If you are looking for a beautiful cover then you’d better not read any further, because here we have a protected phone model Nokia 3720 classic.

Display and keyboard
Nokia 3720 classic is equipped with a 2.2-inch TFT matrix display, with a resolution of 240×320 pixels. It is capable to display 16 million colors, but it does not give us the opportunity to adjust brightness. All this is a bit strange, as there is often the desire to increase, or vice versa, just reduce slightly the brightness of the screen, this is absolutely legal.
Buttons of Nokia 3720 classic are located directly under the screen, which is not surprising. But their execution is a little more interesting, because on a glossy substrate can fit some big holes, of which serve rubberized buttons navigation and digital blocks, the output providing excellent tactility when dialing a number and the message blindly. And the classic five-way navigation key is just to the point. The letters here are large, and in the darkness have pleasant white backlight, a little stretching in pink hues.

Other information

Nokia 3720 classic is equipped with 220 MHz processor, 64 MB RAM, 24 MB internal memory from which 128 MB are at user’s disposal.
So let’s sum up? As a result, there is a sixth edition of S40 platform, as well as all that we have described in the review of Nokia 6303 in May 2009. Once again we will repeat for the completeness of this review.
So, we have an ordinary program filling of S40, which means integration into the active standby mode or limiting the other two types of themes to full-screen wallpaper in standby mode. In menu this factor provides a complete absence of animated icons, but does not restrict the owner in the themes.

Software and games

Nokia 3720 clearly does not fall under the definition of Multifunctional which can do everything, the standard set of programs in the phone is not impressive. On the other hand, like any other product of the sixth edition, there is a lot of what was in the same Nokia 6500, and it is with these programs, it makes sense to start a description. And here is a similar virtual repository of all things, but in the performance of Nokia. Given the fact that the camera in the phone plays a more entertaining role, the service is much more likely to be demanded for the owner.

Communication and Music

As follows from the positioning of 3720, it doesn’t support third-generation networks, it remains only to mention support for GSM 900/1800/1900.
The phone has a traditional Bluetooth-module with support for dozens of profiles. With headset the device works quite stable, and the data transfer rate is 160 Kbps.
Connecting to a PC is carried out through the USB-connector, to which you can connect a tiny cable and evaluate the speed of read / write information to a memory card, which reaches 1.2 Mbps.
Interface of media player has not undergone any significant changes in comparison with the fifth edition of S40, so to understand the inconvenience of working with the library of tracks, updated within minutes the background is not difficult.
Among the player is worth emphasizing the presence of repeat and random play, the effect of enhanced stereo, and an effective 5-band equalizer, with which it is possible to get good results.

Camera

Of course, choosing protected from the vicissitudes of fate phone, you will hardly look for mirrors. Because the camera in the mobile phone is needed strictly for entertainment, or demonstration of pictures to friends on a tiny screen of the device, or sending pictures via MMS or Bluetooth.
Don’t agree with this approach in the case of 3720? Alas, a 2 megapixel camera has an average quality, albeit with a useless flash / weak flashlight, which is better not to use at night. But here working with the camera is quite convenient, thanks to full-screen viewfinder with all kinds of signatures on the edges, as well as useful features tab on the left soft-key.

Conclusion
For this cost there is almost no alternative for Nokia 3720 classic, without taking into account the equivalent of where something is not enough, especially for fans of “dialers” of the Finnish manufacturer. Perhaps, you shouldn’t buy this device, if it is important to save the usual S40 in the case, which will last at least a year?

Nokia N93i is a legitimate and the only heiress of the mighty mobile phone Nokia N93.
It seems that developers did the fans a favor and reduced the size of this “hero”. In addition, they have made it more stylish, using the mirror faceplate.

Design and keyboard

From a first glance differences between N93i and N93 are visible. First of all keyboard has undergone changes, it has become flatter. I immediately remembered TONKOMOTO, however, it is clear that for the sake of reducing the thickness of the shell the manufacturer has made some sacrifice.
I must confess that convenience is not added, and vice versa – it has been dramatically reduced.
To quickly dial a number you should be a very clever man, otherwise you will be mistaken. In addition, the flat navigation button often brings in games such as arcade-shooter. You need to make a maneuver to evade enemy missiles carrying the death, and then … your finger hits the key “Menu”. Most often this happens in the most crucial moment.
Of course, you can easily go back, but the sediment from a failed mission remains.
At the ends are placed cover up for pop-connector and a slot for memory cards. I must say that now they are made of plastic instead of rubber and foul in their places, as the previous model.
However, the changes are purely cosmetic, but it in some way makes the device more convenient.

Displays
Unlike N93, Nokia N93i has a new external display. This is OLED, displaying 65 thousand colors, but it is almost monochrome.
Images can be seen well even on the reflective surface. Information is readable on a sunny day, unless the mirror surface begins flashing. At the service displays quite standard information. This time, signal is strengthened and battery level, painted with an elegant curve. Of course, in case of an incoming call screen displays the name and number, as well as the image of a shaking phone.
The internal display with a resolution of 240×320 looks like something brighter than the analogue in N93.
Under direct sunlight the brightness was not enough and images were “fading”. Just at hand was Sony Ericsson K810, on the display of which the information could be read much better.

Camera
As it is known, camera is the main advantage of N93i. Otherwise why it is equipped with such a big lens, a rotating display, optics by Carl Zeiss? Since the entire filling remained unchanged, then expecting some difference in picture quality is senseless, but … it is only at first glance.
Based on our own feelings I can tell you that the speed and ease of control during the shooting have not been changed.
Personally, I do not like the delay somewhere between the shutter and recording in memory of the finished picture. In other words, if you took a photo of a child fidget, then 50% of marriage is guaranteed. The quality of images is slightly worse, because of the lack of sharpness. It is not too noticeable, but if you look closely … Shooting with flash is a strange occupation.
Personally, I thought that clips shot with the help of this novelty are slightly worse. The colors are not very natural. Honestly, I do not like to shoot video with a phone camera, but I liked shooting quality of N93.
There is a cable to connect the phone to the TV. For example, video is easier to watch on the big screen. Image quality of course depends on the skill of the operator, but in general – successful commercials look good.

Additional functions
As in N93, this novelty supports Wi-Fi. I confess that I quickly connected N93i with known Wi-Fi-points. Sometimes the indicator simply indicates a low signal, and at that time quite ancient notebook Dell, worked for a sweet soul, with the level of 80-85%.
Download speed of a 4,5 MB file via Bluetooth is 52-58 kB / s, which is rather good.
Player gives juicy sound; the headset has quite decent quality. It can run in the background. Radio works without problems: in the city it is caught well enough, in the suburbs – a little worse.

Conclusion
Nokia N93i is a funny, somewhere even a status phone. Having such a phone people will immediately begin to respect you as this is an expensive, fancy “device”, and in its segment it is even better. If you already own N93, then there is no need to trade for a letter “i”, because you will not get anything new, but money will be certainly saved.

To keep up with the release of new models of Touch line is not easy. The release of the first HTC Touch communicator took about one and a half years, and since that time the company already has a dozen different devices with one common TouchFLO software interface, which became standard for many other manufacturers. HTC Touch 3G’s technical features claim to be one of the fastest and most powerful communicators.

Design

HTC Touch 3G strongly resembles Touch and Touch Dual. This is the same compact monoblock with smooth contours and oval corners. The shell is made of a soft-touch material which is almost inaccessible for fingerprints.

