BlackBerry 7290

BlackBerry 7290

The BlackBerry 7290 has all the fine qualities and dependability that the BlackBerry line of phones has always been associated with. The high quality communication ability and constant email capabilities are just some of the few longstanding features that are available on this phone.

The design of this phone has proven quite popular. It is shorter and more angular and the corners. This breaks from some of the earlier models that were long, sleek and had clearly defined corners. The design makes handing and gripping much easier and avoids stress and injuries to the hand. Some that were associated with some of the longer thinner models of BlackBerry phones. The front design of the phone is a basic screen and keyboard look. The phone is very user friendly and BlackBerry wastes no space with extra keys or useless features. It is a straightforward and self explanatory device capable of messaging and texting. The size and design is also very pocket friendly. It fits nicely into most back, front and side pockets. It's nicely rounded edges again avoid damage to your clothing and more importantly to you. The phone is slightly heavier than many BlackBerry models, weighing in at 139g, but the size and shape give the illusion of a much lighter unit.

Whether you are left or right handed, the 7290 will work well for you. The control buttons are on the side allowing you to easily navigate your way through the many menu options. This feature allows you to control the phone completely using one hand, which is helpful while at work or out in public. The easy to use navigation system is perfect for those pack rats of technology that store anything and everything on their phone. Organization and access will be quick and easy.

The screen and resolution are of good quality. Many of the previous models of BlackBerry phones were criticized due to the fact that their screens were easy to scratch and damage. The company has sorted that out with extra durable glass with hard coatings. They are now much more resilient to damage and this phone is no different. The size is perfect at 240x260 pixels. It boasts over 65,000 colors and is backlit. One of the small criticisms of the phone is that there is no touch screen so your track wheel is going to under go some heavy use.

The keyboard design has proven quite popular among users. It isn't as fancy as some models or as palm pilots. However, the button design is very easy on the thumb, making it easy for it to slide down and press. The resistance is adequate. It doesn't require a lot of pressure but it isn't highly sensitive either. Users have said that the keyboard is very efficient and makes no errors.

The 7290 is compatible with the Bluetooth technology. This makes hands free and wireless capability possible. This is a very useful device for those who travel extensively for work or other purposes. You can make and receive calls, messages, and emails while driving, without having to take your hands from the wheel. You also won't have to compromise your concentration while driving getting you to your destination safely.

The battery life is quite good. You will get about 4 hours of continuous talk time and up to a week on standby. This is significantly more than many previous BlackBerry models that ranged from 3 to 3.5 hours. Users wanted more time and the company answered.

This line of phones does not have loads of fun features that are typical of other brands. However, loyal users are not highly bothered by this fact. The 7290 does have a good selection of games as well as a calendar and calculator. It can pick up radio but has no Mp3 player or movie capability. The phone was designed with the professional or practical person in mind and focuses on high quality communication rather than fun.

Users state thatthe storage capabilities of the phone are highly adequate. It has 32 mb of useable memory which is sufficient to hold approximately 1 month of emails. The only downside to this is that the capacity cannot be expanded.

As with many BlackBerry phones, the so called fun features are limited. It is a phone for the practical minded person. Loyal users of this line of phones are not putt off however. The phones high quality communication capability far make up for what it lacks in fun. The phones are aimed at the more business or corporate professional with the duties it is able to perform. However, several other causal users have found great pleasure in the BlackBerry line of phones, the 7290 being no exception.

If you're looking for a phone that is reliable, dependable and offers much in the way of communication then this phone will be a good option for you. At its current price it offers very good value for money.

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BlackBerry Pearl 8100

BlackBerry Pearl 8100

The BlackBerry Pearl 8100 smart phone is one of the world's smallest smart phones and packs all of the power of BlackBerry. It comes complete with digital camera, multimedia capabilities and expandable memory. And it offers users everything else they would expect from a BlackBerry device - including phone, email, web browser, text messaging (SMS and MMS), instant messaging, organizer applications and more. The Blackberry provides quad-band network support on 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS and EDGE networks to allow for international roaming between North America, Europe and Asia.

The Pearl is a very normal looking bar shaped phone if you overlook the two extra columns on the keypad and the trackball where the d-pad or joystick typically would be. The device is clad in a piano black gloss finish that appears to be pretty scratch resistant. The sides of the Pearl are covered in a dark silver/pewter colored metal finish, that is quite attractive and a bit less prone to fingerprints than the black surfaces. In spite of the two extra columns of keypad keys, the Pearl's SureType keypad looks normal enough due to its color scheme. The number keys all have silver colored paint on them that makes it easy to see the keypad as a normal numeric keypad. Some people in the press have complained that the keypad feels cheap, owing partly to the fact that the keys are not separated at all by the front cover, and therefore float a bit. Located between the keypad and the display are the red and green call control keys, a back button, a menu button, and the trackball - the "pearl" that gives the device its name. The buttons are all reasonably normal and nice to use, but the trackball is something we've only seen before on the T-Mobile Sidekick III. The Pearl's backlit trackball has a very nice feel to it, and is easily spun in any direction as needed. It can be pressed in for selecting menu items and the like, and seems to do so without moving off your intended target, as is sometimes the case with d-pads that don't have separate select buttons. The back panel of the Pearl, that which covers the battery, is a bit too flexible for my liking, making the device feel a bit cheaper than it should. The back cover includes a self-portrait mirror for the camera, as well as protective covers for the camera itself and the flash. The right side of the Pearl is where you will find the volume control, a lanyard loop, and the first of two user configurable quick-access keys, which defaults to being the camera access/shutter button. The left side houses a miniUSB data/charging port, the 2.5mm stereo headset port, and the second quick-access key - which I use for voice dialing. The lone control on the top of the Pearl handles ring muting and putting the phone into standby mode.

One of the things that differentiates the BlackBerry UI from those of most other phones is the total lack of softkeys for commonly used functions. Instead, the Pearl requires constant use of the menu key or the generally briefer menus accessed by pressing on the trackball itself. The menus called with the menu key are often very, very long, requiring a decent amount of scrolling to see all of the available options. The trackball makes short work of the needed scrolling, but RIM really needs to added cascading menus and submenus to their system if it wants to attract mainstream users. In spite of its abilities to keep the user organized with its calendaring and email systems, the Pearl itself is not very well organized.

The Pearl 8100 user will enjoy a couple of options when it comes to accessing phone numbers quickly. For one, speed dials can be assigned to any of the number keys as well as the top two keys on each of the two extra columns on the keypad. Speed dials are accessed by long pressing the appropriate ky. The Pearl also offers a nice speaker-independent voice dialing application from VoiceSignal. Initially the voice dialing app would not recognize any of my contact names, as it had somehow failed to index them.

The BlackBerry Pearl comes loaded with a number of cool applications that we might not have expected normally. The big surprise, however, was the mapping software. The application lets you enter addresses for the start and end of your journey (or pull them from your contacts) and will give you turn by turn directions. It can also be used for seeing general maps of an area, allowing the user to zoom in and out as desired. When teamed up with a Bluetooth GPS device (not included), it can also track your location on the map as you move about. The map data is downloaded over the EDGE network as needed, so you don't have to do manual updates yourself or waste precious storage space on the Pearl 8100 itself.

Unlike many of its sibling BlackBerry devices, the Pearl looks like a regular mobile phone and does a good job of acting like one. Even with its famous push email system active, the Pearl managed a respectable 5 hours of continuous talk time in our tests. It would likely have done a bit better if its internal antenna were a bit stronger. As is, the antenna works decently in most situations, but it can't compete with the likes of Nokia's best RF performers. 3 days of standby all the while monitoring your email accounts is certainly doable. You can get more out of the device by configuring it to turn off during the late night hours when you don't use it, too. Audio quality was acceptably good on the Pearl, and the speakerphone in particular seemed quite good.

There is no denying that the BlackBerry Pearl 8100 is the most phone like BlackBerry device ever. It has the looks and size of a regular handset, yet offers smartphone functionality and has the best push email system. Its user interface might seem a bit vast and archaic to the uninitiated, but the typical road warrior user will manage to adapt to it very quickly. The issue is that the general consumer will be less willing, or capable, to deal with that learning curve. As such, RIM has a long way to go before it can expect mass acceptance of their phones by Joe Consumer.

But with that said, the Pearl 8100 is a fantastic phone. It has the basic multimedia capabilities that people want, it is small and compact, yet it offers great text input and a novel trackball for navigation

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HTC 8125

HTC 8125

The HTC 8125 is slide phones with lots of special features that will make this phone a favorite. The slide phone design allows for a nice, small compact size. The corners and edges are slightly more defined then clamshell or flip phones, but rounded enough to offer s good degree comfort to the hands. Especially on those long calls. The phone folds down to a nice size that is perfect for storage in purses and cases. It will also fit nicely into most pockets. It has internal antennae as well so your pockets will not be damaged.

The phone is quite compact but does weigh in slightly heavier than other phones. At 5.64 ounces, you will definitely know it is present in your trouser pockets but still should fit comfortably. The phone has with it a 2.5mm headset jack and easy to find side keys to help you navigate your way through the many menu choice you will have available, with the HTC 8125.

The talk time on this phone is some of the best. It offers 5 hours of continuous talk time and 7days of standby time. The phone comes with a lithium ion battery all ready installed. The phone only has an internal display available. It will have to be opened to access Caller-ID and other features. The internal display however is excellent. It offers over 65,000 colors in 240x320 pixels. It is also equipped with TFT technology, LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a touch screen.

Some of the general specification on the phone are as follows. This phone has a camera and is fitted with integrated PDA. This perfect for handwriting recognition. It has a shared memory for its phonebook capacity and polyphonic ring tones.

Some go the other great features include Bluetooth capability. This is perfect for hands fee usage. If you travel extensively by car for work or other purposes, the hands free option allows you to make, send and receive, phone calls without taking you eyes off of the road. Your safety and the safety of others will not be compromised. The phone is also equipped with an alarm, calendar, calculator and call screening. The camera also takes great photos offering 1.3 mega pixels of resolution.

There is a full keyboard on the phone and a nice selection of games to choose from. It can store multiple numbers per name and the phone can function in multiple languages.

The communication features on this phone are also excellent. It is data and fax capable and supports a wide variety of email clients. AOL, Yahoo and Outlook express just to name a few. It is complete with EDGE technology, allowing for extremely fast connection speeds for the wireless Internet service it provides. The phone is also equipped with an MP3 player and MP3 playback as well as text messaging.

Users of the phone cite many positive points about its usage. They state that the phone's voice recognition works with 100 percent accuracy. It recognizes the varied tones in one single person's voice and never seems to fail. The memory space of the phone has also been mentioned as excellent. The keyboard seems to be clearly marked and easy to use making it another feature that users absolutely love the design also receives some rave reviews.

Other users state that the Bluetooth capability in this phone is some of the best in the industry. It is loud and clear and users state they never have a problem hearing or being heard. The speakerphone is fantastic and the EDGE technology has never let anyone down.

There are very few negatives associated with this phone. Some users would like more memory and some wish a more thorough user's manal was included. Other than that, the phone rates high in nearly every quality category.

This is a phone that seems to have everything. It has the fun features of a camera and an Mp3 player as well as all of the serious features that would appeal to the professional. The wireless and hands free capability of the phone is perfect for those whom are cars are becoming a second office. The high speed Internet access and choice of email client are also appealing qualities to this and other types.

This phone does come with a healthy price tag. It is also likely not the best phone to give someone who has never owned a cell phone before. It has lots of features and will take time to learn. Despite all of the fun features it isn't the phone for a teenager. The phone however, is worth every penny you pay for it. The high quality performance that this phone gives makes many amazed that it doesn't cost more. If you're looking for a strong, durable phone that literally does everything then this phone is a good choice for you. Once you learn to operate it, it will be with you for years to come.

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LG Vu-CU920

LG Vu-CU920

The LG Vu-CU920 is a very high end multimedia phone from LG. It is designed to appeal to the masses, the tech junkies, and the fashion fanatics. Almost like the Apple iPhone. Furthermore, it features a touch screen and a number of nifty functions from a powerful camera to a full multimedia suite of applications built right into the device.

The LG Vu-CU920 was announced in April 2008 as a quad band GSM device. This means that it can be used anywhere in the world simply by switching out its SIM card when you arrive at your destination. Furthermore, the LG Vu-CU920 also supports 3G access via the HSDPA network, though it only supports this high speed data transfer in the United States. You are limited to 2G speeds elsewhere in the world.

Measuring in at approximately four inches by two inches by half an inch, the LG Vu-CU920 is actually pretty small considering the number of features crammed into its candy bar shaped frame. It also weighs only 94 grams, making it both small and light.

However, when examining battery life, it quickly becomes apparent that the battery was likely minimized to shrink the size and weight of the phone. Expect to get a measly three hours of talk time or 250 hours of standby time on a single charge.

The front of the LG Vu-CU920 features a monster sized 3-inch touch screen. The main display is capable of displaying 240 by 400 pixels. Unfortunately, while other manufacturers are offering 16 million color screens, the LG Vu-CU920 is limited to only 262k.

The LG Vu-CU920 also features a built in 2 megapixel camera that is not as spectacular as some of the other cameras on the market, though it does allow video shooting. It also includes an autofocus feature, a macro mode, and a special night shooting mode.

Multimedia features are where the LG Vu-CU920 shines. The video player supports a number of formats, as does the audio player. Also built in are a playlist manager, an equalizer, and various visualizations. You can also watch Mobile TV on the LG Vu-CU920 thanks to a technology called MediaFlo. The built in 120 MB of memory is easily expandable via microSD cards.

Other features include a full HTML browser, Bluetooth 1.2 support, a 500-name capacity phone book, an alarm, a calendar, a unit converter, a clock, a notepad, a calculator, a to-do list, a stopwatch, a number of voice commands, a speakerphone, a voice recorder, and email support.

Pros

Lots of high end features

A multimedia giant

Attractive design

3G support

Cons

Poor battery life

Camera and Bluetooth support outdated

Not much built-in memory

Overall

The LG Vu-CU920 is a great phone with a lot of cool features. However, because it is only offered by AT&T, it puts it squarely in firing range of another phone with even more features, a better touch screen, and an even more attractive frame – the upcoming iPhone 3G. If you have to have a 3G touch screen phone right at this instant, then get the LG Vu-CU920. Otherwise, you may want to hold off until the iPhone 3G arrives in July.

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Nokia 2270

Nokia 2270

Nokia's 2270 model phone is a phone that really differs from the more conservative looking mobile phones available on the market for mass consumption. The Nokia 2270 resembles a high-tech toy of some sort, but that is meant in a very complementing manner. The look only adds to the latest model brought to the user by Nokia, which is known for its keen vision in the mobile phone market, and the Nokia 2270 only proves that when it comes to mobile phone visions, Nokia is most certainly not blind.

Phone Functions

The Nokia 2270 is a very interesting looking piece of mobile hardware and that is certainly complimented by the blue and silver color scheme, along with the typical black and white LCD screen. The phone comes in the bar shape. The phones dimension are 108 X 22 mm, while the phone weighs a very sturdy, yet very compact 86 grams, and really does have a lot to offer when it comes to the visibility of its LCD operations screen. The screen has a pixel size of 96 X 65, which is pretty standard, especially when considering the limited graphic capabilities of the phone. The Nokia 2270 has a phone book capacity of 250 different names and is able to carry two different entries per name in the phonebook. The 2270 also has an unspecified amount of memory, which makes it difficult to tell how may high-tech functions the phone can perform, if it can perform any at all.

The phone carries the latest in the hard of hearing compatible digital TTY/TDD functioning, which does make it easier for those who have hearing problems to operate a mobile phone, and is pretty much the standard when it comes to almost all mobile phones. The phone also has multiple language capabilities, and is able to provide the user with the ability to change all of the settings between English and Spanish. Ring tones have become one of the biggest perks that many people find when buying mobile phones, and the Nokia 2270 is no different, because it has the ability to play different polyphonic chords and can also offer a toggling feature for ringing profiles, so the user can no who is calling just by the sound being played by the phone. The user also can use the ringer ID and the picture ID functions to easily figure out who is calling them on their phone. The Nokia 2270 also has a great voice dialing feature, which enables the user to simply utter the name of the desired call and the phone does the rest.

