inches big and has a resolution of 240x320 pixels. The TFT LCD screen supports 262k colors. The size of the display is a bit disappointing but it has good quality with accurate colors, good contrast and brightness. It is very bright too. That said, you won’t be able to see anything on the display in bright sunlight as it is too overwhelming. I also saw some leak of backlight on  [...]

Nokia N96 has a huge reputation to live up to since it is the successor to Nokia N95 which was a really popular smartphone from Nokia. N96 has 3G data, 5 megapixel camera, 8GB internal memory and a very powerful S60 user interface. All this high end hardware guarantees a super hit cell phone and it rightly is. There aren’t a lot of devices in the market that can compete with this. Going through the phone, I realized that the manufacturer has just remodeled it from the earlier model and there aren’t a lot of new goodies inside. The big inclusion here is integrated DVB-H tuner for watching TV. This along with the kickstand would make the phone a great alternative to your TV. Nokia N96 is a dual sliding phone just like the N95 but the new handset feels sleeker and more modern. Everything on the phone is flush with the surface except for the multimedia button and direction pad. This gives the phone a minimalist appeal as compared to N95. The N95 had sharp corners but  [...]

Nokia 6500 Classic is different from Nokia 6500 slide. They have the same name but the differences end here. Slide 6500 is bulkier and has a better set of features. They include 3.2 megapixel camera armed with Carl Zeiss lens, microSD expansion slot and FM radio. Nokia 6500 Classic has two megapixel camera and there is no expansion slot. Instead, you get one gigabyte internal memory out of which 920 MB is available for storage to the user. This will be enough for taking snapshots and can also hold about 230 songs of around four megabytes each. There aren’t a lot of features here and the phone is made for budget users. The interface is user friendly and refined. Nokia 6500 Classic is quite similar to Nokia 6300. One big enhancement on the 6500 is the inclusion of 3G (WCDMA 850/2100 MHz) which gives you roaming capabilities. The big disappointment here is the lack of camera for video calling. Nokia 6500 Classic  [...]

Sonim XP3300 Force is a very durable phone with a strong body. It complies to the military specifications for thermal shock, transport shock, humidity, fog and salt. The device can tolerate temperatures between 131 degrees and four degrees Fahrenheit (55 degrees and minus 20 degrees Celsius). You can also submerge this handset in water till six and half inch depth and it will still come out smiling. Other than that, this phone can stand oil and pressure up to one thousand pounds per square inch. I performed a lot of tests on it like dropping it on hard surfaces, throwing it down stairs, stamping with boots and putting in freezer. The device was unaffected. I then submerged the Sonim XP3300 Force underwater and then made phone calls. I also smashed the handset on the ground with a concrete brick wrapped around it. Hammering a nail on the phone made a tiny scratch. The gadget failed in one test – I tossed it up in the air and watched as it landed on the concrete. The  [...]

Samsung Transform is a mid range Android phone with a slider full QWERTY keyboard. This phone is meant for messaging enthusiasts. Spring gives phone with Android 2.1 which is a dated version but they are going to offer the Froyo update. On this phone, you will find all the typical Android features. You get the five home screens, three onscreen buttons and Google search widget. The three onscreen buttons relate to phone navigation, opening up the app tray and launching Sprint ID. Samsung Transform is amongst the first three phones, and the first one from Samsung to have Sprint ID. The Sprint ID is a profile which lets you preconfigure the shortcuts. Wallpaper, widgets, e-mail and the Wi-Fi settings on the five start screens of the phones. You can just load these Sprint ID packs instead of personalizing the start screens for wallpapers, apps, and tool-set. I  [...]

While reviewing the RIM BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300, I realized that the manufacturer has borrowed a lot of ideas from the previous models. Frankly speaking, this is just an old wine served in a new bottle. It has a few features that we didn’t have in the predecessors and hence I won’t recommend upgrading to this handset if you already own the old one. For instance, this phone has GPS and 3G that the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 didn’t have. Apart from a few goodies here and there, this phone doesn’t have any major inclusions. This would still be a good choice for users looking for an entry level smartphone. Cost of this phone is $79.99 with a two year service agreement. Address book on the RIM BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300 is limited only by the available memory which means it is virtually endless. The SIM card can take in additional 250 contacts. A single entry can take multiple phone numbers, street addresses and e-mail addresses. You can make groups of your callers  [...]

Samsung L170 is a candy bar phone having small screen and a very curious keypad which is a bit hard to press. However, you will get used to it after some time. This phone is chromed and it looks aesthetically appealing. The chrome body gives it a shiny and nice look but such surfaces can easily attract a lot of fingerprints and this might not go well with hygiene freaks. The shell is chromed and it looks metallic and this is what gives the handset the heavy feel. On the back of the Samsung L170, there is camera. The shutter button for this is located on the right side along with a toggle button. On the left, there is a camera shutter button and the headset port. This is where you have to plug in the headset or charger. The keys of this phone are white and black along with white color backlight. I liked the ridged effect, it is curious and I haven’t seen this before on any other phone. Numbered part of each of the button and alphabetical part of this same button is  [...]

Verizon iPhone 4 is going to come out in less than a week and the service provider has started with teaser campaigns for all its existing customers. It asks them to come back at 3 a.m. Eastern of 3rd February. Verizon has sent e-mails to its business customers this week telling them about it. Existing Verizon customers will need to check if they are eligible for the Verizon iPhone 4 upgrade. The frequently asked questions page on Verizon’s site says that the preorders will start from the 3rd February and the handset will be sold on first come, first serve basis. 3 a.m. Eastern time might seem like an odd time for the service provider to start taking the iPhone 4 preorder but it is also the earliest time when all the contiguous states reach Feb. 3. The Verizon iPhone 4 16GB model is priced at $199, the 32GB model is priced at $299 and for each, you have to sign a two year contract. Apple Website accidentally leaked some information about Verizon  [...]

Unlocking mobile phones is not a new thing; enthusiasts unlock phones all the time but I am still writing about it here because there are tons of e-mails in my inbox asking me how to unlock T-Mobile G1. The most popular smartphone in the market right now, Apple iPhone 4 also comes locked from the manufacturer. For the iPhone, you have the Jail break but for handsets like G1, you will have to do it manually. To unlock the T-Mobile G1, you have to get the unlock code. You can get it from T-Mobile and for this, you need an account which has been active for more than 90 days. You can either get the unlock code from T-Mobile or through Third Party Service like Unlock-tmobileg1.com which costs $23.99 USD. Insert the T-Mobile SIM card in the handset and press the menu button for switching it on. Don’t release the menu key and you will automatically enter the safe mode. After that, press the Emergency  [...]