It easily fits in any pocket and satisfies the user with excellent build quality and attractive design.

Recently, more and more users are trying to stand out from the crowd of owners of dull gray machines. For them, HTC offers a novelty not only in a black shell, but in blue, brown and even golden which in their turn distinguish 3G from competitors.

All buttons are executed in a similar style in the form of very thin rectangles. Even the scroll key is made in the form of a rectangle, but with smooth corners. Next to it, the user will have only two buttons which are responsible for the adoption or abolition of the call.

No additional buttons: this is one of the similarities of Touch models.

At the bottom there is only one slot for ExtUSB, serving for connecting to a PC, as well as to use the headset or earphones that should be connected to your device via an adapter from the kit.

The stylus of HTC Touch 3G is too thin, so working with it is not too convenient. In addition, it is equipped with foam magnetic lock.

It is used only for the most expensive devices from HTC.

Productivity

The communicator runs Windows Mobile 6.1 platform and is built on a Qualcomm MSM7225A processor with a frequency of 528 MHz. There are 256 MB of ROM and 192 MB of RAM, the user can have 56.30 Mb and 66.61 Mb. The rest of memory is occupied by various software applications and systems. But the free memory of Touch 3G, which reaches to the end user, may be different.

Productivity innovations have traditionally been tested by using Spb Benchmark 1.6.

Characteristics of the HTC Touch 3G Glofiish X900 HTC TyTN II

Spb Benchmark index 403 465 425

CPU index 2036 2399 1576

File system index 141 152 178

Graphics index 3259 2650 3500

The results can be called medium for a powerful communicator. But, let’s not forget that we have a sample, which is not intended for sale.

To explore the possibilities of video, we used the benchmark CorePlayer, with the help of three videos, differing from each other with qualitative characteristics: 320×240 / 550 kbit / s, 640×480 / 784 kbit / s, 640×480 / 1320 Kbps.

Display

If we are talking about the possibility of watching videos, we need to say a few words about the touch-sensitive display, with which Touch 3G is equipped. In this case, this is a classic display with the diagonal of 2,” and a small resolution of 320×240 pixels. This screen will seem too modest next to modern standards. Yes, for comfortable viewing movies and photos it is not the best option. But for the implementation of the interface TouchFLO it is perfect.

Camera

HTC Touch 3G is equipped with a 3.2 MP camera without autofocus, which does not let to make high quality shots.

Of course, a pleasant interface and a sufficient number of settings, such as white balance, exposure, or choose a standard plot, make the use of the camera simple enough, but the result leaves much to be desired.

Communication possibilities

Touch 3G has “3G” index in its name. This makes clear to the potential buyer that it is equipped with a full set of communication modules: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz with support for data transmission via GPRS / EDGE, and HSDPA / WCDMA 900/2100 MHz.

In addition, new wireless module is equipped with Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR and Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g. Turning on / off all wireless modules is carried out through a small but nice utility CommManager. Touch 3G will operates even in areas of weak signal.

But the producer “has forgotten”, about the built-in FM-radio, which, for many fellow citizens, is more important than support for 3G.

Offline work

Touch 3G is equipped with a Li-Ion battery with a 1100 mAh capacity. I must say that this is not the maximum capacity of the battery, which we’ve seen in communicators. In most cases, the user has to charge the device in two days. In this case you can use the address book, to talk about 20 minutes a day and watch online news. If, however, you want to work with a multimedia content, you will have to charge it at least once a day.

GPS-navigation

The official specifications of the GPS-navigation are not reported.

“Cold” start takes about five minutes, but it helps to reduce QuickGPS application, loading the data on the current location of the satellites from the Internet. Any other navigation software with the communicator is not available, so we tested the browser work with the VisualGPSce annex and famous AVTOSPUTNIK Navigation Service. Results raise no objections.

Conclusions

HTC Touch 3G is a logical continuation of the line of Touch communicators. Fast processor has already become a classic interface (both external and software) which states that the new product can easily find buyers, among which will surely be those who want to change their Touch or Touch Dual with something more modern and more productive. The only thing that causes complaints is the lack of FM-radio. Along with the full support of all other wireless modules, including GPS, the lack of the receiver seems at least strange. But the cost of the novelty is quite acceptable for a productive communicator.

]]> http://www.newphonesreviews.com/htc-touch-3g-review/feed/ 0 http://www.newphonesreviews.com/motozine-zn5-review/ http://www.newphonesreviews.com/motozine-zn5-review/#comments Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:16:24 +0000 Mia http://www.newphonesreviews.com/?p=684

Motorola, once a pioneer in the market of mobile telephony, is now in the shadow of other, less famous, but more on the ball manufacturers of portable electronics. But watching from afar the growth of the segment of the so-called camera phones (phones with powerful photo capacities) is clearly not to the liking of the company. A little late, Motorola announced a really interesting solution – Motozine ZN5. How the company managed to accumulate the previous experience and what was the outcome?

Design
A key element in the perception of a mobile phone is certainly its appearance. Whatever its technical characteristics are, if the design causes dislike, it would be extremely difficult to make friends with such a device. The segment camera-phones do not boast of particularly elegant exterior, but still have something to please the eye.
Motorola makes no secret that Motozine ZN5 is the response of the company to the already produced solutions from Sony Ericsson and Nokia. On their background the ZN5 looks quite organic, and to some extent, even fresh. The point is that when you first look at the novelty, it seems that this is normal, so to speak, business unit.
The appearance of Motozine ZN5 is standard for mobile handset from Motorola. The only currently available graphite color organically fits to the spirit of the ZN5 – strict, but with taste.
By the way, the weight of the phone is 114 grams, the size equals to 18h50, 5h16 mm, while the latter figure – includes the thickness of the module chamber, for the rest of the perimeter of this figure is 12 mm. In fact, for a serious camera-phone, these characteristics are at a very high level. The closest competitors cannot boast of such forms.

With regard to the subjective experience of work with the ZN5, phone could be called attractive. It has no outstanding or memorable elements (well, except the purple buttons activating the camera on the right end). Due to this fact, the audience, capable of being interested in such a product from Motorola, is very wide.
The competitors added zest to their camera-phones in the form of loud names of the photo-industry. We know that such a simple marketing move perfectly valid for the ordinary consumer. In the case of Sony Ericsson it is the prefix CyberShot from the world of digital cameras of Sony, and Nokia has added the logo Carl Zeiss, as one of the leaders in producing high quality optics. Motorola has entered into an alliance with the company Kodak. And even if today the world-renowned manufacturer of photo technology is, in a sense, on the sidelines (as Motorola is, when it comes to mobile phones), it is clear that a company, which has a history of 120 years, will not produce anything bad.

In Motozine ZN5 everything is subject to the photo abilities of the phone. Motorola is trying by all means to show what an excellent option Motozine is for capturing and working with photograph. In a sense, it will have to be tolerated, for example, on the tactile level – after all the block of the camera is fairly massive and causes inconvenience.
The main body is made of high quality plastic, and the rear lid is made of metal. By the way, it has a rather unsteady attachment to the body and there may be unpleasant consequences, even if dropped from a small height, i.e. it will simply bounce off. However, the lower end is covered with rubber; so that if the attack befalls on that part … do not worry, nothing may happen. The apparatus is assembled (even our engineering sample) fine, no backlashes, scripts, and other problems with the case.
The MicroUSB connector is located on the left end and at the same time it is a connector for the charger. At the other end of the same left end is located a universal 3.5 mm jack for connecting the headset.
The right end is equipped in a standard way – the start key and key of the work with the camera (horizontal direction) and two volume keys.

