New Phones Reviews » Nokia N96

Sony Ericsson T715 Review

Mia — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:04:52 +0000

Sony Ericsson T715 is another slider which belongs to the middle-price category, aimed for the mass market. The novelty can become prominent, as it has all the prerequisites – curious design, it is available in several colors, simple menu, decent functional. Now let’s consider everything in order.

Design

First of all I’d like to mention that I had the pink device. No, I do not mean that I am the enemy of this color but it somehow annoys me. However this can be accepted and understood by the part of the female audience, and may be someone would like to buy T715 because of its color. Corners of the shell are smoothed; however, this device does not cease to be a neat block. In addition, its size of a credit card allows you to put the phone in almost any pocket. Of course, the phone is not a slim one; we can’t call it thick, neither, so it can be called medium.
Now let’s have a look at exterior – the back panel is made of metal. It is removed easily. On the back lid is situated the eye of the camera, LED of the flash, slit of the polyphonic speaker. On the right side there is the camera button and volume control wheel, on the left side – the universal connector.
It has already become a tradition to decorate the backside slider with funny patterns. Sony Ericsson T715 is not an exception.

Display and Keyboard

Sony Ericsson T715 is equipped with a 2.2-inch display with 260 thousand colors. The screen itself behaves well, even in the sun. Though it doesn’t have big viewing angles, but they are enough. You can even e-book or play games.
Above the screen there is almost an invisible light sensor, which is responsible for automatic adjustment of backlighting. By the way, this can be done manually in the old-fashioned way.
Themes of the menu are very beautiful; a couple of them seemed to be drawn especially for girls.

Keys are stylish. Yes, don’t get surprised they are really stylish. However glamorous central navigation button hides a drawback. It is arranged so that when you press it in left or right direction you can easily press the green or red receiver. In addition, the navigation button is not very convenient. In order to stop arguing I will say that I did not like the control elements, but I can assure you that I met much worse ones.
Plastic keyboard is more or less adequate. Initially, small distance between vertical buttons strains a little, but if you press them with pads of your fingers, then you can avoid pressing unnecessary buttons. Due to uniform lighting all designations are clearly visible in the dark.

Menu and Functions

The menu has not changed, however, I did not expect to see anything new. So everything is done like in old models.
One of the most useful functions is “Organizer”. Here we see a convenient calendar; there is also a simple reminder, as well as editor of notes. Here is a file manager, timer, and stopwatch. And finally it is equipped with a flashlight. When you have to go downstairs from the 5th floor in pitch darkness, then you will understand why it is sometimes needed.
Alarm clock is a very useful thing, that’s why it is included in the main menu. Here are five independent pieces.
From useful things we should also mention Google Maps.

Entertainment

Music player is completely inherited from its predecessors. I mean both the interface and opportunities of musical applications. We can not say something special about the sound quality – the volume is sufficient for the underground, rock music sounds a bit synthetic, tint. However, with good headphones – Sony, Philips, etc., you can listen to music though it isn’t Nokia N96.
With the admission of FM-stations there is no problem in the city limits. It supports RDS, respectively, the names of stations and information is displayed on the screen.
To the usual arcade and Sudoku (games of T715), is added chess simulator Kasparov Chess.

Camera

Those who need a 5 MP camera should choose another phone, as T715 can take pictures with a maximum resolution of 3.2 MP, plus it does not have autofocus. The functional reserve of the camera is small. For example, there are several filters, presets for white balance, night mode, and the ability to attach geo notes on the photo. There isn’t any GPS-receiver in the novelty, so the location is determined by BS.

Conclusion

Sony Ericsson E715 is a typical representative of a mid-priced device segment. And it wouldn’t be appreciated, if not pleasant shape, and in our case, a cool color. It has too many competitors, among them this novelty can easily get lost.

Sony Ericsson W395 Review

Mia — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:19:59 +0000

Sony Ericsson W395 is made in a form of a compact and lightweight slider. It can be carried with almost anything. Moreover, the attractive and even elegant appearance of W395 will certainly please both boys and girls. The front panel of the phone looks as if it is made of polished metal. In fact, it is a plastic, but simply well painted.

The side facets are mounted with a matte silver plastic insert, which has additional buttons of the insert color.

