Introduced in 2005, Sony Ericsson W800i was greeted by critics and consumers. Key factors for success were few, but all of them were verified to the last detail. It was the first phone with a legacy of the famous players Sony from no less famous Walkman brand with all the ensuing consequences. In fact, the phone W800 was really a serious music player. It shows today’s situation in the market, new F300 from Samsung, Nokia 3250 or 5700 XpressMusic. To grow on megapixels 2 million cell phone makers have taken a time out. Secondly, W800i has serious functional content.

Design

Certainly, now thin phones are fashionable, important and sometimes even very practical. However, the overwhelming number of slim-devices is extremely inconvenient to use. In pursuit of millimeters manufacturer forgets about ergonomics, forcing the user to break the nails on the keyboard and when working with menus to twist his/her fingers in the untold patterns.
Fortunately, this fate to a greater extent bypasses Sony Ericsson W880i. Its dimensions are 103×47x9, 4 mm and weight is 71 grams. Thus, the device is long enough, but due to its rectangular shape it has stunning design.

Thickness, or rather its absence, and light weight make it possible to carry the phone anywhere. Whether it is a breast pocket of your shirt or the pocket of tight jeans, W880i looks good from everywhere, more precisely, in jeans, it is imperceptible.

The front part of Sony Ericsson W880i is made of stainless steel, and can be in silver (Steel Silver), and black (Flame Black) colors. In the first version the rear face of rubberized plastic is matte black, while the second one is orange. Both the colors and the presence of metal among the components add to an already excellent design of W800i a fraction of sophistication. Moreover, it is worth noting the excellent build quality of this phone.

Keyboard

When dealing with the keyboard of Sony Ericsson W880i it is possible not to feel discomfort.

But there is an unambiguous claim to the navigation key. It is too small.

And if girls with nails of medium length speak positively about the numeric keypad, than they will scold the navigation. So if you prefer long nails, you should think about shortening them.

On the right side there is a key to access the camera (horizontal mode).

At the top there is a small multi-purpose “rocker” (or even a slider).

With its help you can get into the menu of the phone, adjust the sound volume, or play around with the scale of the photographs. Access key to the player Walkman 2.0 is located on the left end.

By tradition, the Sony Ericsson phones are not usual green and red phones, and their functions are performed by two context keys. Beneath them there is a button fast access to the Internet browser and “My Menu”. Below that are key “return” and “C”.

So we glad to note that the keyboard of W880i is somewhat unusual, but it is viable.

Display and menus

Screen of W880i is rather narrow, but it has dimensions of 1.8 inches, supports QVGA-resolution (240×320 pixels) and displays up to 262 thousand colors. The display, of course, belongs to the premium class – high brightness, excellent clarity, rich colors. Due to its elongated shape, the upper line with the level of reception, battery indication, hours and other information icons are always active when you move the menu (if you have the theme Walkman), unconditional and very significant advantage.

Simple and intuitive menu of W880i consists of 12 icons, and subsections in a tree form.

However, changing the theme to the standard Walkman on “Bits of the City” you can get a stylish black and red menu with icons, arrayed in a row. These moves through the main menu will be accompanied by a mild vibration.

To master the organs and functions of control of W880i can even unprepared person. Anyone who has ever spoken on Sony Ericsson phones over the past three years, the process of learning and adapting to the new product will take a couple of minutes.

Multimedia

Traditionally, the older phones of the Walkman series inherit a full set of features and capabilities of their business counterparts. So the user of W880i gets 16 MB of internal memory, support for memory Memory Stick Micro (1 GB card included) card, Bluetooth with support for A2DP protocol (wireless stereo headphones), convenient and functional web browser Net-Front, Java , support for USB and much more.
Well if living without ICQ to you means not to exist, then go to the menu “Applications” and run powerful client which is able to function (like other Java-based applications) in the background.

The phone works in three GSM and UMTS 2100. This means support for video streaming and video calls. For the latter there is a small camera on the front panel.
In general W880i is a modern phone with classically-considered trifles. Does it have tuned Bluetooth? Does it easily work with uploaded files? Does it have functional organizer? Can it work in Flight Mode? All these questions can affirmatively be answered with the abbreviation of five characters – W880i.

Walkman 2.0 is stuffing, let’s consider hardware. Headset connector (HPM-75 included) is located at the left bottom.

This is quite inconvenient, since the plug is not small, so it still goes on thick wire, which is not particularly flexible. The most reasonable accommodation would be a 3,5 mm input on the top of the phone. Headset HPM-75 has decent quality and should satisfy most of the audience. We have to test headphones Sennheiser CX 300, in order to feel all inside the player. Fortunately HPM-75 is a structure of the adapter and headphones, so that the 3,5 mm input is available, albeit not at the phone.

To start the music application you can use the little orange button or through the menu.

At the start screen “My Music” can sort tracks by artists, albums, play-list or simply the list of tracks.

Play-lists can and should (because 1 GB is about 250 songs in good quality, very easy to get confused) be created directly on the phone.

In addition, the player has a standard set of visualization (animation, or album cover), play mode “in a random order”, repetition, and changing colors of the application.

There is also an equalizer. Unfortunately, it was a simpleton, from the available preset modes you can choose – Bass, Mega Bass, voice, lifting high frequencies.

In addition to these four settings, it is a possible and a manual calibration. Player responded only to the most understated or overstated frequency. And the description on the website Mega Bass Sony Ericsson says “improve bass, let music become more volume, in practice, the sound remains flat. But what pleases me is that only player can be scold in W880i.

The volume is enough comfortably to listen to music not only on a busy street, but in the subway or any other public transport.

Out of interest, just as noteworthy feature, is TrackID. A

gain we turn to the description on the official site – “Just record a song a few seconds and all the information about the track, artist or album will be available within a few seconds”.

Funny opportunity for Walkman with FM-radio on board, but in the case of W880i it is a useless icon on the desktop, because the music that pours from the player to know there is no possibility, as composition should be recognized only through a microphone. Another function of downloading content PlayNow seems much more interesting in this case.

The player supports popular formats such as: MP3, AAC, AAC +, E-AAC +, WAV, WMA, M4A, however, it is difficult to imagine that many users listen to music in the format E-AAC +.

As a conclusion of the player it should be noted that it has many useful features. As for the level of the music, Walkman in this sense is ahead of other phones. However, if you are a music fan beginner, features of Walkman 2.0 will be sufficient.

Camera

In case of W880i camera is more a design element than a serious application. In fact, a small lens with a penny coin and the matrix of 2-megapixels is not as bad as it might seem at first glance.

Using the camera in landscape mode is very practical. The camera settings are standard – resolution, quality, effects, 2.5-fold digital zoom.

Conclusion

A small step for Sony Ericsson is a big leap for the market. Player phones go to the next level, slowly biting more and more of the market. Union of a phone and a music player looks more organic than a phone and a camera. In case of W880i nirvana is aggravated with battery with a capacity of 950 mAh. At 30 minutes of calls a day, using all sorts of functions and player for 2 hours a day, the phone worked for five days. It is an excellent result.

Having examined W880i brick by brick on the components, we have a stylish phone, rich functionalities and a decent player. Definitely a successful model, I recommend to buy it.

Philips continues to produce more mobile phones of its famous line Xenium. The list of models is already so extensive that only the last two phones are held in the memory; however, the replenishment can not be avoided. So, meet this new Philips Xenium 9@9h.