Display
When it comes to the camera, the question of the quality of the display is at the forefront. Many phones from Motorola wgich we have tested had good screens, but on the background of the competitors they looked rather pale. In the case of the ZN5 things are much better, the model is equipped with a display that was performed on TFT-technology, has a diagonal of 2.4 inches (resolution of 240 x 320) and displays up to 260 thousand colors.
The screen showed a good result in operation – good color rendition, brightness and viewing angles allow to work comfortably in almost any conditions. All, without exception, users will appreciate the availability of a very large font in the menu (by the way, the display shows up to eight lines of text plus the three office ones).
Unfortunately, the ZN5 is not a smart-phone and we cannot fully enjoy the capabilities of the screen (e.g., movies), but it is not useless to say again that for the set functions of the phone the display is sufficient.

Keyboard
The main part is made of a polymer film. In other words, the mechanical keys are closed with the film, with the result that an effect of single array is achieved. This looks really interesting, and the work, despite the innovation, is rather middling.
Only the circular navigation button is allocated on the general background. It has a 4-position activation of features with the function of the confirmation in the center. Soft keys are located between the navigation key and the traditional “tubes”. Critically small space is left for them. No, it is not that false abrasions occur all the time, but such a positive trick causes a series of inconveniences. Under the soft keys are two additional buttons. The first is to access the gallery, the second – to delete characters.
The digital keyboard is of a standard size. Keys are at a decent distance from each other – to dial a telephone number or type an SMS is easy.
However, it is desirable to press the keys at the right angles, but it does not cause additional inconvenience, you have only to get used to it.
In the camera mode the digital keys have additional abilities (they are marked on the shell). For example, you can quickly send a photo to an online gallery, remove or, on the contrary, save the resulting image.

Menu and Functions
First it is desirable to note that in our test the engineering model was activated, in which many of the functions worked as they should.
The model is built on a platform of LJ (the closest relative of Motorola ROKR E8). On the fine-tuning of this interface the company has spent a long time, but, honestly speaking, the result is not cheering. The menu is quite difficult to master even for the over-experienced journalists (a fact generally accepted by the press), not to speak of ordinary consumers.
And many of the complexities and conditionalities could have been completely avoided, but Motorola always had a distinguished vision of the ergonomics of the phones (remember the red “tube” on the left side, only recently moved to its rightful place).
The phone has basic functions, without which a mobile phone is not taken seriously. This includes: Bluetooth (A2DP profile), a powerful web browser, FM-radio and a media player. The interesting additions include the availability of Wi-Fi, TV-output (the cable is included).

As you can see, the phone is sufficiently stuffed with all necessary facilities. Unfortunately, the ZN5 is not a smart-phone, and its functions of expansion are severely limited.
The presence of the graffiti Kodak in the ZN5 – is not just a decoy for a trustful buyer. The developments of that company are used in their entirety. By the way, the Kodak gallery allows you to quickly send photos via e-mail or post them in the Internet. The feature Kodak Perfect Touch is also available from the gallery; it allows to significantly improving the display of the captured material. Well, and the function Kodak Easy share Software will allow you to print photos directly from your phone, bypassing the computer. And this is without speaking about the camera and its capabilities.
Summarizing the functional outcome it may be noted that the ZN5 has all necessary facilities. The overall result was somewhat spoilt by the difficulty in dealing with individual elements of the menu. But as is it usually the case – the process of familiarization takes time.

Camera
Open the cover, in a second the camera is activated, and already in three or four seconds, it takes the white balance. By the way, the machine is rarely wrong, that allows for good shots without preparation.
The interface is like that of the model ROKR E8 – a line of information above, translucent windows of menu, produced by pressing the left key content.
It is easy to deal with the settings, but they are not many either. An interesting fact – the camera can save images in the uncompressed RAW format, which is obviously cool, but in a phone it is meaningless. Typically, this format is used by professional photographers, working with serious cameras.
Now let’s talk about recording abilities. The unit is equipped with a Xenon (pulse) flash and an autofocus lamp light, which is quite powerful. Autofocus is slow in the dark (the lamp helps to focus), but at the same time does not make mistakes.

The focus could not be called quick with good lighting either, but it might be the problem of our test sample. The camera has a “red” eye reduction, when half a second before the main flash blinks the lighting of the autofocus.
How such a system works, is known from compact cameras, so it only should be noted that in the ZN5 it more or less copes with its task.
A macro-mode is supported; in our sample, however, it did not work well, so close-up photographs of flowers and other such pretty things failed. The camera can record videos in the ridiculous resolution of 144h176, so the opportunity is not worth to be considered even as fun. The panoramic shooting mode (gluing of three frames) is implemented in a normal way – with the help of the framework, the camera tells when to make the next frame for gluing.

Outcome
Against the background of the other camera-phones, Motozine ZN5 is not only lost, but is highlighted with a number of fundamentally interesting features. It is just enough to remember the 350 MB internal memory (even up to 4 GB on the cards microSD, and a 512 MB card in the kit), the excellent camera from Kodak, and it is clear that Motorola has come to the market fairly prepared.
The pre-installed Li-Ion battery of the capacity of 950 mAh, according to the manufacturer, provides up to 350 minutes of talking time and up to 350 hours in standby mode. In the reality of Moscow networks, the ZN5 worked 3 days (until 30 minutes of conversation and an hour of use of other functions), which is an outstanding result.
For people who need a relatively small, modern telephone and who are not afraid of the “menu from Motorola”, the model ZN5 will be a great solution.

The communicator Glofiish X600 from E-Ten caused a lot of commotion on the market of devices of the series “all-in-one”. No wonder as it was the first budget model, equipped with a GPS-navigator, and FM-receiver, and a full set of communication tools. The model Glofiish X610 that came to replace it, among the rich arsenal of its capabilities, boasts also of a sensory management – the most fashionable feature at present.

Features and design
At a first glance it seems that the Glofiish X610 is almost not different from its predecessor, but a more detailed study shows that the appearance in general, and the control unit, in particular, have undergone major changes.
The first thing you will notice is the display – made on level with the shell and coated with glossy glass, it is ideally suited for finger management.
The body is made in black and gray colors – the front cover and the plastic edging around the perimeter are glossy, and the rear panel and separate inserts are made of nice soft-touch plastic.
Unlike other similar materials in general, no finger traces are left on it. In general, Glofiish X610 is heavy (132 g) and medium in size (107 x 58 x 15 mm), it will be difficult to carry it in a shirt pocket, but it fits perfectly in a pocket of trousers, jeans or jacket. Generally, the device will please more men than women, because the strict form and the dark color give the new device aggressiveness.

Below is the video on the exterior of the new item.
The management block is – four soft keys and a rectangular cursor with the confirmation key in the center. In addition, all keys are noted for the precision of course, however, they loaf from side to side all the same.
Additional controls are presented on the side ends of the device. The power button is located in the right upper corner, in the lower there is a camera activation button. The left facet is more saturated – two volume buttons, programmable soft-button.
In addition, in the lower left corner of the front the connector minijack 2,5 mm is located; you can connect your favourite headphones to the X610 without using an adapter for miniUSB. And the communicator is connected to a computer using a standard cable, miniUSB, the corresponding connector is on the lower end. There is also a microSD slot for memory cards.
Unlike most budget communicators the stylus of the Glofiish X610 deserves the highest praise. The telescopic metal shell is thick enough to be convenient to keep in hand, and the edge lines are made of high-quality plastic – without rough edges.
In general, the design of the new item, although not original, looks quite harmonious. The availability of a sufficient number of additional keys, as well as an additional audio output for connecting any headphones deserves respect.

