Cell Phones & Smartphones

Not everyone is fond of trying out a new phone especially if its a first generation, being afraid of any glitches or bugs that it might have. The Windows Phone 7.5 though has the Mango update which basically irons out the initial worries.

Hardware

You might have noticed that the releases of the Windows Phones last year basically had the similar specs for their hardware, and most of these phones do not have significant customization. Microsoft holds a strong grip on which hardware their OS will run on. With the release of the Mango, Microsoft still has a good list of components needed for the phone that will run their OS.

The Windows 7.5 devices will be making use of Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, hardware for DirectX graphics capable of Diect 3D, a minimum requirement of 384 MB of RAM, minimum of 4 GB flash memory, WVGA display, micro USB 2.0, WiFi, BlueTooth, FM Radio, and four sensors or more.

The camera of the Windows Phone will also be more customizable with Mango. One good feature will be the ability to save the settings for the camera and video captures. This might solve the frustration reported by users as the earlier Windows Phone reset the settings to the original configuration when you exit the camera app.

User interface

If everyone was complaining about the inability to multitask with the Windows 7. The new 7.5 version tries to fix this. It is not true multitasking yet since the apps in the background are suspended but the mobile OS has a way t deal with it. We heard though that the apps will be updated to allow multitasking. Users can switch from one app to another using the Back key.

The email client gets improved too with the messages being threaded instead of individual email treatment. The Mango also comes with Twitter integration, SkyDrive, Internet Explorer 9, and Bing Search.

Verdict

The new 7.5 version Windows Phone seems to be heading in the right direction and will most likely help Microsoft catch up with the current market leaders.

Coming mid of this month Motorola will be officially selling the Motorola Droid X. Like the Droid, you can consider this smartphone a monster but quite in a good way.

Design

The Droid X is a big phone just like other Androids. This smartphone measures 5×2.6×0.4 inches while tipping the scale at 5.47 ounces. Comparing it to the HTC Evo 4G, the Droid X is slightly lighter and thinner.

It is pretty big and with such size, some might have a hard time operating it with one hand. It will also be quite bulky for your pants’ pocket.  Good thing it does not have the slide-out keyboard or it will add more to the bulkiness.

The backside of the phone has a soft touch feel to it. You can also see the 8.0 megapixel camera. Motorola said that they will be releasing units with front facing cameras soon.

The multitouch 4.3-inch screen offers a good look of everything that you are doing. You have an option to use Swype or the usual virtual keyboard. You will get use to Swype and most likely love the feature as you get used to it. The classic hard buttons for the search, back, home, and menu are still there.

Performance

The call quality for this phone is great but we still need to see how its batteries will perform. The camera takes some time to get the feel so you can assure clear shots despite the autofocus feature. Expect a bit of a lag with its shutter though.

It will come out with the Android 2.1 setup up there will be an update later on so owners can get Android 2.2 Froyo this summer. The upgrade will speed things up and give a better pc-like performance.

If there is one thing that I know about Toshiba as a company, it is that this particular company is definitely one that I love for future phones and boy, the Toshiba IS02 is a future phone.  The brand new Toshiba IS02 is a phone that is actually being released via au KDDI in Japan and while it might not be available in the states – it is certainly a phone worth mentioning.

Not only does the Toshiba IS02 have Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5.3 OS, but it also has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a sliding QWERTY keyboard, 3G, a 4.1-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with customized NX! UI, a 384MB/512MB RAM/ROM, a 3.2MP camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a business card reader.

All of this and the phone looks cool?  I have to say, I might have to go to Japan for this one!

Android phones are definitely some of the most popular phones on the market today and to be honest, I think that they are some of the best phones in the world.  Take the brand new Motorola CLIQ XT for example.  This phone is actually one of my favorite phones in the world and it is because not only does it look cool but it also is jam-packed with technology!

One thing that you will notice about the Motorola CLIQ XT is that it is actually an awesome phone – inside and out.  Some of the specs include: a 3.1-inch 320 x 480 capacitive touchscreen display, a 5MP camera with autofocus and LED flash, a full virtual QWERTY keyboard, a 512MB of ROM, a 256MB of RAM, a microSD card slot (up to 32GB), an electronic compass, A-GPS, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, a 3.5mm headset jack and runs on Android 1.5 OS with supports for Google services and MOTOBLUR features.

All of this and the price is just $129.99?  That’s incredible!

All right, we talk a lot about phones in this blog but I have to say that one phone and one brand that I love is the Sony Ericsson Naite – Sony in general is a brand that I have fallen in love with over the years and now that this brand new candybar phone is coming out, it is awesome!

One thing that you should know about this particular phone is that it is actually sold for about $159 and that is unlocked … which is awesome!  Also, if you are eco-friendly, the Sony Ericsson Naite is the ideal phone for you!  It is made from recyclable materials, which is awesome.

The technology?  That is a 2.2-inch QVGA display with 240 x 320 resolution, a 2MP camera, a 100MB of internal memory, a microSD card slot and supports both quad band GSM connectivity (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) as well as HSDPA connectivity (2100 MHz).

The market is really getting flooded with smartphones these days, and even though that makes choosing harder - it's great news for consumers. Choice is a good thing!

There are so many different cell phone plans out there. As a result, choosing the one that fits you bet can be an overwhelming and frustrating experience. However, there are some things to consider when making the choice that can make the whole process much, much easier.

For instance, where you live can significantly affect your choices. I myself used to live in a very small town in central New York that simply did not give coverage from a lot of providers, so while living there, my choices dropped significantly. It is actually a little sad that so many providers still do not provide coverage to smaller areas, but what can you do?

Anyway, you definitely want to do your research in this area first, because if you get a find and then discover that every time you try to use it in your house, you are roaming, your wallet is going to be mad at you.

Nokia seems almost as big as Samsung in the way of phones right now and I can tell you for sure that their brand new phones are coming out of the woodwork and are certainly making all sorts of waves.  Take the brand new Nokia 5530 XpressMusic Games Edition – this phone is definitely one for the gamers.

It comes pre-loaded with about 20 games from EA Mobile and Gameloft and I can tell you for sure, that this phone is definitely one that will keep you occupied whenever you are bored.  If you want the specs – here they are: a 3.2-megapixel AF camera, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, and a 70MB internal memory, and an included 4GB microSD card. Unfortunately, the phone doesn’t support 3G.

This particular phone goes for about $269.00 in the states and it is definitely one for the books!

When midnight strikes on December 31 and January 1, 2010 comes to pass, there will be a lot of important questions to think about in the new year.

Granted, for most people, they will not be concerned about what proved to be the most popular phone of 2010, but frankly, this is Cell Phones & Smartphones, and we are interested in such things. That’s kind of our job, you know?

For all intents and purposes and by all available accounts, the winner of that title is none other than the iPhone.

But is that true? I do not have an iPhone, and my life is not in some way lacking because of it. I am inclined to like it better than the Android, but that is only because my half wit brother in law and his pseudo clever hag of a fiance insist it is better than the iPhone, which they have never in life used.

So you, the public: what do you guys think?

Samsung is definitely the company to beat in the way of cell phones and if you remember – the all new Samsung M5650 is the newest phone by this particular company.

This fully music-focused cell phone is not going to be released in the states just yet though, the brand new Samsung M5650 is going to be released in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and finally India and China as of right now.

To me – that’s sad, as I would absolutely love to see the Samsung M5650 released in the states.

With so many choices out there, picking out the right cell phone can be hard. You need to begin by figuring out what you need. Will a basic phone be better, or one with all the bells and whistles? Do you need GPS, or can you do without it?

Secondly, think about add ons. Do you need an instant messenger service? Do you send a lot of text messages? Features like these may be a luxury you cannot afford. You need to think long and hard about what you really need.

You also need to decide what kind of style of phone you would prefer, whether a flip phone, a touch screen, or another style will suit you best.

And above all, make sure you read reviews before you buy a new cell phone. See what works for other people and what might be a dud.