The more dark rear of the device with rounded edges is made rough, so Sony Ericsson W395 does not sneak out of the hands. In addition to the built-in camera lens cover and battery compartment there are still nets and external stereo speakers on the back side. They are made in the form of two crescents, smoothly enveloping the cover of the battery compartment. It is a pity that the phone is impossible to place (for example, Nokia N96) on the table – it could be such a compact and attractive microboombox.

Red-orange framings and Walkman logos on the case can be considered a corporate design feature. These small and not notable at first glance details distinguish the novelty from the crowd, making it bright and unique.

The slider mechanism works well; there is not even a hint at a gap. This high-quality assembly can play a key role in the purchase – worth for competitors to draw conclusions. All in all, Sony Ericsson W395 inspires some trust and respect – a feeling that you hold a decent thing, which will serve for a long time.

Controls and Interfaces

The keyboard is a single panel with a transparent plastic coating. It has four rows of undulating buttons to press which at first glance seems very uncomfortable. It is indeed so if you press with a finger pad – it is likely that you will press the next button.

The advantages of the W395 keyboard are the milky-white lights uniformly distributed on all the keys, as well as some kind of protection from abrasion – the inscription are made under a coating, and the coating is absolutely transparent.

The manufacturer has placed so many buttons under the display that the functionality of the novelty may be envied even by some communicators. The round navigation unit is mounted with a red-orange ring with illumination, which in pressing areas has characteristic projections for better finger adhesion. On the side of the navigation block there are six small buttons. Four of them are responsible for the acceptance/cancellation of the call, deletion of the last character, and a quick call of audio player. Two more buttons are multifunctional and are responsible for various commands that appear in the display. These keys combine various other applications.

There are few additional controls – double-key swing to adjust the volume on the right end and the camera activation button.

Display

The LCD display is on a level with the front panel. This is a classic for many devices 2 inch screen with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels and a support for 262 thousand colors. The image is bright, but viewing angles are so small that each degree is felt when rotating the phone.

This display, of course, is not suitable to view videos and photos, but it is ideally suitable to work with the phone interface, audio players, small tools and games. It is felt that the manufacturer has saved on the function of photography and video by making W395 musical abilities more expressive.

Camera

The technical specifications of the built-in camera also confirm our thoughts that the manufacturer has saved in the design of this model. A camera with a 2 MP CMOS-matrix without autofocus and flash is a toy from the recent past. In this modern unit, it is simply present, and nothing more. The camera settings are standard – almost the same as in other Sony Ericsson phones: the quality of shooting, white balance, the imposition of a digital image to process effects, etc.

The quality of shooting is satisfactory: small details get lost entirely – merge with the background noise, a flash at the corners of the frame, inaccurate color, and, besides, the camera does not cope with difficult lighting. The device can be used to capture the bus schedule, but you can never make beautiful pictures and then print them.

Communications

In terms of communication, the innovation is a normal GSM-device, working in 900/1800/1900 MHz networks. The reception of the device demonstrates confidence, but nothing more. The speaker volume for calls is high – the sound is not wheezing and beeping, even at maximum volume.

The module Bluetooth 2.0 communicates with wireless headsets and other devices. Its work has been verified by the example of the data with an HP iPAQ Pocket PC 4700. Devices find each other without any problems, but the transfer of data (several dozens of photos) has been slow, the average speed was only 0.1 Mb / sec.

Music

The new item’s important features are the built-in stereo speakers.

Of course, no wonders should be expected from such tots, but we liked what we heard. The creators have shown a substantial approach to the selection of the speakers, they sound loud and clear.

In addition to music playing through the built-in loudspeakers, W395 is able to do this in the more traditional way – through the headphone plug. The latter fits with the brand adapter (a standard 3.5 mm connector is not available on the case of the tube). However, even the set headphones satisfy many users with their good bass. It is a pity that only regular headphone-liners are provided with the model W395, and not comfortable headphones with silicone inserts, effectively protecting users’ ears from external noise. In addition, the volume of the «ear» was suspiciously low, about 20-25% lower than that of the Nokia N96.

The interface of the audio player is traditional for Sony Ericsson. You can simply click «W» on the front panel to switch the program. 4-band equalizer with numerous presets is available. Songs can be selected by the author, artist, genre, title, etc.

To control the player there is no need to open the phone – all the keys are on the front panel below the display. Incidentally, in this new form it is very similar to a usual MP3-player, perhaps a bit more massive.

To some extent, the musical features include the FM-radio. Like many other Sony Ericsson phones, the W395 model is equipped with it. The interface of the programs is traditional. The module has a good reception and a support for RDS-reports.

Conclusion

Sony Ericsson W395 is not an expensive device. A striking building, broad musical abilities, external dynamics – all this is for those who want to have a pocket Boombox. In addition, the high quality of the the clean sounding player should be noted. Well, the manufacturer has saved a little on the built-in camera and the display. Perhaps this is the only bad news.

Sony Ericsson W995 Review

Mia — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:48:26 +0000

To call Sony Ericsson W995 beautiful is not an easy thing to do. Rather, it is nice, although a black «brick» could hardly seem nice. Then it can still be assumed that the novelty is executed in a strict style, with elements of light decor. The use of a silver color, with which all the keys and inserts on the lower and upper ends are painted, should be noted as well.

By the way, at the upper end, under the small nets (they quickly «fill» with dust), are the dynamics for the polyphony and in the middle – oh, miracle, a 3.5-mm jack for connecting headphones. In fact, this is the first device from Sony Ericsson (XPERIA is not in account, as HTC is produced), on which this connector is present.

At the back of the Sony Ericsson W995 is a metal rack for putting the phone on the table or any flat surface. Many people (especially on the eve of holidays), take it for a bottle «opener», and some – for a «holder» for the strap. They can be understood; the designers have outsmarted themselves.

At the right end the key of the player management is brought out and the volume regulation button and the camera. At the left end are the start button and the universal connector player. The back cover is made of metal, securely held by a special latch. The grey plastic on the back of the upper lid mat, decorated with circles, looks funny and dilutes the dominance of black.

As for the tactile convenience, there is a problem – the unit slips from the hands at every opportunity, as it is made of slippery (sorry for the tautology) materials.

Keyboard and display

As we see in the photo, Sony Ericsson W995 is simply packed with buttons, so there are already 8 contextual keys. I must say it does not lead to erroneous clicking, the distance between the keys allows to recommend the device, even to a big male.

But the keys of dial are not so comfortable. It is desirable to press them with a finger nail, because the finger pad covers two keys at once – this is one problem, the buttons are barely raised above the surface and the touch is not expressed – this the second one. Personally, I had errors occurring time to time during the typing. The white lighting is not bright, but smooth, and the symbols are clearly legible in the dark.

Also, the experience showed that to govern the speaker volume during a call is inconvenient – the key is not at hand, as well as its modest size … well, you understand.

The qualitative display is one of the chips of W995. Its physical size of 2.6 inches is ideal for such a multimedia phone. As shown, the screen is really good – high brightness with a margin, large viewing angles, juicy colors, coupled with accurate color, ultra-fine grain. Besides, the well-traced menu icons with a large font, that users with poor eyesight will appreciate, should be noted. On the sun the picture is well seen, you can even make images using the screen as a viewfinder, which will, by all means, be useful if there is a 8-MP camera on board.

The menu does not differ (at least I did not notice) from that of earlier models. It is simple, logical, not inhibitory, with the ability of display in one of the three types. Of course, you can choose one of the five themes that look quite stylish.

Camera

An 8-MP auto-focus camera is installed in the W995 with a LED flash as an assistant. After pressing the power key (in the camera mode, it is highlighted in white), three seconds pass, after which the image appears on the display, another two seconds are spent on taking the white balance. The menu of the photo supplement is the same as in previous models, such as the C905. The functions available to the user can be seen on the screenshots, it should only be added that the possibility of recognizing a person works once in awhile.

In the fully automatic mode, the camera stubbornly did not want to switch to the «macro», only after a manual switching it was possible to obtain sharp images, made at close range.

In the W995, like in many cell phones with GPS,you can put geo-markers on images to see afterwards the place of shooting through the Google-maps.

The player and radio

The quality of reproduction is good, but it could be better. The volume was decent, and the possibility of moving small overhead headphones was pleasing. But it was not so with the flat sound, no matter how you turn the EQs or change the settings. I compared the new one with the Nokia N96, and the Finnish child provides more natural (not to mention the volume), live sound that was clear from the first chords.

Of course, a breakdown of the music content is supported, including “by years” or by the tempo of playback – the SenseMe feature.

It should be noted that the “fade in and fade out” works pleasantly, the rewind within a track is performed smartly. The side buttons are comfortable after a slight adjustment; they can be used with your eyes closed.

For music fans it should be noted that you can connect two pairs of headphones – via a standard connector, and through the Sony-Ericson one on the left end. It is a trifle, but a pleasant one.

By the way I turned out to have a compact MS410 «column» for «Sony-Ericsons». It connects to the phone via the company’s plug FastPort at the end, the accessory is installed on the table and … the song flows. It seems that some fans of listening to music in public places will appreciate this device because the speaker gives a decent volume. How much does it cost? It is promised to be announced in summer, if oil prices do not fall together with the «wood».

The radio has no problems with reception, certainly not in the city; outside the city problems like noise and interference are possible. RDS is working correctly, the memory for radio points is little – only 20 cells. According to the tradition, not departing from the cashier, you can find out the name of the composition in air – TackId function at your service.

Other functions

Enough toys- seven pieces, some of them engage a position sensor, such as bowling, Diamond Islands or Nitro Street Racing. By the way, in W995 only full versions of games are presented, not demos, as in some tubes of Samsung.

There is also a WiFi, the sensitivity is average, near the access points it operates normally. The navigation is represented by well-known applications, Google Maps or Wayfinder, nothing new there.

Also there are convenient file manager, and five independent alarms with the possibility of fine tuning.

Someone will like the Music Quiz supplement, something like «guess the melody» game, in which you guess an excerpt from the song sounding from the tube library.

Someone will consider funny VoiceFX, – a funny program to change the voices, sounds, etc.

The fact that a standard audio point is installed in the Sony Ericsson W995 is a great job. After all, how much time it took for this simple operation …

The device will definitely be a success! Good sound, an 8-MP camera, a beautiful display, and a lot of other goods are there on board of the W995. The set will be supplied with an 8 GB memory card, which is pleasant and necessary for a musical model.

Samsung F480 Review

Mia — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:58:05 +0000

Like most mobiles with touch screen (let’s remember the F490), Samsung F480 is made in the form of monoblock and has a large display. The black edging on the front panel looks glamorous, which is appropriate for this device, but it is staining quickly and thoroughly.

Comparisons with Apple’s iPhone are inevitable, on the merit of the touchscreens and colour menus mostly, but there are important differences to note. Firstly, the F480 isn’t a smartphone. It runs on Samsung’s proprietary operating platform and as such you cannot develop or install third party applications to this phone, other than Java-based software.

The lid covering the battery of a rear side is fully metallic, like the rest of the surface on the reverse side. There is a camera the lens of which is closed with a protective glass. There is also a LED flash near it.

The F480 doesn’t include Wi-Fi hardware or a GPS receiver, like Apple’s smartphone. Instead the F480 sports strong consumer phone features, including a 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash and access to Next G services and mobile Foxtel.

Border sides of Samsung F480 are made under the metal, so it is afraid of keys in the pocket; she is afraid, however, in case of negligent treatment the metal also cover with small scratches. The ends are equipped with a standard for phones «luggage»: a universal connector, camera button, microSD memory card connector and volume swings. At the top end there is a Hold key, which includes (or disables) the keyboard lock.

This key is not mechanical, as in the Nokia N96 and other Finnish copies, but electronic. It soothes, because mechanical buttons-sliders often break, but there seems no such danger. The F480 supports a range of multimedia including DRM-free MP3 and AAC music files and MPEG4, H.264 and H.263 video files.

General characteristics of Samsung F480

Standard connection: GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz + HSDPA 2100 MHz

Dimensions: 95.9×55x11.5 mm

Antenna: Integrated

Battery: Li-Ion

Display

Display Type: TFT, 262144 colors, 240×320, 2.8 ”