Productivity
Like its predecessor X600, the device that came to replace it is equipped with a Samsung SCC32442 processor with clock frequency of 400 MHz. This is not a very powerful processor, but it is enough for the work with a vast number of applications. In addition, this platform is particular for more power economy.
But the memory on board, even for a budget model is insufficient: 128 MB ROM and 64 MB of RAM, of which only 20 MB with a “tail” is available to the user, so in order to install additional programs, you will necessarily have to buy expansion cards. However, a similar situation, has been observed and in the model X600.
The productivity of the communicator has traditionally been tested with the help of the Spb Benchmark 1.6 package.
For comparison, are given the results for the communicator Glofiish X600 (Samsung SCC32442 400 MHz, 64 MB RAM and 128 MB ROM, Windows Mobile 6.0).
It is not surprising that the results were most similar – after all the platform of the predecessor, and of the model continuing the line is exactly the same. So those who have decided to change their “old” X600 to X610, desiring to increase the productivity of the device, should look for other, more “sophisticating” model.

Display
The novelty is equipped with the same screen as the model X600. This is a panel with a diagonal of 2.8″ display and a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. For a wide range of brightness, sharpness and high saturation of colors, as well as large viewing angles, this screen is quite worthy of commendation.
But the main advantage, and the difference from the model X600 is the absence of display skirting – the glossy panel is on one level with the body.
Of course, the low resolution does not allow enjoying movies or photos with comfort, but do not forget about the low cost of the device.

Camera
The integrated 2-MP camera as compared to the model X600 also did not undergo changes. It has no autofocus, no flash. The supplement of working with the camera is long known from the other models of communicators from E-Ten. It is an extremely simple monochrome interface, although in general it is very convenient for use.
The settings are few: the option of image resolution, white balance, and the imposition of special effects. Photos are stored in JPEG or BMP format with a maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels. Well, the videos are saved in 3GP format with a resolution of up to 320 x 240 pixels.
For a camera with no autofocus, the quality of the photos can be evaluated as not particularly bad. Noise and loss of fine details are observed in any shooting conditions. The color rendition surprised pleasantly, especially because it was a serious problem with the X600. Below you can see some examples, taken under different light conditions. The photo archive can be downloaded here.

Communication capabilities and FM-radio
Glofiish X610 has a complete set of wireless interfaces inherent in most of today communicators of other models: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, GPRS / EDGE, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g.
The inclusion of modules is carried out through a new utility – Wireless Manager, executed with style and taste.
It is noteworthy that the FM-receiver is connected through the same tool as well. By the way it has not undergone specific changes. The user can select any frequency in the range from 76 to 108 MHz, and the reception has a high selectivity and precision – every station is determined purely, without interference.
As for the connection, there also no problems were observed. The unit confidently holds the signal in all corners of the capital and its suburbs. But the selectivity of search access points Wi-Fi can be assessed only with a “B” – the communicator refuses to identify a weak signal.

Time of autonomous work
The novelty is equipped with a Li-Ion battery with a capacity of1530 mAh. For a not very productive communicator it is a very high capacity. In a normal mode of operation (about 20 minutes of conversation a day, watching the news and mail) the new model works without problems for more than two days. If you actively use the X610 as a center of entertainment, then you will be required to charge the unit every day.

GPS-navigation
Glofiish X610 is equipped with integrated GPS-receiver based on the chip SiRFStar III. The cold start of the device occupies no more than 4 minutes, and the hot start takes a few seconds. Like other navigators on the basis of SiRFStar III, the X610 surely keeps in touch with satellites and does not lose signal even during the temporary narrowing of the visible sky. The accuracy of positioning is also difficult to criticize.
The new model is equipped with a program “Navitel Navigator”, with which we have already met earlier. In addition, the device was tested with the packages VisualGPSce and Autosputnik. No criticism – the integrated receiver quickly determined the program and subsequently worked as well as with the attached package Navitel Navigator.

Spb Mobile Shell
An important difference of the X610 from its predecessor is the availability of the on-board pre-installed utility Spb Mobile Shell, giving the user the possibility to manage the communicator through fingers. A partial waiver of the use of the stylus is in fashion – it is the fault of the HTC Company, with its unsurpassed brand of communicators of the series Touch. But the software from Spb is always of the highest quality, and therefore, you can expect something more of Mobile Shell than just a resemblance of TouchFLO shell.
Indeed, the new utility has a perfect stylish design and an interface easy to understand even for a novice. At the core of it are only three tabs, the selection of which is carried out by clicking on one of the large icons at the bottom of the desktop. By the way, the latter represents by default a calendar, and complete information about incoming calls, messages, and current weather conditions and forecasts.
The bookmark with the major programs is designed elegantly and simply. The main space is given to the sub-programs “Organizer”, “Internet”, “Multimedia”, “Service”, “Programs” and “Settings”. Interestingly, the transition from page to page is very impressive and unusually animated – the page is brought to the user in the form of an unfolding cube.
Well, and the third tab is a page of quick dialing.

Generally, the program has many settings, so that you can “chain” it your likings without any problems.
The transition from the Mobile Shell interface to the standard type of Windows Mobile is also originally done. The bottom line of the desktop has a soft-button “Spb Shell”. Well, and the shell itself has a tab of exit from the program. It is also worth noting that these operations take place almost immediately, despite the not most powerful platform of the new item.
But it is difficult to compare the new interface with the TouchFLO because they significantly differ from each other. However, it is safe to say that the Spb Mobile Shell will find many admirers. But one very significant drawback in this program is still there. As we have found out there is very few memory left for the user, and this situation has arisen partly because of the pre-installed Mobile Shell. Unfortunately, this program requires a lot of memory for its work, although without it the purchase of the new communicator loses its meaning because its main zest is the finger management.

Conclusions
So, the main difference of the new item from the communicator Glofiish X600 is exactly the interface of management, which has combined the new cover of the display, as well as the original software package from Spb. In addition, it is impossible not to note the updated design and the modified controls. Otherwise, (in particular, it concerns the output of the device) you will not find Glofiish X610 very different from the previous models. There is only one minus in the new model – small internal memory.
The recommended price of the new item is 16 400 roubles. It is about a thousand roubles more than for the communicator X600. We can say that the price is quite reasonable and competitive, especially as the device is replenished with a high quality and durable synthetic carrying case with a belt clip (by the way, another little evidence that the X610 – is primarily a men’s device).

Like the U800, Samsung i7110 is partly made of metal – the front panel and keyboard, and the lid of the battery compartment. This gives the device a solid and slightly unkempt appearance. The point is that after one-week exploitation the back cover was covered with a web of small scratches and this with careful use.
And with each passing day scratches are multiplied. This contradicts the idea that metal creates the impression of a “reliable and stylish” tube.
The device is made of a soft-touch plastic, which is perfectly compatible with the metal. The quality of the assembly does not cause issues – no cracks, no gaps, the details fit together perfectly. Samsung i7110 leaves the impression of a good- quality, expensive, competitive phone.

