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: Motorola Aura

Motorola Aura: Coming December

Well this looks like it's going to be expensive, and I can say $2,000 expensive to be precise! Motorola have been working hard behind the scenes creating this style icon.

The phone has a 62 carat sapphire crystal lens, which is one of the most scratch resistant materials on earth. The Aura has 16 million colours running through it's round screen, the first ever seen on a mobile phone. It also has an assisted opening feature, 700 plus individual components and it's all housed in stainless steel casing.

Some features include a 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth and a microSD slot. The Aura may be something different, but I can't see us all flocking to the shops somehow, Can you?

Official Website

LG KC910 Renoir

LG KC910 Renoir *****
"This looks like an absolute star to use, but is the touchscreen up to scratch?"

Is it all about the camera? Well the Renoir has an 8 megapixel beast! It's a real cam phone contender. It performs well, and if you want to focus on a particular part of the subject, you do this by touching the area of the screen you want to focus. nice touch.

But it can't be all about the camera, even if it is the main feature. This phones completely touchscreen. It can be inconsistent at times, but it's all fingers, there's no stylus. The phone doesn't need one, but tricky menus may catch you out.

Dolby and DivX come included, so your music and video will be crystal clear. You get GPS working alongside Google maps. Plus Wi'Fi and HSDPA. Others include: Bluetooth, Radio, 3G, 3 inch screen, MP3/AAC/WMA. And MicroSD compatible.

The designs an absolute winner, packed with plenty of features. But the touchscreen just can't cut it. When will there be a perfect touchscreen!

Check out the Renoir over at CNET.co.uk

LG KC550

LG KC550 *****

I can't really say i'm too impressed with this phone. It's just ugly, who designed this phone? Inside it's all pretty standard too. Of course there's the MP3, Bluetooth, Radio, 5 megapixel camera etc. But it has nothing to shout about.

Auto image rotation is included for viewing pics and videos, but that's about it i'm afraid. This slider hasn't much to offer, steer well clear, there are much better phones out there.

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)

Press Release: Samsung Pixon

SAMSUNG PIXON: THE WORLD’S SLIMMEST 8-MEGAPIXEL FULL TOUCH PHONE
New handset allows users to capture and share unexpected moments in quality and with ease


UK – September 29th 2008: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, the UK’s second largest mobile phone manufacturer, today unveils the Samsung Pixon (M8800) – the world’s slimmest full-touch 8-megapixel camera phone.

With a 13.8mm design and a 3.2 inch full touch screen user interface, coupled with outstanding portability and beautiful design, the Samsung Pixon looks set to lead the way in camera and phone convergence. The Samsung Pixon is the second highly-anticipated 8-megapixel camera phone launch from Samsung, following the unveiling of the Samsung i8510 in August 2008.

Not only does the phone look like a camera, thanks to the 3.2 inch screen, but it also boasts a remarkable array of features more regularly seen in standalone cameras. x16 digital zoom, auto-focus, fast-shutter, face detection and geo-tagging are all part of the package, enabling users to capture and share unexpected moments with ease and without compromising on the style and size of the handset.

To ensure this functionality is achieved, the Samsung Pixon also comes with an integrated Photo Browser which allows easy photo sharing and viewing, to compliment the high quality picture capability of the 8-megapixel camera.

Mark Mitchinson, Vice President of Samsung Mobile UK and Ireland said: “Samsung is a company which constantly innovates, to improve our consumers’ experiences and to make things easier and more fun.

Now everyone will be able to ‘get their pics on’ so much more quickly and easily. For the first time you will have a camera on your phone capable of delivering the quality of image of a regular camera.

The big benefit is not just the ease with which people will now be able to capture and share camera-phone shots, but the quality of those shots when taken.”Missing those perfect moments will become a thing of the past thanks to the new Samsung Pixon which is available in the UK and Ireland from 1st November 2008.

Follow the adventure!

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