Design
Xenium 9@9h retained the general features of design, characteristic of “literal” clamshells of Series 9@9 – compactness, light weight, easy to use and nice looking shell shape.
The cover of Xenium 9@9h leans with one hand, but there is not an automatic closer, as in many modern phones, therefore, certain dexterity of fingers to the owner of the mobile phone will have to be demonstrated in any case. But the sides of the shell are made of a slightly rough plastic, which helps easily to hold the phone in hand.
The battery lid, on the contrary, is very slippery and thin. In addition, it is clearly recorded a tight clasp, excluding backlash.

Made at the outer surface of the housing, the connector to connect the USB cable and the slot for the dynamics of polyphony has no protection, which raises legitimate concerns, especially given the fact that the speaker is placed in a very unusual place – in the upper end of the tube.
Frightening to think what might happen if someone tries to talk on the phone under the rain, not even the strong one.

Keyboard
The keyboard of Xenium 9@9h is pseudo-sensor, i.e. with a minimum speed buttons. And of course, it has both advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages, in fact, are purely aesthetic: Yes, the phone looks very stylish, it disguises its budget nature and nothing more. But typing on the keyboard, even if it is sufficiently broad to which the boundaries between the buttons can be discerned only after long training, and it is very inconvenient, there is no any “save” button.
In addition, the buttons seem to be too tight, although it is a matter of habit.

DisplayThe main goal that the developers of Xenium phones set themselves is the maximum battery life, so in this line of clamshells outer screen is either completely absent or replaced by a simple monochrome. In the case of the Xenium 9@9h, we have seen enough of the original decision. There is no external display on this phone. Instead, the outer cover is made of a dark plastic panel hiding 4 LEDs that show several states of the phone: entering a new text message, incoming / outgoing calls, the charging process.

The photo shows that you have a fresh SMS-SC and there is a missed call.
The main screen, is a real TFT-display, although not too large (128×160 pixels), with a noticeable grain, but generally provides acceptable image quality, including bright daylight.
In text mode screen is placed on five lines – more or less sufficient to draw or read a short message.

Options
A significant advantage of Xenium 9 @ 9h is a decent set of installed software, at least compared with previous models from this line. From business applications in the phone there is a calculator with the same nice GUI, as in the younger models. However, given the previously described problems with the keyboard input Xenium 9@9h, it is difficult to say whether this interface is tied to a navigation key.
In the functional set there is also a currency converter (maybe once developers figure it out replace it with a full-fledged universal converter units), clock with world time, alarm clock with three custom slot, voice recorder (maximum duration of one record is 12 minutes).

There is also a personal organizer with three viewing modes and three types of insertion events. Different sounds can be attached to events, as well as specify the regularity of recurrence – from daily to annual.
The notebook of Xenium 9@9h, on the contrary, is functionally very poor. It holds a thousand entries, each of which can store up to three different fields, conventionally marked as a phone number, fax number and IP-phone client. No additional fields. There is no opportunity to create groups of contacts, or the appointment of individual calls to individual contacts.

In Xenium 9@9h there is an FM-radio, and in the sales package you can find a good headset, serving as an antenna. It’s nice, because not every budget phone boasts about advanced multimedia capabilities.
But another problem emerges: the phone doesn’t play MP3-files! All that you can play with the tube (it is not even a player as a separate program) is midi, and AMR-files.
In Xenium 9@9h there is only 3 MB memory, and it does not support a memory card.

Conclusion
What I did not like in Xenium 9@9h is lack of functionality at the hardware level. Even as a budget model, the phone can not offer its users neither built-in camera, or wireless communication via Bluetooth. Given the penny cost of the two modules, we are inclined to believe that this restriction is not enforced due to the cost of production, as dictated by the positioning of Xenium 9@9h merely as a budget model, mimic a more serious mobile tool. Well, if the tube is designed to compete with Nokia 1100, then it has a good chance of winning.
On the other side Xenium 9@9h is equipped with long-life batteries and rather good design. Indeed, batteries, of Philips mobile phone beat all possible records, but how long this figure can persuade mobile users to give up opportunities that their comrades have grown accustomed for a long period of time?

One year after successfully launching the X830 swivel handset, Samsung upgrades the line of the handsets that mix MP3 player functions with those of a standard GSM mobile phone. The new addition to the lineup has been branded as Samsung SGH-F210. Despite the fact that it kept the same design as its X830 predecessor, F210 has been improved in many ways that have been thought almost impossible for that time. Samsung also managed to keep the device small enough, so it can be used as a dedicated MP3 player with ease. The successful blend between 2 different devices (MP3 and mobile phone) will always be in high demand on the market, so either you like it or not, Samsung’s innovative ideas will still have lots of fans.

Design
Samsung SGH-F210 looks exactly like a chocolate bar. All shiny and very well polished, the device attracts looks only in a minute. If you keep it closed, others can easily take it as a good looking MP3 player, but they’re in for a big surprise. The moment you swivel the small device and put it to your ear, it will suddenly change into a small stylish mobile phone. One handed handling is much easier for right-handers, as the phone swivels to the left. It’s a little bit troubling for left-handers, but I’m sure they’ll get used to it pretty fast. When closed, the candy-bar form factor of the handset stirs one’s imagination. The small screen on the front part of the phone only displays the MP3 plater interface, which can be controlled very easily with the big wheel that you see in the pictures.

Commands like forward, back, stop or pause are only a touch away, as the wheel can be pressed. The Hold button placed on the right side of the phone will help users avoid starting the MP3 player when they aren’t aware. The left side of the phone features only a dual volume key. The bottom of the phone is detachable, so that the headset that comes in the sales package can be attached. The same port can also be used to synchronize the phone with any PC or simply to charge it. There’s no need to detach the whole bottom part of the phone in case you need to charge the phone, you will only need to open the plastic plug-in that covers the port. Obviously, on the back of the phone you’ll find the 2 Megapixel camera, which doesn’t feature any flash capabilities. There’s no external speaker, the music can only be heard through the in-call speaker.

When the MP3/phone is swiveled, it reveals a standard keypad with big enough keys. The difference between the older X830 and F210 model is that the latter has the keypad divided onto 3 rows. The X830 had a 2-row keypad, which was a little bit weird to use. This has been corrected, so you can dial numbers as with any other standard handset. Besides the usual keys, there are 2 more contextual keys, the C key used like a Delete key and a Camera key, which suggests that you cannot use the phone’s camera unless the handset is swiveled. At the base of the keys you’ll notice a small gap where the microphone has been placed. There are definitely big improvements compared with Samsung’s X830 model, but there are also some things that remained the same or worse.
The screen embedded on both devices is the same small display that doesn’t enable users to read the entire menu, not to mention that anyone interested in browsing the Internet will have big issues when trying to read any page displayed. Even if the phone may look a little bit flimsy at a first glance, I have used the phone for almost 3 weeks and the swiveling mechanism didn’t showed any sign of ‘weakness’. Perhaps in time it will ‘collapse’, but I don’t intend to use it more, so I can’t really say for sure. Anyway, its size (87.8 x 31 x 20.5 mm) and weight (72 grams including battery) recommends Samsung F210 both as an MP3 player and a mobile phone.