On the left lies the end of the volume swing as well as a universal connector, closed with a shifting bolt.
On the right – the memory card slot, the key of quick launch of applications, the camera key. As shown in the picture, the keys are of a decent size, easy to press on the go.
The upper end is the eyelet for the strap. A 3.5 jack for connecting headphones would also be to the point here, but alas, it is missing there, as well as in other parts of the tube.
Above the display are housed the compact thin strip of the speaker and the camera for video phoning.

Keyboard
The keyboard is an inherited legacy from the model U800, except for the modified content buttons and the confirmation key.
The point is that in the novelty a so-called touch-sensitive infrared touchpad is used (optical joystick). By moving the finger on its surface, you can move the cursor to the Internet browser, or go from one menu to another. To confirm your choice you simply need to click on this key.
Frankly, there is no need for a partly touch-management. Indeed, sometimes it even prevents navigation – the finger hits the magic key and the cursor moves involuntarily. However, the sensitivity can be adjusted in a wide range, or the optical joystick can simply be disabled.

The modified contextual keys can be seen in the illustration to the U800.
The difference is obvious. Of course, the i7110 is a smart phone and it simply needs an extra key, but it doesn’t make the matter easier for the owner of this tube.
As a result, it appears that the close-fitting keys increase the chance of accidental clicks, even among experienced users. So, instead of displaying on the screen the list of dialed numbers, the “Menu” button was constantly hit, and instead of getting into contacts the “c” button was often pressed, and a lot more to that effect. After a week of use some skill with those buttons was acquired, but to call them convenient is not possible.
The tactile, 4-position key of management, however, is comfortable you can work with it blindly actually.
The lighting of the milky white color is perfectly visible in any situation – to dial a number or write an SMS in the dark will not be difficult.

Display
The novelty has a display based on OLED-technology, instead of the usual TFT-display.
This is evident from the first seconds of acquaintance – the screen wallpaper is unusually bright, colors are intense and the contrast of the image is high. Frankly speaking, the picture even cuts eyes a little, especially at dusk or in a semi-lighted space. However, we have safeguarded large viewing angles and good resistance to the direct rays of sun – the image almost does not fade, all the icons and text are easily readable. Incidentally, the size of the screen is sufficient for most tasks, such as – the menu, internet, photos, and navigation.

Menu
Large icons or a list, well-distinguishable font (three sizes to choose from), three pre-set posters. In addition, the user is free to choose among the three suggested types of reflection of the so-called standby mode. In its two options a streak of five or six functions for shortcuts appears on the display.
In general, the menu is user-friendly, everything is logical and defaults are normally configured. In addition, let us not forget that additional themes can be downloaded from the Internet to adjust the smart phone to your liking.

Communications
The novelty can be connected to other devices via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or via USB-port.
The speed of file transfer via Bluetooth is 70-75 Kb / s, so via the “blue tooth”, you can transfer music to the i7110 or you can use a BT-headset for listening. That is what we did by connecting a good and inexpensive device – Stereo South Wing SA505.
A few words should be said about the accessory itself. The quality of the manufacture of the accessory is high; the plastic pleases the eye and is not erased after two weeks of use.
Among the merits we would like to mention the sound quality, decent working hours without recharging. Among the shortcomings are – the somewhat ascetic appearance of the management, among which the slider of the power on/off has a particularly poor look. So, with the SA505 the Samsung smart phone worked as expected – connected automatically after the activation, the sound was not interrupted no criticism to the sound quality.
The Wi-Fi is more than workable – it clung to free hot-spots confidently, with the office wireless (with password) local it also worked well, however, it took terribly long to enter the 14-digit password.
When connecting to a PC not only your phone memory is visible (about 65 MB) but also the memory of the expansion card, so it is more convenient to throw over the capacity content by using the cable.

Camera
A 5 IP module is installed in the new model, which already “lighted up” in some models of the tubes from Samsung.
The horizontally oriented graphic interface is friendly, you can see in the screenshots, though.
The features and the functionality of the camera are not bad, they have enough storage for most users.
And again the on-board features are evident on the illustrations.
Among the useful features is the function of determining people, which in most cases works correctly. The mode of “snapshot smiles” is also a treat, but there is no special need for it – the focus of the face is always done correctly, and the smile is a private matter.

Macro shooting is possible from a distance of 3 mm from the object, the camera focuses quickly, and it is rarely wrong in the assessment of distance.

The record of geo-marks (the data is taken from GPS-receiver) will also be useful when afterwards you’ll want to use Google Maps to find where it was shot on the map.
The LED flash is not weak and not powerful, something in between, it cannot be counted on, it just is.
The quality of images is at a decent level, but still far away from ideal.
Below you can see the test photos, and the archive with the photos can be downloaded here.

Music
The MP3-player of this model resembles that of Samsung INNOV8, with the proviso to minor cosmetic changes in the interface.
As in the already mentioned model, the user has a choice of three types of visualization; display of album covers is
supported. 17 audio blanks (EQs), including 3D-sound, are pre-installed, plus you can create your own settings, using eight lanes.
The device plays music well, however, the volume leaves much to be desired, because even with the tested set headphones, the music is not heard in the subway, and the volume is poor in other noisy places.
It is possible not only to play music through the BT-headset, but to broadcast songs on a regular radio through a built-FM-transmitter, only this time will have to disconnect your headphones.
However, you will not hear anything through the external speaker either, because in this mode, it also switches off.
The FM-transmitter has a weak power, and the smart phone actually will have to be put closer to the receiver, otherwise instead of music you will hear only a hiss from the speakers. Therefore, as in the devices of Nokia, the need for such a chip (meaning the transmitter) is reduced to zero.
The radio disappoints with its low sensitivity, because a lot of stations had interferences, which was in a ratio of 14 noises in the 25 found.
In addition to automatic settings, the desired frequency can be entered manually. By the way, the memory of the Samsung is for 50 stations, which is enough even for the over-loaded Moscow broadcasting.
If you liked any song aired on the radio, the song can be saved (recorded) in the memory in the format of MP3. Then, you can listen to it at any time, using the MP3-player.

GPS
Everybody has become little by little accustomed to the fact that many phones have a GPS-navigation. So in the i7110 too there is a built-in receiver and pre-set navigation software Route66 from the company Navteq. The program is well known form Nokia and Samsung devices, and the fact that it requires payment is probably known to many as well.
As an alternative there is the free Google Maps, which, though, consumes a lot of traffic for downloading maps and ranging. The cold start of the receiver was 4 minutes, while the «hot» one took 20-30 seconds; at the exit from a tunnel the satellites were found in some 10-15 seconds. The receiver sensitivity is the same as in the communicator Samsung WiTu, i.e., to speak clearly – it was good. On the open ground you can see 8-10 satellites, and by the window at the 7th floor, in case of a clear horizon – 4-5 satellites.
There is a minus though – when the GPS is on the battery discharges at high speeds, so the navigator of the i7110 can hardly be used as a pedestrian, and for a car, too, the novelty is hardly suitable – the diagonal of the display is small.

Outcome
The functionality of the new model is not very ggod, but quite adequate for a wide range of users, who will need to enhance the ability of the tube later. Of the minuses the absence of a standard audio jack must be mentioned, uncomfortable and not really necessary optical joystick, short time of autonomous work (not only with the GPS) in general, and of course the problematic keys of navigation.
But, as a whole, Samsung i7110 is a good machine and leaves a pleasant impression. It is possible, that one should get used to it at first, then fall in love with it, and in the future – just use it, not paying attention to different things, spoiling life.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 can be called one of the most expected communicators of this season. The firstling on the platform of Windows Mobile from the Swedish-Japanese alliance claims to be a device with an exclusive design, maximum functionality and high performance. The best of the best. The proof of this is the fact that Chinese craftsmen have begun to flood the world market with all kinds of clones of Sony Ericsson X1 – a sign that the device of Sony Ericsson has turned to be truly worthy attention.

Design
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 – is a horizontal QWERTY-slider of very strict and regular forms. For its size (but not the design!), it looks more like a simple phone than a communicator: 111 x 53 x 17 mm/158 g.
The facets of Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 have a barely noticeable rounding, highlighting the elegance of the new model. In the main, the body is made of rugged metal nice for the touch, black outside and silver inside – it is included in the interior design and even the keyboard keys are also made from it.
The main control unit beyond the display is designed originally. Eight triangular buttons are folded into two squares, and two navigation buttons surround the central confirmation button on top and bottom.

That very key has a surprise. It has a touch surface, which will position the cursor in the same way as it is implemented in an Apple iPhone – you just need to hold your finger on the button in one direction or another. You get used to working with the panel at once – the movements of the cursor are measured and it does not “escape” more than you want. Two ways to control – this is the first strong point of the X1.
All other elements, located on the side faces, are standard for most communicators. Thus, at the right end are the buttons of volume adjustment and the activation of the built-in camera.
The right side bears the interface port miniUSB for charging the battery and connecting the device to your computer. In the upper part are the power button, a separate jack for connecting headphones with a minijack of 3,5 mm, and a case for the stylus.
The latter has a metal case, is well-made and is of a very high quality, but because of the too small diameters it is inconvenient to work with – constantly sneaks out of the hands.

QWERTY-keyboard
The second zest of the X1 (the first is the sensory management) is the QWERTY-keyboard, or rather its implementation. Firstly, the halves are made with a curve – the keyboard is concave and the lid is deflected.
It does not give an additional convenience to the work, but looks stylish and expensive. It is disappointing that the progress of the mechanism is very soft – shell halves are displaced relatively to each other even from the slightest pressing, although the slider does not open. When taking the device in your hand, it slides apart giving an unpleasant feeling. The second key feature is that it has relatively large buttons with big gaps between them. This came to be due to the fact that the producer was confined to the installation of only 42 buttons in four rows – the figures will have to be typed in the Fn register.All the buttons have a clear, but a little tight turn. For typing small text messages and even texts the keyboard fits perfectly, although it requires adaptation.

Filling and productivity
The communicator is built on a Qualcomm 7200A platform, the processor clock speed is 528 MHz. For now, this speed is enough for working with any applications and tasks. A 512 MB flash-memory and 256 MB of RAM are on board – capacities are quite corresponding to modern realities. More than half of the flash-memory (281.33 MB) is used for data storage. We can confidently say that with such amount of memory and such functionality of the processor the owner of the X1 can safely install on any application it – the main condition is that they are compatible with Windows Mobile 6.1 which administers the communicator.

The performance was tested using the package Spb Benchmark 1.6. For comparison there are the results obtained earlier for the Glofiish X900 communicator and HTC TyTN II.
The backlog from Glofiish X900 in the graphical test is expected due to the fact that the X1 has a non-standard widescreen display, the signal processing of which requires considerably more time. To find out which are the video capabilities, we tested the communicator with another well-known benchmark CorePlayer, and for this purpose a test video of the format 640 x 480 with bit rate 759 Kbps was played.
The ideal is considered to be the result of more than 100%. Our obtained results of 73.56% showed that the playing was accompanied with a loss of shots, although it was not noticeable for an eye. That is, this type of video formats is actually the limit for comfortable viewing. If you want to watch movies in a 800 x 480format size, you will have to reduce the bite rate.

Display
The large touch screen with a diagonal of 3 and resolution of 800h480 points, larger than in most communicators, is the third, perhaps the most important highlight of the new item. Due to the relatively small width it is virtually impossible to distinguish the individual points on the display. The clarity and color of the display are visible at the very first acquaintance with the Communicator.
In addition, it boasts of a wide range of brightness, maximum possible angles of view and very fast response, which could not be better suited for viewing movies and photos.
The only negative is that not all third-party developers will want to work with a non-standard resolution. But it can be safely recommended for reading. The well-known “reader” HaaliReader is easily adjusted to the non-standard resolution and allowed to enjoy a useful pastime, especially since the display of the X1, allows to read even the most minor texts quite easily.

Camera
3.2 MP, Autofocus, LED flash are typical of most modern cameras of smart phones. And the X1 is not an exception. The Russian interface of the camera is traditionally simple and easy to follow even for the beginner.
Settings in the main page are also standard, except for one – shooting in a wide format is fitting the display. At first sight, it is an interesting feature. In fact, there is little sense in it – the camera simply cuts the picture above and below. For example, a frame with a maximum resolution of 2048 x 1536 would be cut off to 2048 x 1280. Furthermore, for a night shooting in automatic mode, the camera exposes a very long shutter speed. On the one hand, dark images are obtained lighter, but on the other – most of them are lubricated because of shaking hands. For example, the next frame is done in almost total darkness – other mobile cameras could not shoot it at that time of day.
And this is the result of shaking hands – it was not possible to obtain clear images despite adequate street lighting.
If the device is placed on any fixed object, as was done when taking the next frame, the night images of city streets will be no worse than during the day.
The camera operates well when shooting in daylight, as well as in artificial light.

Communication capabilities and FM-radio
The X1 is equipped with a full set of communication modules: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz with support for data transmission via GPRS / EDGE, and HSPA 900/1900/2100 MHz. For video conferencing in 3G the VGA-camera, which is located above the display, is used.

Construction and Design

The new model is slightly bigger than most devices in the market today, but it will fit normally in a shirt pocket – its mass is only 123 grams. On the one hand, the device is executed in the same form-factor single block as the majority of other communicators, and the management of Toshiba Portege G810 is quite traditional.

However, the developers managed to create a quite unusual device in the frames of the usual. The fact is that behind the severity of its forms and traditional materials, Toshiba Portege G810 (soft-touch plastic for the rear wall and a smooth plate cover of front panel) hides some futuristic features manifested exclusively through the various elements of decoration and design. One cannot help to recall the words that the high quality of the product proves itself only if the manufacturer pays attention to the minutiae.

So, minutiae… To begin with, the silver plastic edging of the side faces is made continuous and wide enough to hold all the additional controls, merging with this edging, as well as … the stylus!

Apparently, the designers have given complete freedom to their imagination, because the stylus from Toshiba Portege G810 forms a single entity with the right-side edge.

At a closer look, one can see that the right edging of the shell is a little thicker. Pull it with the thumb to the top, and part of the side facets will jump off of its track and turn into an unusual type of stylus.

The design idea, of course, is for one hundred points, but just to enjoy a stylus, which resembles a golf stick or a toothpick is extremely problematic. First, it is very small, secondly, its operation is severely hampered by the bend at the top, and third, the tip of the pen is so long and fragile that it looks as if it is going to break, whereas in the fourth, to find even something resembling this stylus in case of loss or breakage will be simply impossible. This is how one has to pay for the design.

Both on the right and the left ends the user can detect a swing- key.

If on the left such a key is traditionally responsible for the volume control, the right-button swing has two different functions – the launch of the application to work with the camera and software for voice recording. It looks original and stylish, but uncomfortable to use, because while focusing the camera you will want to either grope a button of the pair or search it visually. In addition, this pair of buttons is located almost exactly opposite the key of the device launch, on the left end. Thus, while switching on the phone or putting the device out of sleep, you often accidentally run either the camera, or the recorder. Instead the power button could be just placed not on the side but on the top, as in most other communicators, and such problems of management would not exist.

