Friday, September 12, 2008
HTC Touch Pro T7272 Unboxing Review
In the package, we have a Battery, a charger, a design matched handsfree, a nice-looking leather case, a USB cable, two styluses, CD and Manuals. Look at the phone packing box, isn't in a conventional shape. It looks elegant.
Touch Pro looks almost the same as the front of Diamond, except of the corner which is look more rounded.
Well~ are there two camera lenses? No… Within this nice brush-metal triangle, there is a 3.2 megapixels auto-focus camera lens at the top, and the LED fill light on the bottom which is the Diamond doesn't have.
The flat 2.8” VGA is found in the front of the device. Unlike the Diamond, the Touch Pro has a slide-out with five-row QWERTY keyboard for messaging.
QWERTY keyboard layout closed up. Although the buttons are a bit flat, the keyboard is generally easy to use.
The camera application in action, you find that the thumb flipping control is fast in here.
There is the HTC TouchFlo 3D user interface. The reaction for jumping from one app to another app is very fast. And it is touch sensitive and quite responsive, I found that I had to resort to the stylus very little which is a great plus for me.
Navigated on the web browser, the website looks just like they do on a PC, and it is easy to pan around and zoom in on exactly the information you’re looking for by tapping twice on it.
The screen will also auto-rotate when the device is turned.
Windows Mobile 6.1 professional. It can accommodate 8GB memory card, and 16GB cards in the future. (Which is the Diamond only has 4GB internal memory with no expansion slot).
Slide off the back, you may find the microSD 2.0 card slot. You can slot the card into the phone while the device is still on. It brings you convenience, right?
As the Phone function on the Touch Pro, is also an improvement on previous models, it is simple to use and very clear and professional looking. The ringtone is loud enough for avoid you missing any important calls. The 2.8 inches touchscreen is not big but the LCD quality is definitely very good. Overall I am very impressed with the design and the functionality. If I were being really picky I would have liked it to be a tab slimmer?
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T700 Product Review
I am so glad to bring you one of the web’s first hand-on reviews of Sony’s T700! The
T700 can take very good pictures and share it with the 3.5” screen. Can’t wait to unveil all its secrets? Read on.
The package is one crowded party. Besides the camera, battery, charger, an AV/USB cable, a user’s guide and a CD-ROM there is also a pen!
The model under review is the silver version. There are 4 other colors available including Gold, Grey, Pink and Red. In my opinion, silver is the best match for the metallic body, which has a solid and durable feeling. Slide the lens cover up to reveal the lens and turn on the camera. The sliding mechanism is not very smooth, probably because a smoother design would allow the cover to be slid up accidentally.
The T700 has 10.1MP, which is quite modest for a flagship model. The T700 has double anti-blur feature: the Optical SteadyShot image stabilization shifts the lens to counter handshakes and the High Sensitivity ISO 3200 allows for minimal exposure time.
There are not many buttons on the T700. To the left of the shutter button there is a Power button for viewing images without exposing the lens. There is also a Replay button for you to view your entire image collection instantly. The zoom rocker is definitely the smallest I have seen. It does a decent job in moving the 35-140mm equivalent lens.
The 3.5” screen is overkill for a camera. It is larger than most MP4 players and smartphones. It isn’t the kind of “large without substance” screens found in cheap MP4 players though. This one is bright, colorful and touch-sensitive! It handles many of the day-to-day operation of the camera including changing exposure settings and setting up slideshows replay of photos.
The T700 accepts Sony’s own stamina battery and Memory Sticks, which are common among CyberShot cameras. I was a bit skeptical about the battery life because of the huge LCD screen, but it turns out that the T700 has quite a lot of stamina.
The 3.5” screen can display a lot of information. You can also tap on the screen to select focus point or enter into camera menus. The screen works best when you tap on it with your fingernails, otherwise it may miss some of your instructions.
Face Detection has become a “must-have” for point-and-shoot cameras. On the T700 you can adjust the sensitivity of this feature or the preference between children/adult faces. It recognizes faces quickly and accurately most of the time at the default setting so I doubt if there is any need to change the settings.
The shooting setting screen can be accessed by pressing the Menu button on the bottom left corner. The buttons are large enough for your thumb but the layout is not excellent. Other than the plain color scheme the menu suffers from poor organization which requires you to “hunt down” the setting in different tabs. With that much of space I think the T700 could do better.
The painting pen is probably designed for kids (look at the size of it) for drawing on the picture in Edit Mode. Need I say anything about the picture quality? The camera can take very sharp pictures and displays them in the 3.5” screen. The T700 can also hook up with PhotoTV-enabled Bravia televisions and give a High-Definition presentation of your favorite photos.
The T700 is an excellent camera with a lot of features to help you take the best photos. The 3.5” screen allows you to control the camera and share photos with ease. The menu needs a bit improvement but you will get used to it soon enough.
If you want a cheaper alternative, check out the T77 as well. Here is a brief comparison between the two:
The T700 loses to the T77 in terms of thickness (16.4mm vs 15mm). The 1.4mm difference is not significant in real world. You can probably keep both cameras in any of your pockets.
By comparison, the 3.5” screen on the T700 trumps the smaller screen (3”) in the T77 utterly. However please bear in mind that a 3” screen is still considerably bigger than most other cameras…
The other major difference is internal storage. The T700 has a huge 4GB storage while the T77 only has 15MB. If you are going to buy a 4GB MemoryStick for use with the T77 anyway, you may want to upgrade your screen for a little more money.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77 Product Review
T77 has a lot of useful features to enhance your overall user experience from good to great.
The package is one crowded party. Besides the camera, battery, and charger there are AV/USB cable, a User’s guide and a CD rom!
The model under review is the pink version. There are 4 other colors available including Black, Bronze, Green and Silver. The pink version is certainly an eye candy and it is more tilted towards the elegant side than the cute side. The lens cover can be used to turn on/off the camera. You don’t have to worry about the cover getting slid up too easily because Sony has added some friction between the cover and the body.
The T77 has 10.1MP, which is about average for a point-and shoot camera. It has the iSCN function to help you with the Scene Mode selection and the Dynamic Range Optimizer for determining the exposure settings to achieve a maximum dynamic range. The camera also comes with the double anti-blur feature: the Optical SteadyShot image stabilization shifts the lens to counter handshakes and the High Sensitivity ISO 3200 allows for minimal exposure time.
Next to the shutter button there is a Power button for turning on the camera for viewing images without exposing the lens. There is also a Replay button for you to view your entire image collection. It has a small but effective zoom rocker for controlling the 35-140mm equivalent lens.
The 3” screen is overkill for a camera. It is larger than most MP4 players and smartphones. It is bright, colorful and touch-sensitive! The screen is responsible for many of the day-to-day operation of the camera including changing exposure settings and setting up slideshows of photos.
The T77 uses Sony’s own stamina battery and Memory Sticks, which are common among CyberShot cameras. I was a bit skeptical about the battery life because of the huge LCD screen, but it turns out that the T77 has quite a lot of stamina.
Face Detection is a “must-have” for point-and-shoot cameras. It recognizes faces quickly and accurately most of the time at the default setting so I don’t have to change the sensitivity or face preference of it.
You can choose from a variety of resolution and aspect ratios inside the camera. If you have a computer with photo-editing software I recommend you to always use the 10MP setting to preserve the maximum details.
Are you falling for the T77 already? Don’t forget to check out the T700 as well. Here is a brief comparison between the two:
The T700 loses to the T77 in terms of thickness (16.4mm vs 15mm). The 1.4mm difference is not significant in real world. You can probably keep both cameras in any of your pockets.
By comparison, the 3.5” screen on the T700 trumps the smaller screen (3”) in the T77 utterly. However please bear in mind that a 3” screen is still considerably bigger than most other cameras…
The other major difference is internal storage. The T700 has a huge 4GB storage while the T77 only has 15MB. If you are going to buy a 4GB MemoryStick for use with the T77 anyway, you may want to upgrade your screen for a little more money.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Nokia 7210 Supernova Unboxing Review
What’s a supernova? In Nokia terminology it means a line of fashion phones with crazily reflective surface. The 7610 Supernova does all the usual things of a phone with a thin body. Is it a good buy? Read on.
The package comes with the phone, a battery and a charger, a handsfree and a user’s guide.
The slab phone looks strikingly similar to other slab phones made by Nokia (eg: 5310), the greatest difference being the more reflective front surface and the buttons. It is not a bad news though, since the 7210 Supernova managed to retain the small dimension (10.6mm thick, 45mm wide only)
The keys on 7210 Supernova are not very ergonomic but they won’t give you too much hardship in real world use, since there is probably not much typing on this kind of phone. The miniature keys fit the reflective screen nicely since they allow for more shiny areas.
The 2MP camera is rather typical by today’s standard, it is certainly better than 1.3MP cameras commonly found in other budget phones. There is no auto-focus or flash on the phone but it managed to deliver about average photo quality.
The speaker is located on the back of the phone. There are three openings as evidenced in the photo below. Together they produce loud and clear ringtone, but I still think it would be better to have a speaker on the front instead.
The on/off button, microUSB jack and the earphone jack are located on the top of the phone. If you plan to hang the phone on your neck, you may want to use earphones with shorter cables.
The photo below is a bit deceiving because the phone feels thinner than it looks. The phone is wide enough for a good grip and the phone feels nicely in my hand.
The stars label that comes with the phone can only be seen after you remove the back cover. It adds some colors to the otherwise dull internals of the phone, which you can see are the SIM slot, the microUSB port and the camera. Due to the size constraint the battery does not have much juice. The 2 hours talk time may be quite scary at first glance but notice the long 250 hours standby time. The phone can stay alive for 2 to 3 days without a charge if you only use it intermittently.
The phone has an exposed microSD card slot so changing card does not require a reboot. Note that the microSD card is not bundled in the package.
The S40 interface can be found in different generations of Nokia phones. It is quite usable and pleasant to the eyes. Veteran Nokia phone users may want a renovated interface though.
The 7610 Supernova combines style, compactness, music and most importantly, affordability. It certainly doesn’t have the latest technology but who says a phone must have “that” much of features?
Blackberry Bold 9000 Unboxing Review
While other makers are busy landing stabs on the iPhone by making thin, keyboard-less smartphones, RIM continues to focus on the business sector. The Blackberry 9000 bold is possibly the best Blackberry ever made with a lot of new, bold features including GPS, high-resolution 480 x 320 screen and HSDPA. Is bolder always better? For this new Blackberry at least, the answer is a firm yes.
Inside the box: the phone, a battery and a charger, a data cable, a handsfree, a 3 adapter, a CD-ROM, and a user guide. The package comes with a decent leather case as well.
The Bold has a new interface! The icons may look simple but the graphic conveys the functions well enough. The overall operation is very smooth and pleasing.
The keyboard is the lifeblood of every Blackberry. The Bold 9000 has a nicely designed keyboard with ample separation between the keys. With the Bold, you don’t have to worry about pressing the wrong keys or missing a letter – the keyboard is a gem.
The phone has 4 board keys for quickly accessing the usual functions. The trackball allows you to move in 4 directions and it is meant to make one-hand operation easier. Since the trackball is smaller and more sensitive than the typical 4-way D-pads, you may need some time to get used to it.
Speaking for myself only, I don’t like leather, at least not on the phones. Leather may have a luxurious feeling but the pits and gaps here and there trap dust pretty effectively. That being said, I must say the leather finish really puts the Bold (and probably the user) apart from the rest of the competition. It looks nice, it feels nice, and it is certainly nicer in your peers’ eyes.
The Bold is never meant for secret agents. Apart from the loud, always-enabled camera shutter sound, the 2MP camera has a blindingly bright flash. Photo quality is good with little noise and some sharpness. There is no front camera for 3G video call.
I am glad to see that the Bold uses the standard 3.5mm and mini-USB jack. With these standard ports you have a higher chance of scavenging/robbing a data cable or a handsfree from your colleagues than the non-standard counterparts.
The phone is just 14mm thick so it does not feel bulky in your hand. The corners are rounded and the shape was designed to fit in your hand. Well done, Blackberry!
The Bold is one impressive device. Business executives who are always “on the run” will like the smooth operation and high-speed HSDPA connection. The bright, high-resolution screen and the usable keyboard make the phone perfect for sending messages. I would recommend you to check out the review of iPAQ 912c (a Windows Mobile phone) as well to see which is better for you.
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