Display and Camera
Samsung F210 features a TFT display (128 x 220 pixels resolution) supporting 262k colors. The screen is great in terms of quality, but in truth it fails to help the user as it is way too small. Just like its X830 predecessor, Samsung’s F210 display measures around 1.5 inch, which is not enough to display the whole menu, so you’ll be forced to wait for any writing displayed to scroll from left to right to really understand what’s written. The problem is even bigger when you want to play a game, navigate on the Internet or even write a SMS message. If these don’t bother you, then you’ll sure like F210’s display.

The small camera module integrated on the back of the phone is a little bit low on performance. Don’t expect too much from it, and don’t try to use it with the phone closed because you can’t. It will also be difficult to preview anything you’ll want to shoot, because of the small screen. Either you won’t be able to see everything displayed or the preview will simply be too small for you to understand what’s really there. There are some settings that can be used to increase the quality of the snapshots: Effects (Black and White, Negative, Sepia, Emboss, Sketch and Moonlight), White balance (Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy and Daylight), Timer and Frames.

There are also some modes (Single shot, Multi-shot and Mosaic shot) that can be used. The maximum size of the pictures is the usual 1600 x 1200 pixels resolution, while clips can be recorded using 352 x 288 pixels resolutions CIF.

Communications

Samsung F210 is GPRS (Class 10, 32 – 48 kbps) and EDGE (Class 10, 236.8 kbps) compatible, which is more than enough to satisfy any user needs. It is also compatible with Bluetooth 2.0 A2DP and USB 2.0 features for high speed data transfer.
I have to say that everything related to data transfer, Internet surfing is working ‘mildly’, as in ‘mediocre’. It also fully supports SMS, EMS, Email, MMS, but small screen will probably make owners use its messaging capabilities less than normal.
The triband (GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900) network compatible handset has a mediocre GSM signal reception. Instead, the sound is very clear, but medium in terms of loudness (only level 7 volume). I have experienced terrible sound only when the signal reception was weak, but overall it has good GSM capabilities.

MP3 player

Samsung’s swivel has been especially designed as an MP3 player, so we should expect many multimedia ‘goodies’. Unfortunately, I couldn’t understand why Samsung hadn’t put in an external speakerphone, especially since it is said to feature 3D sound.
All the vibes that you hear are coming through the in-call speaker, but even so, the sound is clear and superior to many other music dedicated mobile phones. The headset that comes with the phone aren’t the best, but the sound it delivers is surely above average. Interesting vision from Samsung, it’s like you have two different devices stuck together. When closed, you can use the MP3 player (MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+ and eAAC+) or the FM radio, when swiveled, you can take advantage of the GSM capabilities.
No functions of either one work at the same time, so you should be aware that you won’t be able to run music in the background and access other application related to the phone. Music player and FM radio are both offering sound above average.

Conclusion
Samsung F210 doesn’t look like any other phone, because it looks like an MP3 player. The moment you swivel the handset, it really reveals its ‘WOW factor’. Anyway, youngsters are the only target that will buy the phone, as you cannot do any business related stuff with it. Looking more like a toy, Samsung F210 offers the innovation much needed when one tries to attract young people.
The best thing I have noticed with F210 is definitely related to its look. More than appealing, the phone doesn’t feel when you put it into your pocket, or carry it with you, just like an MP3 player. It has everything that a young person would want: music, big storage space, radio and camera. Combine all these with an easy to use interface and you have the optimal phone for youngsters.
Even for someone who is not interested too much in using the GSM capabilities of the phone, the small screen could be a big issue. Probably the battery is also a negative point, as it lasts only half of the time offered by these days dedicated music phones. The inability to install any 3rd party applications is also a big downside.

It is well known that the most long-expected novelties are rather expensive and sophisticated smartphones, or as for Sony Ericssonn – these are popular devices of Walkman series. A new clamshell Z555i by Sweden-Japan partnership is not the one of super-expected models and that is why it can stay unnoticed even by those whom it is addressed to. Although girls might like it.

Design

We can see a typical not expensive clamshell, something from a series of “phone for USD 250″.
In order to make its typicalness stay within the limits of allowable, the producers put on some glam to the front panel. Its surface is alike covered with small prisms that are playing in the sun beams falling on them. It looks especially effective in the sun when the phone just flashes out in the lights.
The obvious minuses are weakness of the front panel for showing all the fingerprints and other kinds of contamination, but we do know very well that such behavior is typical for the great quantity of modern phones. That’s ok; we are getting accustomed to that little by little. Except decorations on the front panel we can find a camera lens with a tiny LED (flashing upon certain circumstances), polyphonic loudspeaker and a single-line black-and-white inverse display showing service information.

In standby mode it is “hidden” under the glossy panel and reminds of itself while there is an incoming call, incoming SMS and if you press a volume control wheel. Everything is typical and accurate. Oh, almost forgot that even if it is rather hard to open the cover with one hand, still it is possible, nevertheless, you should not try to do that while walking, in other way you can badly drop the phone. The back side, to be more exact the cover of the battery, is fulfilled with a rather thin rough plastic; the same is used for the W910i model.
In fact, we do not have a “hot” change of a memory card, but a “warm” one, because we still have to take off the battery cover for that purpose. On the upper side of the phone there is an “ear” for the thong, on the left – a jack, on the right – a volume control wheel. Everything is traditional. No patterns, flowers, ornaments and other decorations of modern phones, oriented first of all to women’s attention.
The interior of Sony Ericsson Z555i is more modest, than stylish.

Keyboard and display

The disposition and the form of keys are rather typical, but frankly there is one novelty about this. For example, the key responsible for turning off/on the phone is placed right in the middle of the front panel, “clutched” in between the browser key and the key of quick menu launch.
Such arrangement does not make problems in working, because you get used to that for 1-2 hours and besides, short pressing this sacred key does not lead to turning off the phone. In spite of this you can see the profile list on the screen. On the picture we see a slightly curved shape of typesetting keys that plays a good part practically as well as aesthetically – it is pleasant to look at it, and fingers are not making accidental pressing.

The size of the keys is optimal, and as for me I liked the short response. Its clear that the digital block is not ideal, but we have what we have. It is pleasant that black keys have light inserts, but it cannot be considered a super-stylish decision, it looks satisfactory, nothing more. The navigation is not very comfortable, mostly because of the flat 4-position key at the same level with other keys. It’s just hard to feel the keys bounds with a finger and you have to be careful. The micro-lights depend on the light sensor which is working very correctly – the battery economy is never something extra.

The main display is very common – TFT matrix with a resolution of 176╤Е220 pixels. I remember that such display characteristics were the same as people-music-youth device of 2005 – Motorola E398. We should frankly tell that Sony Ericsson Z555 matrix is better of course, the lights are richer, the image angles are enough to write SMS when you are elbowing in the transport. The image quality is not bad, the grains are almost not seen, and the brightness resource is good. One thing is bad – a small physical size and that is why you can feel that the producer did not spend much for display.

Menu, Control

A typical menu presented with a usual set of 12 icons is quite common for SE devices that is why it will hardly surprise anyone or call admiration. It is comfortable to move around the icons because the device is slightly vibrating, showing every movement like that.
There are functions list, and you wont be accompanied with vibration moving around there. And yes, as always there are several themes in this device (to be more exact – four of them).
They are cute, one of them is even nice (with flowers), and that is definitely for girls.
Shortcut menu consists of 4 marks. One of them shows information about events, the second shows the applications you are using right now, the third – quick access to the functions you are choosing yourself, the fourth – web URLs.
Besides that, you can program the directions of the 4-position key for quick launch of these or those functions.
Its a pity that you cant change a web browser launch key, because surfing the net at using a small display is not so pleasant.

Useful trifles

Unlike Nokia devices, Z555i has five alarms versions, activated on certain days of the week and you can choose any MP3 melody as alarm ring tone.
I liked a simple reminder function; for writing down a new event (meeting/call) I needed not more than 20 seconds. The notebook is of the same style, just without a remind function.

The calendar has a rather good functionality, but the month table looks a bit small there. I am serious; you have to look intently to see what date will be on next Saturday. If the letters were bolder and the table was bigger there won’t be such problems.

There are common things like timer and stopwatch with nine intermediate results.
The memo book is of the same kind like the previous models have and has very comfortable horizontal keys too.
You can write down five numbers for one contact, e-mail and web address, choose a personal ringtone and a picture, and fill in the personal data like mailing address, company name, place of work, birth date.
On one hand – not so much, on the other hand – quite enough for the majority of users. As usual, the phonebook of the device itself and a SIM card are not shown as a single list, but you can choose showing the SIM card contact list by default.

Camera

Sony Ericsson Z555i is the type of the phones that you are not expecting anything unusual about them. That is why, frankly speaking, I was not even surprised when I saw a 1,3 megapixel camera. Of course it would be more pleasant to see a 2 megapixel camera, but…

There are not so many adjustments. The user can chose the size of the picture (1,3 Mp or VGA), a single frame or a series of 4 pictures, two types of the image quality, night mode, balance of white, several color effects, 4 sounds for confirmation of the shutter actuation, timer.

In other words, everything is more than usual. Not the whole display is used for the viewfinder purposes (we can see that on the pictures); the upper part is given to the series of icons, which, in fact, you don’t need, the lower part – for the signatures of the context keys. It is quite easy to use this simple camera; the picture is taken when you press the left context key or the central key. The camera is working really rapidly, the image recording to the phone or a card memory lasts for no longer than 1,5 seconds. The quality of the pictures is expectedly not high; in fact, you can see it on your own.

Player/radio and games

MP3 player (to be more exact – its interface) is also familiar due to the previous models. A rather strict, imperceptible design, several preinstalled equalizers, working in a background mode. There is also a function of sorting by an artist, track, and you can make your own playlists.

The quality of sound of our test example was not bad, we were especially surprised with a high volume (the music was heard quite well in the other end of the room – 12 m), but as for the bass function – it is not so good if you wear the earphones from the set as well as inlay earphones by Philips and Koss. I guess that the commercial examples of the player will be better.

The FM receiver sensitivity is not bad. Five of the stations make noises, the rest of the twenty were quite fine (the sound is clear with minimal noises).
There is also a mode of automatic tuning working quite correctly and finding out the radio stations even with a weak signal. The RDS system is working quite well.
As well as a player, a radio can turn into tray releasing display for other things. The most comfortable way to activate it is to choose it among the mentioned list of the applications.

Games are: logic Jewel Quest II and photo hunting FotoQuestFish. Both games are good, but I liked the one with fish most.
The sense of the game is that you are a diver and for the limited time you have to make good pictures of different kinds of fishes (no need to go to Egypt). In this game you get the points by the following way – the more fish you get into the frame of your photo camera, the more points you get. The game is quite pleasant and the time you spend going for work glides.

On-line

The data transfer speed between the phone and PC via Bluetooth is 32-38 Kb/second. Besides that, Sony Ericsson Z555i had no problems working with different BT accessories including stereophonic. There are no claims on the connection quality, everything corresponds to the expected level, and there were no connection breaches, the people you are talking to can be heard quite clearly. The battery charge was enough for three days without turning off the phone for the night (as for me – I practice that sometimes), talking for 10-15 minutes a days, long-time searching around menu, about half an hour of listening the music, rare Bluetooth sessions.

Outcome

Sony Ericsson Z555i cannot be called a stylish, glamorous and a kind of attractive device. If it is a Dusted Rose color – you can call this a device for girls, but if it is black it’s not clear who should be the user. A girl will hardly choose something like that – she is willing to choose something more elegant, a man will just pass it through. So, it means the device is something in the middle, which is quite offensive.

Ringtones have made a long trip and the technology is still advancing providing some interesting and usefulapplications. Mobile ringtones is the best proof that innovation produces creativity. As in the case of other products around us, ringtones also changed for the better as a superior format, the polyphonic tones were invented. The simplistic, strictly made for the purpose monophonic tones were abandoned in a trice in the wake of the advent of the polyphonic tones. These tones could produce a cacophony of up to sixteen instruments generated sounds at one time, which made the resulting stream of sounds seem like music. This type of tones is still in vogue. Ringtones are now available in different forms of music based on different themes, culture and mood of the consumer. Most manufacturers produce such mobile phones where users can not only choose from many musical ringtones but also program their own for a very personalized ringtone and, in other cases, ringtones can be downloaded through a WAP connection.

However, be cautious when you buy a phone, not all phones let you add programmable free ringtones. Some lock that function. So before buying a phone, check The Ringtones FAQ forthe most recent compatibility list.

The incomes from selling ringtones are outstanding and the field is still growing in leaps and bounds. Competition among sellers to attract more customers have brought out some welcome innovations like sing tones and name tones. For the discerning public, it seems, this is just a beginning.

At the edges of the shell many interesting things can be seen, and it is not only a key power top, having fitted to one side of the central 3.5-mm input for headphones. If you have to charge the device or connect it to your PC, you will need to look at the left edgee, where microUSB-socket is fitted with an LED charging indicator, and in the corners was found some place for two polyphonic speakers. In addition, in the center you can find a convenient slider lock, which has no alternatives. On the right side of the shell there is everything you need for casual work with the camera, and not only. This is a big comfortable shutter release button with a soft touch for focusing. In addition, there is a comfortable swing for regulating volume, which is easy and pleasant to use.

And now it is better to look at the back surface. Under the “curtain” you can find a 5-megapixel camera with CMOS-matrix and autofocus optics. In addition, there are two LEDs, which are called flash.
The battery cover has matt surface. It has 1500 mAh Li-Pol battery, and a memory card slot, microSDHC, next to the camera unit.
The battery is the same as in the old Nokia E71. The majority of owners discharge the battery only after 2-3 days of use. A wonderful result for the device with 3.5-inch screen, though the same Apple iPhone is not worse.
Under the battery there is nothing interesting, as in 5800, but the slot for SIM-card is available without removing the battery, as the card is placed in a steel tray and stuffed somewhere inside the cell.

Communications
In general in this flagship there are many tech devices from Nokia, and the first thing I should say that in the device there is Bluetooth 2.0 with support for all necessary and unnecessary profiles. We’ll also note the possibility of comfortable listening to music via wireless Nokia headsets.
In Nokia N97 there is also a Wi-Fi module, the index specified by IEEE 802.11b / g, which characterizes the solid performance with different types of WLAN-access points at up to 2.3 Mbps, as well as the opportunity of working in wireless networks, UPnP.

Music
Taking into account the modest capabilities of watching movies that still need somehow to be converted into the appropriate format with the MP4 extension, the main way to fill the space in the memory of Nokia N97 is music. Here you can add many MP3, AAC, WMA music. It is commendable that the library can seek out the appropriate albums / artists and so on without any slowdown, and the album covers can be changed.
And while enjoying the music these covers occupy half of the screen, leaving only a little space under the battery icon and the network receiving, and you can use the half of the screen for easy and convenient navigation.

With regard to the sound, everything is alright, and such a conclusion can be drawn not only when compared with all sorts of musical devices from different manufacturers, but after comparison with MP3-players. The device plays music in various genres. It copes especially well with electronic and heavy rock; there is Metal and other similar directions, suggesting many nuances in the midrange.
Radio in Nokia N97 can only be compared with brand new 5530. The same 20 memory to store stations in the FM-range 87.5-108 MHz, smooth animation of inscriptions in the background, and the quality of play will not disappoint.

Camera
In Nokia N97, which we will not call a computer, there is an ordinary 5-megapixel camera with two LEDs instead of a normal flash and auto focus optics with a good opportunity to take close-up with 10 cm.
Working with the camera is easy and convenient; because all control rests on the right thumb or on the left index finger if you want to create a large panel of settings and adjustments. There are settings where you can select the resolution of the image. In addition, you can record good videos in 640 x 480, when strained to 30 fps. Video is not so interesting for us, because quality is identical to records from 5800, despite a decent difference in price.

Conclusion
The device is strictly for connoisseurs of all the details of the prorated interface S60 from Nokia, but at the same time seeking the world’s only bunch of QWERTY-keyboard and 32 GB of internal memory. In terms of multimedia and iron power the device lags behind the market for exactly one year, but this Nokia flagship has not lost a huge reservoir of loyal fans of brand, among which may be you, confirming it by buying N97. Others are advised not to rush buying Nokia N97 because it will obtain more attractive design only in December.

Nokia N97 Unlocked Phone, Touchscreen, 3G, 5 MP Camera, A-GPS, 32 GB, MicroSD Slot, and Integrated Ovi Applications–U.S. Version with Warranty (Black)

In 2006 Motorola began releasing a new line of MOTORIZR image sliders. The first was the model Z3, which is the first GSM-slider of the company. Great attention was paid to materials, as well as on internal functional filling which couldn’t make this mobile phone a bestseller. In early 2007, an updated model Z6 was launched. Now the phone is positioned as a musical image slider. And again – beautiful, functional, but unpopular. Till the end of 2007 an updated Z8 model released. In addition to black-and-green color it has Symbian UIQ platform and many other advantages.

Finally, there comes RIZR Z10 – an updated model of Z8 which has a more rigorous design. So let’s have a look at this novelty.

Design

With all of its non-standard (in a good sense of the word) design, Z8 had a very cool reception. Young people, to whom the acidic insert might come to taste, started criticizing the price of the device.

Speaking about its design, we can not accept the harsh brutality of the Staff. This feature is peculiar to many phones from Motorola. On the contrary, in an era when everything is “Slim, soft and low”, to have a heavy device in the hand during conversation is not very convenient.

Unfortunately, here come some disappointments. First of all the metallic color. The phone is entirely made of plastic.

The original arrangement of this new Z8 slider has not been modified. Moreover, the numbers did not differ from each other with designing elements, with the exception of the back side, which is caused by a more serious camera in RIZR Z10.

As in the previous model, the opening of the upper half is lifted under a small angle. This is definitely an interesting solution.

With regard to the process of opening / closing, despite the complex mechanism, to perform this operation you can either injure your finger in a special rubber stress below the display, or in the upper halves of the rib.

As for the remaining designing solutions they are acceptable, such as bolts on the rear lid. The size of the phone and the weight fit into the overall image due to the fact that the phone is large in order to work with it comfortably. In general, even in the pockets of jeans or trousers Z10 isn’t comfortable to carry. However, if once again we draw a parallel with the predecessor, the Z8 is 1.5 mm thinner and 5 grams lighter.

Display

Z10 is only a continuation of Z8 (in fact – an Update). Like Z8, it has a 2.2-inch TFT-display with QVGA-resolution (320 x 240 pixels) and supporting 16 million colors.

As in previous models, the screen does not have impressive specifications, but generally looks modern. Getting ahead, I will say that Z10, with its entire functions is a simple device poorly suited for multimedia.

Keyboard

Describing this phone’s keypad, we traditionally divide it into three units – nautical, digital, and additional keys. In the case of Z10 the navigation block is executed in classical style for this line. There is a 4-position button in the middle, two soft keys, two additional buttons (Menu / list of tasks and “back”), as well as standard “phone”.

The buttons are made of rubber, so pressing them is hard enough. That is, any action requires serious effort.

The second stage of our conversation will be about additional buttons. At the left end of the monoblock there are three buttons.

Two are responsible for the volume, and the third – for quick access to multimedia gallery. This is more than a controversial decision. You can easily get to the gallery through the menu and, yes, and you need it less frequently. Below there is a slot for memory cards. Suitable card format is microSD, up to 32 GB.

Right end is equipped with one button, which is responsible for the rapid launch of built-in camera. Here is the miniUSB connector, serves to connect the peripherals and the charging / docking to a PC.

All connectors are covered with plastic plugs, so the aerodynamics of the shell did not violate anything.

The digital keyboard brings controversial feelings. In principle, it has not changed since Z8.

All the keys are highlighted with pale green light, which is not very suitable for this device. Milky and white would be fine.

Features

As we have already noticed, the phone is built on Symbian 9.2 (Motorola Symbian UIQ 3.2). In fact it is a capricious platform which has little in common with the classic S60 from Nokia, and with UIQ from Sony Ericsson. As a result, all the charm of the smartphone as a multimedia device is reduced to 0.

First, it requires a very long download time. In order to switch the language from English into Russian (search for the notebook, or enter the address in the browser), you must enter the corresponding menu, select language, press “save”, then “use”, and only then get the desired result.

Almost every operation is perceived as a personal affront to the phone and requires a minimum double confirmation. For example, setting the alarm clock: you choose the time, say 9:00, press “save” and come out of the directory. In the morning, you get at 11:00, remembering that you have not clicked “use”.
However, the heavy menu is the only serious shortcoming of the phone. It is not just difficult to control; it is not suitable for everyday use.

From the additional features we can mention a list of supported formats, such as: AAC, AAC +, WAV, AMR NB, MP4, MP3, MIDI, WMA, MPEG4 (30 fps), H.263, H.264. Thus, the device is more than suitable for listening to music, and even for viewing videos. The player is quite suitable.

Regarding the possibility of connecting to other devices, you can use USB-cable or Bluetooth 2.0 (A2DP, AVRCP, DUN-GW, FTP, GAP, GAVDP, Headset-AG, HFP 1.5 AG, OPP-Client, OPP).

Camera

The camera is good. Basically the camera is the main difference of Z8 from the Z10. Thus, the latest has a 3.2-MP CMOS-matrix with autofocus and flash, and the opportunity to make up to three images per second.

The camera works in a horizontal mode, like Sony Ericsson. For the convenience of shooting the camera has a pre regime: “normal”, “indoor”, “street”, “Sport”, etc. There is not a very powerful LED flash (there is a regime of “red eye”). It has the following functions: color effects, white balance, sharpness, you can select the image quality and size. As you can see, it has a solid set of features.

Z10 has a 3,2 MP camera. The photos in good lighting are bright, juicy, but not ideal.
You can save the images in the internal memory (45 MB) and a memory card, moreover, the phone has a built in Photo Editor, so you can process the received pictures.

The modern phone should have a powerful battery. Battery 1130 mA • h (Li-Ion) is able to provide vital energy for needs of the phone up to 3 days.

Outcome

In a competitive market Z10 is largely inferior to the alternative proposals to price / capabilities and status of the device. If you want to stand out, then it is for you. The phone did not become popular and is quite rare. However, once again reiterate that this does not make Z10 a bad phone, it just has its own specifics.

Get Motorola RIZR Z3 Rose Phone (T-Mobile) from Amazon

Touch phones literally are flooding the market of mobile phones, even if we consider only products of Samsung. Thus, following the models of S5230 and S5600 an interesting device appeared – Samsung S8000 Jet. The model is very reactive. It is a smartphone with a branded phone firmware, designed to satisfy almost any user.
Many fans of Samsung brand have grown accustomed to touch screen phones with large display and three buttons beneath it. Someone likes such phones, somebody appreciates their unique design.
When the model has not been brought to the market yet, it was called Cubic in honor of interesting three-dimensional cube on the display. However, the official name of the new item is Jet, because Samsung S8000 is installed inside the 800-MHz processor.

Appearance

This phone is similar to Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. That is quite normal for the size and appearance of the touch screen phone. Let’s look at the back cover and see that it is glossy, respectively – slippery. Yes, it is made of decorative strips (looks nice), but the fingerprints quickly bring all the beauty away. The cover can be easily removed, as there is a projection.
The front panel bears only three buttons, camera for videocalls and sensor approximation.

Screen

Excellent display is one of the main features of this model. Here is an AMOLED-display with a resolution of 480 x 800 and the palette of 16 million colors. The display is one of the best on the market: large viewing angles, vivid, saturated colors, high definition. In a sunny day the information is read well, images and pictures can be seen without problems.
In response to a touch the device slightly vibrates, and, of course, the strength of vibration can be adjusted by a 5-point scale.
The screen is interesting because it reacts as a stylus. A light touch is enough to manage the screen; you do not need to push it. It is also comfortable to type the text with a pen
Regarding to the number dialing, you can see that the virtual keyboard is very huge; you can dial the number on the fly.

Menu

In fact, Samsung S8000 Jet has two disadvantages – the so-called standard and cube presented on the screen in 3D and calling with a single button. Each facet is responsible for a multimedia application or media. And as you add content to the phone (pictures, videos, music, album covers), it automatically appears on the facets. Accordingly, when clicking on an album cover the song title will appear, one more click – will launch the player.
Cube spins funny, smooth, graphics are not hindered. Under the cube there are six icons for launching applications.
By the way, the standard menu is already familiar from the previous models S5230 and S5600. Here it, of course, is redesigned, but the general features are common. As usual, the main screen can be “occupied” with widgets. You can also download more widgets from Samsung’s official web-site.
You can scroll the desktop, as in model S5230, at each of the screens may be their own widgets. This is convenient. The side bar widget is hidden in the tray after 10 seconds of inactivity. It is also convenient. At the bottom of the screen constantly displays a bar for calling the virtual keyboard, a directory, the service of SMS-messages, and the menu. Again – nice.
Arrangement of the menu is of high-quality, icons are well traced, and their color palette is chosen with the taste. As we already know the information is well readable in any light.
It’s already traditional for Samsung devices; the profiles are made by a human that is beautiful and convincing.
For creative work the simple image editor is perfect. You can choose the color, the thickness of the line, the tool, choose a background color.
Phone can access the network through GPRS or using Wi-Fi.

Keyboard and Directory

Virtual keyboard, as we know – comes with one click on the button. When you hold the phone vertically, you can see a normal telephone mode when you hold the phone in the horizontal position, it automatically overturns and becomes a QWERTY-layout. There is a button “space”, on which, along with the typical signs, is written – “space”.
In the phone book is shown a list of contacts – names on the left, icons on the right (to send SMS or call a friend), as well as a slider to scroll the list.
One contact has a lot of contact fields, and each subscriber can have his/her own type of vibration, and the date of his/her birth. You can select the memory (phone or SIM-card), in which will be recorded the information.
And someone will like the function “Photocontacts”, where you just need to click on an image and make the call.

Music

The phone has a 3.5-mm standard input, and hence to the S8000 is easy to connect your headphones.
The volume is high; you can listen to music on a noisy street or in subways. Ten preset equalizers are good, but it is very inconvenient you cannot create your settings. By one click you can turn on / off mode 5.1 Surround.
There is a standard distribution of content, when you enter the folder “albums”, the device displays the album covers.
If you are in the playback mode, turn the phone, it will start showing the album cover.
Radio is quite normal for Samsung touch phones. You can record the MP3-files, and start the function of guessing music. Like a music player, radio works in the background mode.
The maximum time of recording of the Dictaphone is one hour, the minimum – one minute. The recording quality is satisfactory.
There are 10 pieces of alarm, with the possibility to adjust the response and selecting the type of alert. Do not forget to activate the mode “Auto power”, disabling the phone at night. Otherwise, the alarm will not work.
The navigation is represented by Google Maps and Java Navifon, which after three months working, requires money. To pay or not, it is the private matter of each user.

Camera

The camera with a resolution of 5 MP and autofocus with a couple of LEDs and a flash – is not uncommon.
The interface of the applications is horizontal, all the icons are large, it’s easy to work with them, and to work with the camera is also convenient.
Thirteen scenes of shooting are enough for most users, but for fans of technological innovations there is a feature definition of the face, coupled with the recognition of a smile and wink.

Without turning the camera off, you can get in a photo album, with one-click, and there you can zoom the picture which is very simple – with a touch on the screen, followed by retention. The function is very funny, and works well. Of course, you can enter the gallery from the main menu. Here you can find sorting pictures by date, by color (we have met such function in S8300), by file name.
You can evaluate the quality of images yourself. Please note that we had a non-profit model, the camera in it can be a little worse than in the releasing device.

Conclusions

Samsung S8000 Jet left a pleasant impression. We have been testing a non-profit model, but it was smart in terms of work. In fact, it’s easy to work with a touch screen, but only after a 3-4-day of practice.
In addition, the price is expensive, of course, and those who want to buy a device with a touch screen can choose something less expensive, for example, Nokia 5800, without penetrating into the fact that these are different products.

In general, the appearance of Nokia 6210 Navigator left a pleasant impression. All elements of management and other technical units are in place, but it is no wonder, because these indicators the 6210 has completely copied from other models.

Display
In the process of getting acquainted with new phones I again and again catch myself at the thought that, in general, today’s screens of mobile phones are equal among themselves. This is particularly true for Smart-phones, and even more so for the platform S60. If earlier the consumer quality was judged by the number of supported colors, today, in most cases, this parameter is equal. Nevertheless, let us run through the technical data of the display of the 6210. The screen has a QVGA-resolution (240 x 320 pixels) supports up to 16 million colors (24 bit). With regard to physical dimensions, here too everything is in order- 2.4 inches.
The front panel is the light sensor that regulates the intensity of illumination of the screen. The function is not only convenient, but also useful. In fact, although slightly, but it saves battery power.
A unit titled with the responsible name of Navigator simply must demonstrate excellent results in the intense daylight. Unfortunately, these rates are at the secondary level. Neither under the direct (the use of navigation in walking mode), or under the slanting (used in car) rays, the 6210 has not shown any special abilities. The phone display goes fairly blind though the information is still legible, but to call this kind of work comfortable is not possible. However, we should note that in the standard mode, the screen displays 8 lines of text and 3 service lines of information (up to 14 lines in certain modes) and it again is a standard for such devices.
In general, the 6210 has a modern display that can handle most multimedia and functional tasks. Naturally, we would like to see something more, but in the present form it is already not bad.

Keyboard
There is no innovation in the navigation block of the 6210, which is perhaps for the better. Keys are few, so they all are of a size more than comfortable to work with. You can forget about such troubles as false clicking. The progress of the keys is smooth and soft enough, and it is a genuine pleasure to work with them.
Additional controls are focused on the right end of the phone and are presented by a coupled volume key and the key of the camera activation.
The dial unit also deserves praise. All keys are large-sized, of a standard form and configuration. Working with such buttons is a pleasure.
It is heartening that the novelty has been able to avoid artful design decisions and acquired a standard (comfortable) keyboard, and this statement is relevant to whole management of the phone. The milk-white backlight of the keys is in perfect harmony with the varnished plastic of the phone.

Functions
Technically, the model 6210 Navigator is a S60 device of the latest generation. Analogues are found in N-, and E-series of the company. The operating System Symbian OS v9.3 (S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2) and the ARM 11 processor with a clock speed of 369 MHz are more than adequate for the challenges facing a smart-phone.

But the 20 MB of RAM is extremely small. For example, the N70, the 2005 model, had a maximum memory of 22 MB and in the new N78 this figure is 48 MB, the popular N82 model has a 90 MB of operation memory. What does this figure influence? It affects the quantity and quality of work with multiple applications. For example, the 6210 is beginning to experience problems with the downloaded applications Nokia Maps, the Internet browser, and MP3-player. To continue the comfortable work with the device it is better to close one of the applications. If additional programs running in the background are installed in the phone, then the free memory will be even less.
The phone has a motion sensor. It is used in several modes, for example, in the Internet browser; depending on the status of the phone, the screen orientation changes from vertical to horizontal. False abrasions occur, but they are rare and do not cause inconvenience.
Despite the availability of the latest version of the operating system with Feature Pack 2 (the analogue has recently been considered in the review of Nokia N78), in the 6210 the menu and other options are closer to the possibilities of Feature Pack 1. For example, the 6210 has no multimedia menu and the gallery, the media player and the camera are as in older versions. And this is even more surprising because we tested the pre-sales sample. In fact, along with the N78, the new 6210 Navigator, possessing all the features FP2, would stand out against the background of other solutions from Nokia.
Thus, in functionality Nokia 6210 Navigator is a typical representative of the glorious family of S60 devices, the capabilities of which have been considered in our reviews.
One fact will upset fans of free Internet – there is no Wi-Fi in the 6210, and it is a serious minus on the background of competing devices from the same Nokia.

Multimedia
Like any product on the S60, the model 6210 Navigator is not only a tool for navigation and other complex tasks, in many ways it is a multimedia entertainment center. At the service of users are all modern services and facilities starting from the radio and the Internet (through the air, of course) to watching movies and listening to music.
The music player has a large capacity, lets you sort songs in the phone memory in many ways, there is an equalizer with the ability to create your profile, a number of standard capacities – balance setting, extended stereo.
The sound quality of the 6210 is comparable with similar models of the manufacturer, which means that you can listen to music in comfort. However, the headset coming in the kit is more suitable for the radio perhaps; more demanding listeners will connect more serious headphones. It is good the 2.5-mm jack allows it.

Navigator
It is too early to make any conclusions, but there is a feeling that in Nokia they have come to the rake. It is seen in the totally lost uniqueness of the 6210 Navigator both as navigation and a competitive device.
If in the 6110 the default main program was the application Route66, and if you wanted any other navigation program (Nokia Maps, etc.) could be set in the phone, in the case of the 6210 the basis of the new program is Nokia Maps 2.0. Symbolically, it appeared long before Nokia 6210 Navigator, so that even in this aspect the model is not unique.
With all devices equipped with A-GPS module, Nokia offers a trial period for the navigation software. In the case of the 6210 the license Drive & Walk (pedestrian and car navigation) is pre-paid for 6 months. Further extension of the license will be expensive. There is a division into zones (Local, Mega Region, All regions) and time (1, 3 or 12 months). The price depending on the package can vary from 9 to 130 euros.
In the future, Nokia Maps can be used without paying for licenses, but the route organizing and navigation will be unavailable.
The second feature of the Navigator is the presence of an electronic compass. It is useful in pedestrian navigation (for example, in the forest, to determine the side of the light), in which case the map and the route will always be in front of you. The ability is convenient but it is not an ace yet. On this the peculiarities of the 6210 Navigator are exhausted.
And, of course, let us not forget the separate key of GPS (Nokia Maps) launch, with an indicator displaying the compass.
Thus, the main bonus of the Navigator is the quite lengthy license for Nokia Maps 2.0. Finally, we will return to the miserable 20 MB of active memory. Additionally, it affects the loading of the application Nokia Maps, and while working with background programs the loading time of navigation can take more than a minute. Trifle, but again, very unpleasant.

Camera
Unfortunately, the camera of the 6210 is clearly not the strong point of the device. Following the trend, the manufacturer has established a 3.2-MP CMOS-matrix with autofocus. The lens, unfortunately, is not from Carl Zeiss, but has a good performance – 4.6 mm/f2.8, minimum focusing distance is 10 cm. This is a modern solution with no additional features. In general, for the status of the 6210 Navigator, nothing less could be expected.
Structurally, the camera is not protected, the glass lens is slightly recessed into the body, but getting scratched, and even more so getting dirty is just a matter of time. In the horizontal position (and you can only shoot so) over the lens there is the built-in flash. At a distance of about 1,5-2 m, it is quite useful, which again is a norm for this type of devices.
Unfortunately, the interface of the camera is different from what we saw in the N78 (by the way, this model is not “photo-oriented”). Maximum resolution of images is 2048 x 1536 (also resolution modes of 1600 x 1200, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480 pixels are available), while the average size of the image at maximum quality and resolution is about 1 MB (supports JPEG / Exif).

The twenty-fold digital zoom, to a large extent, is useless, because when using it the picture quality becomes insufficient even for viewing on the phone. However, judicious use (up to x5) is perhaps possible, but still undesirable.
The governance is realized conveniently, all features are available on a horizontal strip. Among the options, to the obligatory (the white balance, brightness setting, etc.) were added and the elements from the major league (ISO setting, shutter speed). The capabilities of the 6210 are comparable with the camera solution used in N78, only the graphical shell of the interface is different.
The camera located on the front is especially designed for video communication, but in the absence of such, it can be used for taking self-portraits.
Video capturing with a VGA-resolution of 640 x 480 pixels and recording speed of 15 frames per second (formats H.263, MPEG-4) is a good complement to the photo-abilities of the 6210. In general, the camera left a positive impression. It is comfortable to work with and in the case of the Navigator you can’t expect miracles from a built-in camera, while the images sometimes please the eye.
The examples of images can be seen below, and the archive can be downloaded here.

Outcome
The model is complete with a BL-5F 3.7V battery, with a capacity of 950 mAh. By today’s standards, this is not much, but in practice this allows the phone battery about 2 days of intensive use (up to 30 minutes of conversation, about 1 hour of navigation and 30 minutes of other functions) which, in our opinion, is a fairly good indicator.
It remains to add that the phone has 120 MB of internal memory and a microSD card of 1 GB in the set. The supplement Nokia Maps is stored in phone memory, so that the user has enough space for additional programs and content.
In conclusion, we should note that the phone, and the entire line, and did not find a way to a bright future. In Russia, the popularity of this unit is below of the popularity of the pioneer model 6110. If this continues further, the very line of devices with the prefix Navigator will soon come to naught. Actually, the 6210 Navigator is a good phone, a decent member of the S60family. And it should be chosen by general criteria, forgetting about the prefix Navigator.

Design
It seems that the philosophy of ROKR EM30 is “to unite a phone and a player in one device, which is more a player than a phone”. We have met similar tricks before. Thus a series of Samsung phones “F” (particularly F210) have used the concept. However, Motorola implemented the idea in its own way. The first thing you will notice in the exterior of the EM30 is the small display. The disproportion of the screen compared to the body gives a clear association with a music player.

ROKR EM30 looks quite cool, and it is evident that the main audience of the model is adolescent people young in spirit.
Interestingly, the EM30 is executed in the same colors as the music box Nokia 5320 ExpressMusic. While putting together the units look at least like cousins. Or, maybe, this impression is created with the over-popularised combination of black with red?
The sleek and wide body is the legacy of ROKR, which in this case, is only an advantage for the ROKR EM30. The dimensions are 115 x 53 x 10,6 mm and it weighs 100 grams.

The model is equipped with a standard 3.5-mm jack for connecting the headset. If you do not like the headphones supplied with the set, then you can always connect something of your own choice.
This connector is located at the upper end of the phone (it is closed with a plug) and this fact is a few more points for a good music phone. The remaining facets of the tube demonstrate a standard set of buttons and connectors. Thus, at the right end are located the microUSB connector and the mechanical key of locking the keypad. On the left are the volume button and the camera activation key.
The body of the ROKR EM30 is made of plastic, and the rear lid is from a metal with a special rough surface. In general, the quality of the assembly leaves a very pleasant impression. The phone inspires credibility and it is able to survive a few falls, without any consequences.
So, the challenge of combining a player and phone in one unit is executed by the Motorola designers in a fine way. The model looks modern and to some extent, even fresh.

Keyboard
Motorola very often uses this keypad design in its latest models. Using such a keyboard is unusual only for the first time. Over time, the fingers get used to the slow course of the keys. The keyboard of the 30 is hardly an example of ergonomic, but does not cause negative emotions either.
The main feature of the keyboard of the new model is that it is created on the basis of ModeShift technology. What is so unique and useful in it? The thing is – when you use the phone, the numeric keypad looks and works like all mobile phones. But when the music player is activated, instead of the number keys appear the buttons of work with the player and the color of lighting changes from bright blue to red.
The keys of the player are between the digital buttons so that they do not hinder the work either of the phone or the player. It is a simple and effective solution for switching quickly from talking to listening to music.
The navigation unit, on the contrary, is standard. There are two content keys at the disposal of the user, a four-position navigation button, a shortcut button to the music player, “back” key and the two “tubes”.
By the way, the navigation key in the number mode is highlighted in blue, and the outer circle of the key is lighted. In the player mode the color changes from blue to red, but instead of the external circle, the inner one is highlighted.

Display
Perhaps the weakness of the EM30 is the screen. The specifications are as follows: a diagonal of 1.8 inches, a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels, a support of 65 thousand colors.
It is funny, but the TFT-technology in this case seems even a luxury. It is obvious that the display is mostly needed for reading text information. Media browsing is inconvenient due to its size, and because of the resolution. But with its main objectives the screen copes well. Volumetric icons, large font, high brightness and contrast make it possible to enjoy all the convenient functions of the phone.

Functions and menu
Because of the restrictions of the display the main menu is represented by ten icons arranged in two rows. The musical orientation is once again confirmed by the fact that the first item on the menu is “Music”, and then come the other sections.
They all correspond to their names and are linked logically. In the “Organizer” you can find such features as: calendar, e-mail, alarm clock, data synchronization, the controller of loading (shows the files downloaded and sent via the Internet and Bluetooth), file manager (separate for the memory card or by category: music, pictures), world time, calculator, task list.
Thus, the menu is slightly different from the standard one in Motorola tubes of the latest period, but remains easy to work with.
From the functional point of view, the EM30 is a typical representative of a class of low-cost phones. Today, fortunately, this concept implies the existence of Bluetooth (A2DP for listening to music in stereo), EDGE (Class 12), Java, a convenient web-browser.
The recorder was found in the multimedia folder, although this feature is more suited to the definition of “business application” and it is not very much to the place in a folder of applications for entertainment.
The integrated 2-MP camera has an 8-fold zoom and has nothing stronger to boast of. However, a digital zoom is not a special reason for pride either.
Below you see the test pictures, and the full-size pictures are in the archive, which can be downloaded here.

Music player
To begin with, it is noteworthy that the player of the ROKR EM30 supports the following formats: MIDI, MP3, AAC, AAC +, Enhanced AAC +, WMA, WAV, AMR-NB, Real Audio (RA) v10. So, music can be enjoyed in almost any convenient format, except for FLAC and OGG.
We have already met the implementation of the music player in the previous EM30 models of the company. For example, by pressing a shortcut key, we get to the section “Library”.
The main menu allows the player to navigate through your own music collection (music files can be located in any folder on the memory card; the search for new songs is done automatically). Music files are sorted in the following categories: the last played, random songs, all the songs, lists, artists, albums, genres, composers. All categories are filled in automatically, with the exception of “lists”. These are the so-called “play-lists” that the user creates. In this context, it is not out of place to recall the full support of Windows Media Player 11 (Microsoft music ecosystem support), and given that the vast majority of music programs for the PC have a similar consistency, it is clear that EM30 easily supports playlists set up on the PC.

It is time to remember the ModeShift technology and to tell what keys are available in the player mode. These are five standard: rewind / switching tracks, forward / backward, play / stop, random play and autorepeat.
During the playback of music, the screen displays the file name, artist name, song name, and the elapsed and remaining time. The set of additional features pleased with its usefulness and wide range: random play, autorepeat, EQ (you can choose from 12 preset options, Bass Boost, 3D-stereo).
The sound of the player surprised with its quality – clear sound, with virtually no distortion. Such things as the equalizer and 3D-stereo, really affect the quality of music. We will not compare the EM30 with other musical patterns, but this novelty from Motorola is much higher in quality than most of some modern tubes. Even the traditionally heavy comparison of the musical players in the case of the EM30 does not look so intimidating. Yes, Motorola compared with them does not have enough volume, but this can be forgiven. Just listen to a couple of songs before buying, and you will see the decent music capabilities of the EM30.
The memory on the phone about 30 MB, but do not boggle at this small volume. There is a slot for microSD memory cards of up to 8 GB.
Unfortunately, we have no information as to the capacity of the map that will be included with the EM30, but considering the low prices on removable media, even the most affordable 8 GB, are affordable to many.

Outcome
The technology CrystalTalk is used in ROKR EM30, to ensure clear sound during a call. It is necessary to acknowledge that making calls using the EM30 is as comfortable as listening to music.
The battery capacity of 970 mAh easily satisfies the appetites of the cell phone for three days (3 hours listening to music, 30 minutes of conversation, 30 minutes for other functions), which is a decent result.
The phone is ideal for the replacement of the music player, has a decent (and harmonic) set of functions. If you are not confused by the design of the EM30, then there is just no other obstacle for buying this model. In its segment the novelty looks very confident.