The slot for memory cards microSD and interface connector miniUSB are located at the bottom of the right and left sides and the plugs are not covered. But what is worth special mentioning is the main control unit of the communicator. The point is that it is fully touch. It looks just perfect!

The navigation key and the six main buttons have a bright blue backlight, and in off regime buttons are visible only through a blind slot in the black mirror substrate surface. In this regard, the G810 has something in common with the control unit of Motorola RAZR phones – the design is clearly borrowed from the «Shaver».

In general, the quality of materials and assembly of the shell are worthy of praise, and the design is beyond praise. But, alas, as it is often the case – not everything is comfortable, that looks stylish. Designers of Toshiba did an excellent job, of course, but about the comfort in work they seem to have forgotten.

The processor of the new item for is not the most powerful for the present time, yet efficient enough to cope with any application, be it office packages or a serious program for calculations. It is a platform Qualcomm MSM7200 processor with a clock speed of 400 MHz.

The on-board memory is standard: 128 MB RAM and 256 MB ROM. But for the user, unfortunately, little is available, in our case – 100 and 38 MB. The interface Spb Mobile Shell is partly to blame, as it is designed to work with a device without a stylus.

In order to evaluate the performance of the new item in figures, we used the package Spb Benchmark 1.6.

The G810 cannot be called a leader, but the communicator realizes all of its hardware capabilities very well. So for those who are not in pursuit for top models, but want to obtain sufficient power for a reasonable price, the novelty from Toshiba will surely be suitable.

But the playing of uncompressed video is worse off. To test these abilities we have, as always, taken advantage of the benchmark CorePlayer, running on it by turns three videos of different qualitative characteristics: 320 x 240/550 kbit / s, 640 x 480/784 Kbit / s 640 x 480/1320 Kbps. Test results are presented in the table.

Recall that the ideal is the index of 110%, so even the naked eye can see that the unit is unable to play uncompressed video below 320 x 240. If you deviate from the figures, then such a movie looks on the display of the G810 as a slideshow. And if take some time and pre-compress all the films and videos, which you are to see, there will be no problem.

Display

Portege G810 is equipped with a TFT-display with a diagonal of 2.8 inches and QVGA-resolution 320 x 240. Today, this type of matrix is set in budget devices or working horses.

With the unusual appearance of the new model, this screen, to put it mildly, has little in common.

Nevertheless, this «classic of genre» is still capable of much. The indicators of the brightness and clarity of the image, as well as the juicy colors are unlikely to cause any dissatisfaction, even among the most demanding users. As for the angles of the review, here it is possible to find fault with the decrease of brightness, occurring while rotating the display. The only drawback could be that the white color in this case is too cold, with some mixture of light-blue. But this weakness only manifests itself when compared with the displays of other communicators.

Camera

The integrated camera, alas, can not boast of high-quality images.

However, all is relatively well from the outside: 3 MP, autofocus, LED flash, and even a mirror for self-portrait. Moreover, the settings of the camera are sufficient, though they are made in plain text interface – exactly the same, as can be seen in most settings of Windows Mobile.

But when it comes to shooting, there begin the problems. First, the camera is very, very slow. It takes five seconds after pressing the shutter before you can move the camera. Otherwise, the image on the photo will be smeared or will fail altogether. In addition, the display turned out to be slow itself – or rather, the image on the display does not change smoothly when shooting (if you move the camera), but with severe starts. And the quality of the images is on the average level only – the focus often works badly, there is noise on images, even with a lot of good lighting and the colors are slightly shifted to the range of warm pink. Examples of photos can be viewed below.

Communications and Wireless Modules

In addition to a full support in GSM networks, Portege G810 also works in the third-generation networks UMTS (850/1900/200 MHz) and an Internet connection using GPRS / EDGE and HSUPA. Wireless data transfer is done through modules Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR and Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g. For the on / off of any of the modules the firm task manager is responsible, differing from the standard only in stylish appearance.

When testing wireless modules, no problems have been observed. Moreover, the device has demonstrated strong reception even in a place where other phones show either its absence, or do not work properly.

The novelty is connected to a computer with USB 1.1, like the overwhelming majority of communicators from other manufacturers. Therefore, the data transmission rate, alas, is not high. Of the characteristics of connecting it is worth noting the possibility of using the device as an external removable disc or card, for which you need to select an appropriate item in the manager of communications before connecting.

On board of the G810 there is also an FM-radio with a high selective sensitivity and convenient interface. As an antenna the cord from the headphones is traditionally used. So if the headphones are not connected, there will be no music.

Time of autonomous work

Under the cover of the battery compartment is located a fairly high-capacity battery of 1530 mA • h, which inspires hope for long time offline. And we have to say, that hope is fully realized.

With an average daily loading of the phone (20 minutes of conversation a day with an address book and the Internet) the G810 should be charged no earlier than after two days of use. If you save a little, charging will be needed only after three days, which is a very high figure for a communicator. Video viewing «ate» the fully charged battery only after 7.5 hours of use! And uninterrupted autonomous music listening is almost around the clock – 23 hours!

Conclusions

The hero of our today’s review, Toshiba PortegeG810, was not an ideal communicator. Mediocre (or at least very controversial) management, a weak camera and an outdated display – these are the obvious shortcomings of the novelty. But on the other hand, a complete set of communication tools, the availability of GPS-navigation and FM-radio, long time of autonomous work, good performance and an unusual chic appearance outweigh these disadvantages. Well, the final decision is only after the price but it is competitive and low – 13.5 – 14 thousand roubles. If you like the unusual design and are not afraid of the unusual features of the management of this communicator, then at this price a better offer from the «all in one» series will be extremely difficult to find.

Construction and Design
RoverPC G7 looks like a rather massive machine, which can hardly be carried in a shirt pocket. However, such a feeling is entirely due to the impressive thickness of the shell (17 mm), while the other two dimensions (110×60 mm) and the weight of the device (116 g) are small. The black matte body is completely covered with a soft and pleasant to the touch soft-touch plastic. The cut side edges and the smoothed corners give the new model some elegance, but, in general, the G7 is designed without sophistications.

The front surface of RoverPC Pro G7 has a traditional appearance. Much of it is the display laid flush (for the convenience of managing your fingers), with a transparent mirror glass. Above the screen there are LED indicators of operation, the openings of the dynamics for conversations and a video telephony camera.
Buttons of control unit of the new model are few – just below the display there are two standard buttons of acceptation and call cancellation, and the trapezoidal navigation key with a confirmation function. By the way, these solutions are found in the Communicator HTC. They look cool and stylish, but are not very functional, alas.
But additional control buttons in RoverPC Pro G7 are not few.
The jack for headset or headphone is done separately from the interface and the miniUSB port is calculated for a standard connector minijack 2,5 mm. Thus, the users can always connect their headphones to the communicator, through the adapter of course.

At the left end there is a connector TV-Out closed with a rubber plug, intended to connect a cable from the device to the monitor (via the interface D-Sub) or any home video devices, equipped with a composite video input connector RCA.
The pride of the new model can be considered the telescopic stylus, the case of which is located at the lower end. The pen length is 11 cm and the large diameter of its metal body, allows to work a long time, not feeling any discomfort.
Despite the fact that, the manufacturers clearly saved on the development of the design of G7, the quality of construction and materials is very high.

Productivity
RoverPC G7 is the leader in line communicators by Rover Computers that is why its performance is given maximum attention. The Management, as always, is done by the operating system Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro.
The new Marvell PXA310 processor with a clock speed of 624 MHz has been selected as platform. This powerful processor is sufficient for any task, available in modern handheld computers and communicators based on Windows Mobile. In addition, the new platform is good for yet another reason: it has a built-in hardware video accelerator, which must affect in a most positive way on the video playing, videophone, games and, of course, tests the video subsystem. And to save energy, which such a powerful platform consumes with a large appetite, it is equipped with the technology Intel SpeedStep, successfully used in desktop PCs and laptops.
Interestingly, for the operation of a radio module (particularly for 3G) the main processor is not used, but an additional – Qualcomm 6280. Such a decision should lead to greater productivity, coupled with additional energy savings.

But the memory on board is not so much to modern standards: 128 MB RAM and 256 MB ROM of which are respectively available 176.5 MB and 111 MB. True, the user is left with even less: only 171.7 MB and 64.1 MB and the rest are occupied by various system utilities and pre-ON. So, without an additional memory card microSD, alas, nothing can be done; it is good that the device works with high-capacity cards SDHC.
The overall performance of the original by its stuff device, has been evaluated using the package Spb Benchmark 1.6, and for comparison the communicators Toshiba Portege G810 and HTC 3G.
Well, by its productivity G7 definitely takes a leading position among the latest generation of communicators. At first glance, it cannot even be guessed that such a modest exterior may hide a very productive nature.
Another big impression was left after testing video system of the new model, using benchmarks Core Player, in which we alternately ran three videos of different qualitative characteristics: 320×240 / 550 Kbps, 640×480 / 784 Kbps, 640×480 / 1320 Kbps.
If we recall that the ideal is a figure of 110%, it becomes clear that uncompressed video for the new model is not a problem. The device is easy to cope with almost any video.

Display
RoverPC Pro G7 has the usual TFT-display with a diagonal of 2.8 inches, and VGA-resolution of 640×480 pixels. The matrix does not include any special features, however, the image is not to be criticized. Viewing angles are sufficiently large, the range of five levels of brightness adjustment is wide, clarity and color temperature is normal. Watching movies and photos on display is pleasing, but it would be more desirable to see not 65 thousand colors, but 262 thousand.

Camera
Despite all expectations, the autofocus sensor camera with 3 MP, was of very, very good quality. But before turning to the results of surveys, let us have a brief look at its capabilities. Its main drawback, together with the absence of mirror for self-portrait shooting, is the «forgotten» flash, even if LED.

Regards to the management of the camera, it is actually all done in an unusual style. Semi-opaque Russian interface is designed in light blue colors and is suitable for the management with a finger. Standard settings: the quality of shooting, white balance, choice of preset scenes, etc. The camera makes photos with the resolution of up to 2048h1536 points. During the recording, the image on the display changes quickly, without delay, and the time after pressing the shutter button until the appearing of the new frame is also minimum – to miss the shot accidentally is rather difficult.
The quality of images is very decent. The working out of the details and perfect focus pleases the eye. Color transfer in most cases is quite good, but occasionally the device swamps the white balance in blue spectrum. Most often this occurs when shooting in night-lit streets. However, this is fixed by several takes.

Communications
An important feature allowing not to attribute RoverPC Pro G7 to budget class devices is its support of networks of third-generation UMTS (850/1900/2100 MHz) and data transfer on HSDPA. In addition, the novelty, of course, works in networks GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), and Internet access is provided via GPRS / EDGE. Wireless data transfer between the G7 and other devices is realized by using modules Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR and Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g.
For all communication modules the corporate manager, featuring a pleasant interface and unique virtual buttons-sliders is responsible.
The device keeps perfect communications – no problems while testing were observed. In the city limits the signal is received with sufficient confidence. Connecting to other devices via Bluetooth and the subsequent transfer of data with this interface also caused no reprimands. In the process of testing the new model was connected to Motorola E398 phone and a PDA HP iPAQ 4700. With all this the data transfer was carried out in both directions.

Additional features
Like the vast majority of modern communicators, G7 can boast with the presence of FM-radio. As an antenna, as always, acts the headset cord, but the sound can be output through headphones or through an external speaker. Notably, the switch to sound mode is done by clicking just one button on the main page of the virtual interface of the FM-radio. By the way, the interface is simple, but comfortable. The sensitivity of the FM-receiver is very high – most of the stations were received without interference.
The second important feature of the novelty is an embedded position sensor (G-Sensor), with which only the top models are usually equipped. The sensor is beyond criticism – it instantly recognizes, how you hold the device in your hands – horizontally or vertically, and, accordingly, expands the image on the screen.
And for the work with TV outing there is a special tool, which is responsible for the choice of TV system.

Time of autonomous work
Under the cover of the battery compartment there is a battery of 1500 mAh capacity. This is a pretty big tank, but one must take into account that the device we have in hands is a very productive one, and therefore spends a lot of energy.
With an average daily load of the communicator (20 min. conversation daily, work with address book and the Internet), the gadget works without charging two days. This rate can be considered, although not perfect, but quite acceptable. If you choose to watch a film on G7, the unit will not upset you with a discharged battery during the most interesting part of the film, because battery can last without recharging approximately 4.5 hours.

GPS-navigation
In the line of communicators by Rover Computers, the RoverPC Pro G7 model is a mast-head device, and naturally equipped with a built-in GPS-module. The manufacturer is silent about on how chip the navigation unit is, but the testing revealed commendable possibilities. Thus, the time of «cold» start is about five minutes, and the «hot» start up takes a few seconds. The navigator determines the position fairly and does not lose connection even in the woods (along with a test of efficiency in the city, and such a test was conducted).
It is a pity that the manufacturer has not taken care of a preset small utility, accelerating the «cold» launch GPS via loading of the current situation of the satellites over the Internet. But instead there has been another pleasant surprise prepared for all car enthusiasts, and pedestrians, too. In the set with G7 comes one of the best local navigation packages Auto satellite, with one of the available cards to choose from.
We tested the work of the navigator both with the program Auto satellite, and with a simple non-cartographical application VisualGPSce. Nothing to criticize!

Software
Rover Computers communicators, as a rule, do not have a rich set of preinstalled software, and the G7 in this case is not an exception. And with the tools that come with the innovation, you have already got acquainted, for example, in the review of the communicator RoverPC X7, and therefore to describe them in detail once more is not necessary. It is the utility SmartToday, which provides quick access to all programs and settings of the device, the original recorder, as well as the replacement of the standard interface of Windows Mobile.
The above-mentioned program is a stylish and user-friendly interface (with easy finger management) with large buttons on the main menu, covering a full range of tasks, which a user can perform in a communicator. Here are the work with office applications, and calls, and settings, and notes, and much more.

Conclusions
The declared value of RoverPC Pro G7 was much for a communicator of this brand. In justification of G7 can only be recalled the high-performance, full range of communication tools, GPS-navigator with the package Auto satellite in one set, and position sensors.
Unfortunately, the unit cannot boast with excellent design, and it is often inconvenient to work with the navigation unit. However, these can be attributed only to minor shortcomings.
Well, ultimately, it’s up to you to decide for the purchase, of course. It should only be added that if a powerful processor is not the most important for you, to find other worthy competitors of the novelty is quite simple.