Lights: +

Sound

Polyphony: +

Vibrocall: +

Download ringtones: +

Loudspeaker: +

Coding of Speech: +

Call Management

Call Hold: +

Automatic redial: +

Call Forwarding: +

Identification numbers: +

Keyboard

Joystick: +

Lights: +

Blocking: +

Sound indication: +

T9: +

Russian letters Input: +

User interface

Adjustable profiles: +

Volume: +

Organizer

Hours: +

Alarm clock: +

Calculator: +

Stopwatch: +

Timer: +

Calendar: +

Notebook: +

Currency converter: +

Recorder: +

Synchronization with PC: +

Security

Time control conversation: +

Barring a challenge: +

Data

SMS: +

EMS: +

MMS: +

GPRS: Class 12 (4 +1 / 3 +2 / 2 +3 / 1 +4 slots), 32 – 48 kbit / c

WAP: 2.0/HTML/xHTML

Bluetooth: 2.0 (A2DP)

Communication with PC: microUSB interface 2.0

E-Mail: IMAP4/POP3/SMTP

Optional: Support for HSDPA – 7.2 Mbps; EDGE Class 12

Additional features of Samsung F480

Games: +

Java applications: MIDP 2.0

MP3 Player: MP3/AAC/AAC +

Flash Memory: microSD

Digital Camera: 5 MP (Before 2592h1944), Autofocus, flash

Video: +

Optional: Support for video formats H.264/H.263/MPEG4

Nokia N96

Mia — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 10:57:03 +0000

Nokia n96 is perhaps the most stylish innovation of the year 2008. Full competitor of PDAs, Nokia n 96 multimedia smart phone is created with a possibility of a video playback. If you doubt you can look at the design of the device. The wide diagonal screen, noticeably increased working time in the video playback and the existence of a special body under the Nokia n96 case create all conditions for a pleasant review.

Nokia n96 form-factor belongs to the so-called double sliders – it moves not only down but also up. By moving the case down, you can manage the player or the video, while moving up you can access to the digital keyboard. The smart phone screen, as the entire front site of the case, looks more than good, a big diagonal, bright colors, almost complete absence of noise and fuzziness make it pleasant to work with Nokia n96. Integrated camera of Nokia n 96 with 5-pix resolution creates photos of a very good quality.

A ring located around the lens serves as the base unit. An interesting feature of the keypad – the player buttons are sensor. Nokia n 96 is the first Smartphone, which has internal memory of 1 GB that does not negate the possibility of expanding memory through the card. The multimedia component of Nokia n 96, as expected, is executed on the highest level. The player and the radio have a good sound with full bass, both in the headphones or through loudspeakers.

General characteristics of Nokia N96
Standard connection: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Weight: 125 g
Dimensions: 103×55x18 mm
Talk time: Up to 3.5 hours
Standby time: Up to 220 hours
Antenna: Integrated
Battery: Li-Ion 950 mAh
Year: 2008
Display Nokia N96
Display Type: TFT, 16 million colors, 240×320, 2.8 “
Lights: +

Sound
Polyphony: +
Silent call: +
Programming of ringing: +
Loudspeaker: +

Call Management
Call Hold: +
Conference Call: +
Call Forwarding: +
Identification numbers: +

Keyboard
Joystick: +
Lights: +
Blocking: +
Sound indication: +
T9: +
Russian letters Input: +

User Interface
Voice management: +
Adjustable profiles: +
Fast dialing: +
Volume: +

Organizer
Hours: +
Alarm clock: +
Calculator: +
Stopwatch: +
Timer: +
Calendar: +
Notebook: +
Currency converter: +
Recorder: +
Synchronization with PC: +

Security
Time control conversation: +
Barring a challenge: +

Transferring
SMS: +
MMS: +
GPRS: Class 32, 107/64.2 kbps
WAP: 2.0/xHTML, HTML, RSS reader
Bluetooth: 2.0 (A2DP)
Built in modem: +
HSCSD: +
Communication with PC: microUSB interface 2.0
E-Mail: POP3; IMAP4; SMTP
Optional: OS – Symbian OS, S60 3.2; EDGE Class 32, 296; A-GPS Kbit / c; DTM Class 11, 177 Kbit / c; 3.5-mm audio
Nokia N96 Memory
Memory: 16 GB
Optional: 128 MB RAM, 256 MB ROM

Additional features
Games: +
Java applications: MIDP 2.0
FM-receiver: RDS
MP3 Player: MP3/AAC/AAC + / eAAC + / WMA
Flash Memory: microSD
Digital Camera: 5 MP (up to 2592×1944), optics Carl Zeiss, Autofocus, flash, ext. CIF-camera for videophone
Video: VGA (640×480) 30 fps
Extras: DVB-H TV; TV-Out