Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 *****
"Solid and overall stunning"

Sony Ericsson are taking their first steps into the Windows Mobile domain. It's the Xperia X1. It doesn't look clumsy and it certainly isn't bulky, in fact it's compact and robust. A good start.

The sliding QWERTY keyboard works well, yes you can actually use this one. The 3 inch screen is pretty decent, with the UI working like a treat. But you may need the stylus outside the Sony's menus, for navigating through the Windows side of it.

Expect some brilliant web browsing with Opera Mobile 9.5 installed. At HSDPA and Wi-Fi level. There's a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus, perhaps a little on the light side compared to other smart phones, but it, as we say alot, will do. Also with Sony Ericsson reluctant to supply one with their other phones, there's a 3.5mm jack included for some decent headphones, finally!

The Specs
Windows Mobile 6.1
Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth
MP3, AAC
FM Radio
3.2 Megapixel
microSD
Quad Band

Overall, finally a phone your proud to own, perhaps the best Windows Mobile phone on the market. It's worth a look. Thanks Sony Ericsson, you've done us proud.

News: Blackberry Storm

New Blackberry Storm unveiled.

The new Storm promises to be one of the newest competitors to the mighty iPhone. Blackberry say they have improved on the iPhones awkward screen, by giving a more responsive touch. The handset will be available outside the US on Vodafone network before Christmas.

Features:
Wireless email
Organizer
Browser
Phone
Camera (3.2 MP)
Video Recording
BlackBerry® Maps
Media Player
Built-in GPS
Corporate data access
SMS
MMS
3.2 megapixel camera
3.5mm stereo headset capable
Video format support: MPEG4 H.263, MPEG4 Part 2 Simple Profile, H.264, WMV
Audio format support: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, WMA ProPlus.
Polyphonic/MIDI ringtones
MP3 ringtones
Vibrate mode
LED indicator
Expandable memory – support for microSD™ card
1GB onboard memory
128 MB Flash (flash memory)

Samsung Tocco (F480)

Samsung Tocco *****
"Nicely designed, with some really cool features"

The Tocco turns out to be quite a nice piece of kit. I just love it's size and design, but underneath that sexy exterior, can the Tocco have us kneeling at it's almighty presence?

It's got an appropriate name, Tocco, meaning "touch" in Italian. Inside it's slim and sleek design, the interface is quite easy to use, with drag-n-drop widgets on the home screen, a really cool feature. Saves you time sifting through menu's.

Equipped with a 5 megapixel camera, you can be ensured of getting some high quality snaps. But we found the camera can struggle in low light situations, and using the flash whilst in a case can be disastrous. Camera options include image stabilisation, face detection and smile shot, meaning when the camera detects a person smiling it will take a shot.

3G, Bluetooth, MP3/AAC, microSD card slot, FM radio, MP3 player software included. Perhaps a let down is that there is no Wi-Fi, surely a mistake. Apart from that it's a neat piece of kit, The touch screen can be tricky at times, but hey this ain't no iPhone anyway, it's the Samsung Tocco. Well done.....

See some user reviews over at Stuff.tv

HTC Touch Pro

HTC Touch Pro *****
(Is this the Diamond killer?)

Essentially all this phone is doing is ironing out what problems the Diamond had and improving them. On the face it looks similar, but you would have no trouble telling them apart, especially when that QWERTY keyboard slides itself out, causing shock and confusion, well only for a second anyway.

The Touch Pro comes in more bulkier than than the Diamond. Well there's the QWERTY keyboard of course, makes it thicker and contributes to the overall weight too. The keyboard operates ok, but fat fingers may struggle, my advice as with any phone, is to try before you buy.

It's TouchFLO UI isn't really up to scratch either, something which Apple can only seem to master at the moment. But times will change, hopefully. Windows Mobile powered, includes an Opera browser, HSDPA, Wi-Fi. Your not now restricted to 4GB memory, a microSD card slot is now included. And the 3.2 megapixel snapper with LED is an improvement on the HTC Touch Diamond's.

Overall a great smartphone contender, much improved from the last HTC, but issues are still there, and the UI could be better.

HTC Touch Diamond

HTC Touch Diamond *****

I think other smartphones these days always get referred as iPhone contenders, perhaps that's all they will ever be, but at least their having a bloody try!

HTC are certainly having a try, not everybody "loves" the iPhone, even that has it's flaws. The design of the diamond is quite sleek and stylish, modern in a way, perhaps risky. That's why you've got to love it.