Because the phone comes in the popular bar shape, the 2270 comes with the best in changeable faceplates, and Nokia really has quite the slew of nameplates to offer to the user. While there are the custom nameplates, there are also the custom ring tones that operate hand-in-hand with the all the different ring tones and chords, as well as a limited array of custom graphics that allow the user to play games and view images that are not able to be viewed on mobile phones released by the other electronics brands. The phone can also operate and browse the wireless Internet via the WAP browser, which is the Internet standard on all of the higher-end models that come with wireless internet. Another high-tech function that the 2270 has is the ability to use predictive text entry, which is a very good added function that allows the user to enter only a few letters, while the phone quickens the process by estimating the words that the user intends to use. This is a function that is great for those who are always text messaging and are always on the move, because it does the job for the user, without much legwork. The phone can receive emails via the wireless web and also can receive the latest in EMS picture messaging, which is a relatively recent innovation, but is essential to phones that want to be known as models that really appeal to the younger crowd. The phone also comes with regular text capabiities, as well as the ability to produce IM instant messaging service, which is another feature the younger mobile phone users are sure to enjoy. The phone carries the best in 1xRTT packet data, which really helps with the phone's wireless capabilities. Another great feature, foreign to many mobile phones, is the camera that the 2270 carries. The phone also comes with the necessary alarm, calculator, and calendar functions, and also comes fresh with the voice memo function, which is basically a way for the user to take notes by recording their thoughts onto their phone via their voice.

Phone Power and Accessories

Nokia has always been known as a quality phone producer that offers the best in power and accountability, which is probably why the 2270 is setup with the Lilon 850 mah battery that has a talk time of 210 minutes, while having a very steady standby time of 11 days, which is pretty reliable for an older model, which don't always have the best power ratings.

The phone also has the best accessories available from Nokia, which include the most recent in battery chargers, extra batteries, travel chargers, and holders and carrier packs for the phone. These accessories also include a myriad of different data add-ons and updates, which may be necessary for a phone like the 2270, which really should have all the necessary upgrades taken care of when using this phone. Nokia is a great place to go for the best in compatible faceplate accessories, headphone accessories, and wireless technology accessories, though the wireless feature is not readily accessible on the 2270.

The Nokia 2270 is a great model of program efficiency and attractive features in the volatile mobile phone market. This phone is not needed to prove Nokia as a great mobile phone provider in the world of mobile phones, but does show the industry that Nokia can also come up with some of the best in new designs, while still being able to also produce the most stable and reliable of mobile phone creations

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Nokia 5230-XpressMusic

Nokia 5230-XpressMusic

When it comes to cell phones that play music, the Nokia 5230-XpressMusic has got it going on! After the advent of cell phones came the era of the camera phone. Now we are into the era of the music player phones. The Nokia 5230-Xpress Music is a cool and smooth slider phone.

Built with an internal antenna, the Nokia 5230 weighs 104 grams. If browsing for pictures is one of your favorite pastimes then browse away on the Nokia 5230-Xpress Music. This phone offers as many as 262k colors and its LCD screen is 128 x 160 pixels.

This phone makes it easy to adjust the volume up and down. Whether you like your music on the loud side or a little more toned down to protect your hearing, this phone makes that adjustment possible thanks to the external volume control.

The Nokia 5230 has so much to offer anyone who takes a chance on it. It has a digital camera which allows you to take all of the pictures you want anytime you wish to take them.

There is an FM radio function and you can play music in a variety of formats including MP3, AAC, AAC+, enhanced AAC+, and SP-MIDI format. There are microSD expansion slots to allow for as much storage space as you need for MP3s.

If that was not enough, instant messaging is possible with this cell phone, as is web browsing. If you liked the walkie-talkie concept of days gone by then you can experience it with the Nokia 5230-Xpress Music as this phone can be used as a fun 2-way radio!

When you need to share a file with someone else, do right away. The Nokia-5230 makes it easy to do this because it is equipped with Bluetooth, infrared and a USB connection.

The XpressMusic has a standard Lithium Ion battery with talk time of up to three hours and 30 minutes. The standby time is up to 250 hours.

Pros

Bluetooth

Can be used as a speakerphone

Option of using as a 2-way radio

USB port

Fast and easy music downloads

Camera (and secondary videocall camera which is 384x320 pixels)

Symbian 60 Operating System

2-inch screen sports a good resolution of 240 x 320 pixels

MMS, SMS text messaging

Cons

There are a few to note for the Nokia 5230-XpressMusic:

Not classified as a Smartphone

No Wi-Fi

No Java Applications

No ringer profiles

No data and fax capabilities

Overall

If music is your thing and you like the versatility of a cell phone that plays music and gives you good quality communication then the Nokia 5230-XpressMusic is an excellent choice for you to make.

Click on the photo for more information on the Nokia 5230-XpressMusic

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Nokia 6650

Nokia 6650

The Nokia 6650 is a new high-end clamshell style consumer friendly smartphone with a number of high-end features. Designed with the consumer and the tech junkie in mind, the Nokia 6650 offers a great mix of usability and features, making it a fantastic phone for the prosumer end of the market – the people who want high-end features without a truly high-end phone.

Announced in March of 2008, the Nokia 6650 is a quad band GSM phone. This means that it can be used anywhere in the world simply by swapping out your SIM card with one from a local carrier when you travel to other countries or continents. The Nokia 6650 also offers support for high-speed data transfer via the 3G HSDPA and UMTS networks for blazing speeds when uploading and downloading files. Website load times are also significantly faster.

Measuring in at approximately four inches by two inches by a half of an inch, the Nokia 6650 is a fairly large sized clamshell device. Weight however, is on the light side for such a large phone, coming in at approximately 112 grams.

The Nokia 6650 offers impressive battery life for a 3G phone with so many features. Expect to get about six hours of talk time or 350 hours of standby time on a single charge. Compared to most other phones in this market, the Nokia 6650’s battery life is practically unheard of.

There are two distinct displays mounted on the Nokia 6650. The main display, located inside of the phone, measures in at an impressive 2.2 inches in size, has a resolution of 240 by 320 pixels, and includes a color depth of sixteen million colors. The outer display is also impressive for a clamshell, measuring in at a large 1.36 inches, with a resolution of 128 by 160 pixels and a color depth of 262k colors.

Also included in the Nokia 6650 is a 2.0 megapixel digital camera, which features video support, a flash, and four times digital zoom.

Multimedia features are plentiful on the Nokia 6650. There is support for all of the most popular video files as well as support for all of the most popular music files. Furthermore, the Nokia 6650 can play music played over FM radio and visual radio. The built in 30MB of memory can be expanded via microSD cards.

Other features include the following:

Symbian operating system

Bluetooth 2.0 support

Large phone book

Alarm

Calendar

Notepad

To-do list

Calculator

Voice recording

Email support

Speakerphone

GPS support

Pros

Tons of features

Long battery life

3G and GPS support

Somewhat attractive

Cons

Camera could be better given the price

Overall

The Nokia 6650 is a great device for those looking for a clamshell phone with some power behind it. While it seems that clamshell devices in the high end are starting to go by the wayside, the Nokia 6650 is a great purchase for those who like the durability of a phone that protects itself when closed with the functionality of a high priced, high tech candy bar styled device.

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Nokia E71

Nokia E71

The Nokia E71 weighs in at 127 g and is 10mm thick. The phone features a 3.2 megapixel camera, aGPS, push email and HSDPA 3G.

The numeric keypad is a part of the alphabetical keypad. There is predictive text which makes texting very easy to accomplish. Above the keyboard there is a square navpad and this is very simple to understand and make use of. An alert light comes on and lets you know when you have a message. There are four shortcut keys on the phone. These are the Calendar key, the Contacts key, the Home key and the Messages key.

If you are looking for your most often used applications then look no further than the home screen. Here you will find your email set-up, VoIP set-up, mailbox, Wi-Fi scanner, calendar entries and voice messages that have yet to be heard. The time and date is easily visible. Here you will also find six shortcut icons - Browser, File Manager, Maps, Messages, Notes and finally, a mode switch.

The screen of the Nokia E71 is of a decent size. It is 2.4 inches diagonal with 320x240 pixels of resolution and has a color depth of 16 million colors. In simple words, the display is extremely sharp and full of clarity. The screen works very well in direct sunlight as well.

The Nokia E71 features Bluetooth technology with A2DP stereo, Wi-Fi, USB and an infrared port (which is unusual by today’s cell phone standards). The USB replaces the Pop-Port found on the E71’s predecessor, the E61. There is a 3.6Mb/s HSDPA connection. It is important to bear in mind however that the speed with which the phone works is tied into the location and the network you are using.

The Nokia E71 is a fast acting phone. The operational side of it is very good. It boasts a 369MHz ARM processor which can handle just about anything that comes its way on the Symbian S60 platform. Even if you choose to run more than one application at a time, the E71 is up for the task.

Web browsing is a joy with the Nokia E71. The proportions of the screen make it easy to move from page to page as well as to zoom in on details of a page. Pages can easily be viewed full screen. You can choose to see pictures or not and to allow for pop-ups or not. The choice is yours.

While the 3.2 megapixel camera is not the brightest and best on the market, it has some good points. The camera offers VGA resolution video capture at 22fps, digital zoom, autofocus, red eye reduction, and LED flash. There’s also an additional camera for video calling.

The music player on the phone is great! Sorting and playing music can be done with relative ease and all of the most popular audio and video formats are supported. These include AAC, MP3, Flash Video, RealAudio/Video, WMA and WMV. There is 110MB of storage and this can be made larger thanks to the work of the microSD memory cards up to 8GB. The FM radio on the Nokia E71 is one of the best around.

Pros

All phones have their good points. Here are the ones for the Nokia E71:

Screen is clear and sharp and displays a whopping 16 million colors

Excellent design and solid construction

Bluetooth

Wi-Fi (extremely efficient on this phone)

3G support

Superb sound quality

Strong signal reception

microSD slot

Asisted GPS feature

Push email (easy to set up and use)

Symbian OS

QWERTY keyboard

3.2 megapixel camera

Excellent battery life: 10 hours of talk-time is perfect for the businessperson on the go

Excellent value for money

Cons

All phones also have their bad points. But there’s hardly anything negative that can be said about the E71. Here’s one:

3.2 megapixel camera isn’t the best out there, especially for use in dimly lit areas

Overall

The Nokia E71 is full of positive points, and it is difficult to find anything negative about it. From a business perspective, the Nokia E71 is one of the best phones out there with its Smartphone capabilities and long battery life. The phone earns top marks in most other areas too and comes in as highly recommended.

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Pantech PG-C300

Pantech PG-C300

Pantech has been known for quite some time in the industry as a cellular phone provider that offers potential customers phones that both excel in service and exceed in style. One of their smallest cellular phones to date is no exception. The Pantech PG c300, which is currently used on the Cingular Wireless network, is a mere 68 grams in weight, and measures a surprising 69 x 43 x 19 mm in dimension. Its clamshell design and small stubby antenna allows this cellular phone to literally fit in the palm of your hand.

One would think that with its relatively tiny size, this phone wouldn't be able to do much of anything besides allow for telephone conversations between interested parties. Thankfully, nothing could be further from the truth. The Pantech PG c300 offers a wide array of features in addition to the normal standbys of a calculator, a phone book capable of holding 800 entries, speaker phone, the ability to support English and Spanish, text messaging, as well as polyphonic ringtones and vibration alert. Besides that, this phone also offers a VGA digital camera, an impressive display for its overall size, and the ability to match specific ring tones and picture IDs with certain incoming calls. And don't think for a moment that the talk time or available standby time suffers with all these added features. With the standard Lithium Ion battery, this phone offers nearly 3.50 hours of talk time, and a standby time allotment of over 10 days.

Perhaps the most notable feature about the Pantech PG c300 is the onboard digital camera. This VGA camera with build in LCD flash offers controls located on the outside of the camera, which makes taking in the moment pictures with the camera that much easier. It also has a digital photograph resolution of 640x480 pixels, and the 10MB built in flash shared memory makes keeping a few pictures stored on the phone a relatively easy process.

Of course, if you take the pictures, it's nice to be able to view them on the cellular phone. Given its size, the prevailing thought would be that the display image would be too small to see clearly. Although the image size and quality can't compare with an actual print out of the digital photograph, the Pantech PG c300 can definitely hold it's own with its dual TFT color display. It offers over 262,000 different colors, with an 18 bit resolution. The overall size of the display is 128 x 128 pixels, which is somewhat disappointing at times, but still quite reasonable when the size of the phone is taken into account. Other features that aren't often seen on phones like this is a built in flashlight, volume controls on the side of the phone, and the ability to support digital TTD/TTY. The phone also comes standard with a few games, a 2.5mm headset jack, and a voice memo that can save up to 6 seconds of information. And for those times that you wish to send a text message instead of a voice call, this phone offers predictive text entry technology, 2 way text messaging, as well as MMS capabilities.

Surprisingly, with the smaller size of the Pantech PG c300, the overall sound and signal quality was found to be quite good, even in areas where the network was a bit patchy. According to consumer comments, this phone routinely out performed such standbys as Nextel, Samsung, and Motorola in overall clarity of sound and number of dropped or missed calls.

There are however, a few notable drawbacks to the Pantech PG c300, and most of them have to do with the overall size of the phone. Because of its smaller size, the keypad controls and numbers are somewhat harder to navigate. Many people found that it was extremely difficult not to unintentionally press extra keys when dialing. Also, the built in speaker phone was found to be almost useless in settings other than close rooms because too much of the surrounding noise was picked up by the microphone. Others found the smaller size of the phone something that took some time to become comfortable with, especially when using it for voice calls. In addition, those with arthritic hands occasionally had problems gripping the phone during conversations.

Overall, the Pantech PG c300 provides the consumer with proof that good things come in small packages. This little phone offers a wealth of features, capabilities, and voice calls clarity and signal strength that simply is well worth the price. So if you're looking for a phone that can easily fit into the palm of your hand, and that has the capabilities of quite a few of it's larger cousins, consider taking a look at this phone.

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Sierra Wireless Air Card 875

Sierra Wireless Air Card 875

The Sierra Wireless Air Card 875 is a high quality PC Card that easily adds a mobile broadband Internet connection to your laptop. This air card has plenty of features, but most importantly delivers high speed Internet connections through its HSDPA quad band EDGE GPRS connection. Expect speeds to 3.6 Mbps with this air card, however depending on the network that you are on or your connection can be significantly lower.

For me the Sierra Wireless Air Card 875 works great. I live near the New York City area, so finding and keeping a strong signal was extremely easy. The great part of having an air card along with my mobile provider's service is that I no longer have to seek out a wifi hotspot. Anywhere I can get my mobile phone network signal, I can power up my air card and easily log onto the network and enjoy a super fast broadband Internet connection.

This air card is great for road warriors or people that take their laptops or mobile devices everywhere they go. You no longer have to spend a few bucks an hour to access your email and if you enjoy surfing the net when at your favorite coffee shop, you don't have to subscribe to their Internet plan.

The air card is light weight and fits easily into your PCMCIA card slot in your laptop. You just install the software onto your computer and insert the card anytime you need an Internet connection.

This card works only with Windows operating systems, so if you own a Mac you are out of luck. The card works with either XP or Windows 2000. If you travel overseas, you should know that this card has worldwide roaming so if you find a service that offers wireless Internet in Europe or Asia, you can easily use this card.

Pros

Super fast broadband Internet connection speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps Easy to install and set up Air card works great with little or no issues A great way to stop searching for wifi hotspots Save lots of money on subscription wifi hotspot costs Affordably priced

Cons

It is comparably more expensive with slower downloads than newer competing cards.

Overall

The Sierra Wireless Air Card 875 is an easy to use and extremely convenient air card. It is a breeze to set up and log onto the web. There is also nothing better than surfing the web at almost any remote location.

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