The Spec
Wi-Fi - 3G, MP3/WMA/FM Radio
4GB internal memory, Bluetooth
3.2 megapixel camera. GPS.
Windows Mobile 6.1 OS

A disappointment comes where extra memory is needed, there isn't any. You only get 4GB, that's your lot. Ok it may not quite match up to the iPhone, the black interface may be annoying, and Windows Mobile may need restarting every hour, but the HTC Touch Diamond deserves just a little respect. (see how the HTC Touch Pro serves up)

Interested? get an in-depth-review over at Trusted Reviews.

Nokia N96

Nokia N96 *****

Introducing the successor to the mighty N95. The N96 proves to be even more mighty, packing 16GB of internal memory. But if that's not enough for you, there's a microSDHC slot to overspill all your entertainment needs onto. Well, this is supposed to be phone dedicated to entertainment.

You have all the usual support modes on it, MP3, WMA, AAC etc. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi make an appearance, also you get a built-in DVB-H reciver for digital viewing, nice. A 5 megapixel camera seems the norm these days, although there are phones out there with 8 MP. Two LED's make up the flash, handy for those dim situations.....

Not forgetting Sat-Nav, it's 2.8" screen and that lovely glossy black finish, there's only one thing letting it down, it's a Nokia.

Read some user reviews for this phone from Stuff.tv

Samsung Omnia (SGH-i900)

Samsung Omnia - A truly all-in-one phone. *****
£Free W/Contract

Network/OS/Display
HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, EDGE/GPRS. Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. 3.2" WQVGA TFT LCD (240 x 400)
Camera
5 Megapixel, Auto Focus, Image Stablizer, Geo-tagging, Auto-Panorama Shot, Smile Shot, WDR, Face Detection.
Video
DivX/Xvid/WMV/MP4. Video recording. Video editing: Trim Video, Audio dubbing, Live dubbing, Add Subtitle, Image capture.
Audio
FM Radio with RDS. MP3/AAC/AAC+/WMA/OGG/AMR. Bluetooth Stereo Headset.
Value added Features
3.5 Ear Jack. GPS with Navigation. TouchWiz UI. MS Office Document Viewer, Advanced PIM Apps, Push E-mail, Auto Rotation, TV Out.
Connectivity/Memory/Size/Battery
Bluetooth 2.0/USB 2.0/Wi-Fi. 8GB/16GB Flash + External Memory Slot : microSDHC (up to 16GB). 112 x 56.9 x 12.5 mm. 1440mAh battery.

Review
Well what a brilliant, feature packed phone this is. I love the design, I love the features, I love the way it all fits together. The side bar widgets drag and drop system is excellent, enabling you to select what widgets you need on the home screen. It incorporates the Samsung menu and Windows menu, which work well together.

The touch screen is quite sensitive and works well. I especially like the optical mouse cursor, that gives you an extra way of controlling the phone. Or alternatively there's the stylus for those hard to reach areas. So plenty of ways to navigate through your Samsung Omnia.

Clicking "Main Menu" from the home screen brings up all the features and apps, access to media etc. I quite like that there's an Opera browser installed for internet viewing, alongside Internet Explorer. A nice 5 mega pixel camera on the reverse takes stunning pics, for every situation. And there's many features to try out with the camera. Spend a good few days searching through the phone, alot to see. And still so much to find.

Overall, truly stunning. Forget the iPhone, the Omnia is my choice. Feature packed, future proof, elegant design. What more do you need.

iPhone 3G

iPhone 3G *****
Introducing iPhone 3G. With fast 3G wireless technology, Maps with GPS, support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange and the new App Store, iPhone 3G puts even more amazing features in your hands. And just like the original iPhone, it combines three products in one — a revolutionary phone, a widescreen iPod and a breakthrough Internet device with rich HTML email and full web browsing. iPhone 3G. It redefines what a mobile phone can do. Again.

The Verdict
So... it's cheaper, we get more apps, faster browsing, Sat-nav and OS tweaks. But same old 2mp bog standard camera. whats that all about? But hang on, this is the iPhone, we don't need a good quality snapper. Who really uses their 5mp+ cameras on other phones professionally anyway? The iPhone still has alot more to offer. How many mobile phones have Wi-Fi? Not many. The iPhone ruled from the start, but rules even more from it's re-launch.

If your thinking of bagging one, see which price plan suits you below: