Comparing an Apple to a Blackberry; Storm VS iPhone

There has been a big hype surrounding the pre-release of the Blackberry Storm for one simple reason – it is RIM’s first Blackberry phone with touchscreen features. And by having that one feature, the Blackberry Storm was touted as an iPhone killer, if not one of iPhone’s many rivals. The release of the Blackberry Storm also completes the casting of touchscreen phone heavyweights. A few weeks ago, the highly anticipated Google Android Phone was released amidst spectators’ excitement and media hype. Although the Google Android Phone was successful in eliciting good comments and positive reviews, especially coming from the anti-iPhone camp, still there’s something lacking with the Google-powered Android phone that enables it to topple the iPhone. Hence, the Google Android Phone was put in the category of one of ‘em iPhone rival or iPhone killer wannabes. Would the Blackberry Storm suffer the same fate? Would its features and specs be enough to dislodge the iPhone as the most sought after, most popular mobile phone to ever arrive in the industry? Let’s take a look on the details, features, specs and anything and everything about the Blackberry Storm.

Blackberry Storm General Specs and Features:

• Wireless email
• Organizer
• Browser
• Phone
• Camera (3.2 MP)
• Video Recording
• BlackBerry Maps
• Media Player
• Built-in GPS
• Corporate data access
• SMS
• MMS

Just by a quick glance, you could immediately see that there are some features of the Blackberry Storm lacking on the iPhone. More particularly video recording, corporate data access and MMS. The Blackberry Storm supports various video formats such as MPEG4 H.263, MPEG4 Part 2 Simple Profile, H2.64, and WMV. But most importantly it can capture video which the iPhone is not capable of doing. Although the Blackberry Storm may have won this one over the iPhone, rest assured that it will just be a matter of time before a third party developer comes out with a legitimate application which would enable the iPhone to capture video as well. If you’re into Pwnage of the iPhone you should know that this is already available with jailbroken iPhone. But of course, we would not encourage you to do so as it will void your iPhone’s AT&T warranty.The same is true with MMS sending functionality. Again, the Blackberry Storm may have won this over the iPhone because of its native MMS feature; the iPhone however may soon have its third party app which can support this feature. In fact, there was an application that can do this already although it was not a direct MMS sending capability. But in time, we are positive that an application will be developed for this purpose. As for the Corporate Data Access, the Blackberry Storm well with the following email platform/clients:

• BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Microsoft Exchange
• BlackBerry Enterprise Server for IBM Lotus Domino
• BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Novell GroupWise
• enterprise email account
• personal email account
• optional new device account

On this aspect, we’ve got to admit that the Blackberry Storm clearly win big against the iPhone. The enterprise support for the iPhone email client is yet to be fully explored and maximized. The best that the iPhone could muster is integration with Lotus Domino via an application which is still under development. For web-based email account though, we all know that the iPhone has a decent integration with web-base email platform such as Yahoo, Gmail, AOL and many more. Wait before you go out and proclaiming that the iPhone is inferior to the Blackberry Storm, be reminded that all Blackberry handsets have these features so it is not really unique with the Storm. For their other differences, the Blackberry Storm has a 3.2 MP camera against the iPhone’s 2.0MP.

Another thing to look into when comparing the iPhone and the Blackberry Storm is their touchscreen features. There’s no doubt that Apple has mastered the touchscreen feature when it comes to their iPhone. And Blackberry certainly could learn a lot from Apple on this department. It would be interesting to know from those who lined up for the Blackberry Storm when it was released by Verizon Wireless last Friday, whether the Storm’s touchscreen feature could match up with the iPhone.

Clearly, these two phones aside from having touchscreen features are two mobile phone bigwigs in their own separate league. The Blackberry Storm or any Blackberry handsets was always been geared for the corporate business professionals while the iPhone is targeted more for the general mobile phone using public. Each of these two smartphones have their respective pros and cons, it’s up to you to decide whether you’d opt for the Apple or the Blackberry.

MOTO VE240 Candybar CDMA Phone

Aside from the MOTO VE66 which Motorola recently announced, another MOTO phone also comes out of the Motorola stable, this time its the MOTO VE240. This simple candybar CDMA phone gives users all the basic and simple features that they want most. These include a one touch dedicated music key, an optional 4GB removal memory, a 2.5mm stereo headset jack, Bluetooth for hands-free calling and long hours of battery life. This is over and above the MOTO VE240’s sturdy and elegant form factor. Since the MOTO VE240 is a CDMA phone it works on 800/1900 MHz and AWS (1700/2100 MHz) network. It’s longer lasting battery pack can give out 14.5 days of standby time and 4.75 hours of talk time. This mobile phone supports Bluetooth technology, 2.0 Full Speed USB, and sGPS enabled with LBS. The MOTO VE250 also offers easy-navigation with its 4-way navigation tool with center select and dedicated music control keys for music, volume, messaging and voice command control. Finally, the MOTO VE240 can also be used for music entertainment as it supports MP3 music formats. The MOTO VE240 is available now at MetroPCS.

Samsung Announces the Tobi S3030; Mobile Phone for Teens

Samsung Korea has just announced the new Tobi S3030 mobile handset made spefically for pre-teens, young adults and other mobile phone users looking fun and safe mobile phones. Featuring a friendly graphical user interface and funky design, parents would surely want to give these phones to their kids. The Samsung Tobi phones which will be available in Sweet Pink, Loyal Blue, Apple Green, Bright Orange, Oasis Blue and Snow Silver design feature animated characters for their themes including Monster theme, Snowma theme and Ocean World theme.

In addition, Tobi S3030 users will also enjoy interchanging the phone’s backside cover in which they can user their own photo on a see through protective sleeve. As for its safety features well suited for kids, the mobile phone features SOS Call, SOS Message and Fake Call. Kids and young users will be connected directly to their family and friends especially during emergency situations, hence enabling them to escape from those situations. Additionally, the Samsung Tobi S3030 were made out of recyclable and biodegradable bio-plastic and painted using non-toxic paints and non-allergic materials. Even its earphone is made of eco-friendly materials free of polyvinyl chloride. As for its technical features and specs, here are what you should expect from the Tobi S3030:

• GPRS Tri-Ban (900/1800/1900 MHz) Network
• 1.9-inch QCIF Display
• Music Player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA)
• preloaded games
• Bluetooth, USB 2.0 connectivity
• 15MB internal memory
• microSD support for up to 8GB

The Samsung Tobi S3030 will be available in Italy and UK anytime soon. No words yet as to when it will be available in the US market.

Nokia Intros the 6260 Slider

It looks like Nokia is tired of focusing all their recent efforts on their E-Series and N-Series phones that they are now refocusing towards their S40 series mobile handsets. For starters, Nokia has just announced the new 6260 mobile phone which will be out sometime in 2009. The Nokia 6260 will be the company’s first S40 handset which will come with Nokia and A-GPS. This is in addition to other great features that Nokia has packed into the 6260 phone. The Nokia 6260 boasts of Wi-Fi and global 3G support for 900/1900/2100 MHz network frequencies. It also supports Nokia’s photo-sharing site OVI. The new mobile phone also features a relatively powerful 5MP Carl Zeiss camera with built-in flash to enable users to capture great moments in still images and videos and then share them with their friends and family through OVI. To support the camera function, the 6260 will also feature a microSD card slot for storage expansion. A 2.5mm jack was also made available to enable users to listen high-quality sounding music as well as A2DP support for stereo Bluetooth capability.

As if these were not enough, Nokia has also designed the phone’s menu to have shortcuts on the home screen for conducting mobile web search as well as for accessing mobile sites. Other features of the Nokia 6260 include, music player support for MP3, AAC, eAAC+, and WMA, TV output, MPEG-4 VGA video capture up to 15fps, 200MB internal memory and 2.4-inch HVGA LCD. The Nokia 6260 gives out 4-6 hours talk time and up to 370 hours of standby time

T-Mobile Outs the Sidekick 2008

Finally, after several months of buzz and hype, T-Mobile has officially unveiled the latest sidekick mobile phone, simply branded as the Sidekick 2008. The Sidekick 2008 was a cool looking mobile phone developed by Sharp and offers nifty featuressuch as a 2.6-inch WQVGA swivel screen and a full QWERTY keyboard. It also comes with a 2 megapixel camera with video capture capabilities.To make way for videos and photos, the Sidekick 2008 comes with a built-in memory card slot for storage expansion. This ultra sleek mobile phone also comes with Bluetooth connectivity which was said to be a great improvement of the Bluetooth features of previous Sidekick models. Other features and specs of the Sidekick 2008 include; A2DP support for stereo headsets and file transfer for connecting to other Bluetooth devices, T-Mobile’s MyFaves support, GPRS/EDGE, SMS/MMS/IM, POP/IMAP/SMTP email messaging, and speakerphone. Additionally, the Sidekick 2008 measures 119 x 58.4 x 18 mm. The T-Mobile Sidekick 2008 SRPs at $149.99 with 2-year service contract. It comes with a changeable shell that will set you back additional $9-$14 each.

Motorola Unlocks the MOTO U9

Motorola has released the stylish mobile phone MOTO U9 geared specifically for trendsetters who are looking to make a fashion statement using their mobile phones. The MOTO U9 is now available unlocked for GSM networks in the U.S. This new phone allows users to a music phone that goes with them anywhere they go. The MOTO U9 is sleek looking clamshell phone in a metallic gloss finish and comes loaded with animated screen savers. What’s unique about these screen savers is that they appear to be floating across the phone’s borderless external display. Speaking of the phone’s external display, this also serve as a touch sensitive screen for digital keys that let users control their music player even without opening the phone. Other music features of the MOTO U9 include, one-touch access to music library, ability to pause music when answering calls, Microsoft Windows Media Player 11 featuring automatic synching and device recognition, integrated music player supporting audio files such as Windows WMAv10 plus Janus DRM, MP3, AAC, AAC+ and AAC+ enhanced, music download from 200 on-line music stores, stereo bluetooth wireless technology. Of course the MOTO U9 aside from being a music player is a mobile phone after all. And as such it boasts of other features including; 25MB internal memory, optional microSD memory card up to 4GB storage, innovative CrystalTalk technology, speaker independent voice recognition dialing and talking features, a 2.0-megapixel camera with 8x zoom, multi-shot feature, video capture and playback, MMS, SMS, WVIM and Push Email. The MOTO U9 retails for $275.99 and will be available in pink and purple.

Verizon Wireless Unleash the Rugged Casio G’zOne Boulder

Verizon Wireless has just made available its follow-up to the ultra-ruggedized push-to-talk handset the Casio G’zOne - the Casio G’zOne Boulder. Available now for a retail price of $129.99 with a 2-year service contract. It is also available in Verizon’s brick-and-mortar stores for an SRP of $179.99. The G’zOne Boulder looks sleek and tough, eye-catching and was definitely built to withstand all bruise and impacts that you can possibly put on it. In terms of features and specifications, the G’zOne Boulder is also power-packed with a 1.3 megapixel camera, push-to-talk on EVDO Rev. A network. This ruggedized mobile phone was built to military specifications that enables it to survive extreme shock, water and dust environments. It gives you quick access to contacts, allows you to download games and even play music where ever you go. Its music function allows you to playback MP3, WMA, AAC and AAC+ music formats, create and manage music playlists, and sync music from PC to phone. Its camera features include a 1.3MP camera/camcorder with flash, self-timer, color effects, resolution adjustment, video capture and playback and a dedicated camera/video key. Other features of the G’zOne Boulder include; flashlight, customizable ringtone, advance speec recognition, speakerphone, voice commands, , a 2.0-inch TFT display with up to 65K colors, weighs only 4.9 ounce, and talk time of up to 214 minutes or 63 hours standby time

Samsung Makes the 8MP Innov8 Camera Phone Official

Finally, after so many rumors and leaks, Samsung Korea has officially announced its newest camera phone - the Innov8. Don’t bother thinking about what the “8″ in its name means. It’s a camera phone and perhaps the most powerful camera phone to date with its whooping 8 megapixel camera resolution. The Samsung Innov8 is simply a groundbreaking multimedia mobile phone. The Samsung Innov8 is geared for mobile phone users who want to capture and store precious memories in style with its imaging applications such as smile shot, blink shot and face recognition.The Innov8 also allows users to personalize and edit their photos, videos and music using the mobile phones Movie Maker and Story Board applications. Users can also use the mobile phone as a digital photo frame for displaying photos they’ve taken with the Innov8’s crystal clear 2.8-inch 16M color LCD. For memory storage, the Samsung Innov8 features an 8GB or 16GB flash memory and external memory slot that can provide up to additional 16GB. It also comes with 1200mAH battery good enough for users to enjoy multimedia experience for a long time. The Samsung Innov8 supports DivX, WMV, Real Player and MPEG4. It’s loaded with external dual speakers and 3D surround sound supported by DBSe 2.0 to make every video clip and movie more realistic than ever. Other features of the Innov8 includes; preloaded games such as Asphalt and FIFA 08, mobile web browsing, optical mouse, 4-way navigation key, HSDPA high speed internet support, WIFI, AGPS with geo-tagging, Symbian OS V9.3, and S60 3rd edition feature pack 2. The Samsung Innov8 is slated for released in Europe by August followed by a release in other markets sometime in September.

Sony Ericsson Unveils the W595 Walkman Phone

The last of the new mobile phones launched by Sony Ericsson a couple of days ago is the new W595 walkman phone. Like the other two new Sony Ericsson phones, the W902 and W302, the W595 also promises to give users full pleasure when listening music as well as impressive mobile phone features and functionality. The W595 like the W902 boasts of a 2.2-inch LCD screen which suits well with video watching. It comes packed with a 2GB memory stick micro for storage. The W595 also features built-in speakers for sharing music with friends. An additional slot for stereo share jack is included as well. Like the other two new phones, the W505 also features SensME, Shake control and trackID. For entertainment purposes, the W595 also comes preloaded with games.Other features of the Sony Ericsson W595 walkman phone include; Bluetooth, a 3.2 megapixel camera for snapping great moments and sharing it with friends, a 40 GB internal phone memory, camera features that allows video recording, picture blogging, and a 2.5x digital zoom. In addition, the W505 also features an FM Radio, allows video viewing and streaming, limited video calling feature, polyphonic ringtones, megabass feature, USB 2.0 support, web browsing through Access NetFront and your usual mobile organizer functionality.The Sony Ericsson W595 Walkman phone will be available in three variants namely the W595 which is a UMTS/HSDPA 2100 and GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 phone and will be release in Active Blue, Cosmopolitan White, Jungle Grey and Lava Black, W595c is a GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets in Active Blue, Cosmopolitan White and Jungle Grey, and the W595a which is a GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets in Active Blue, Cosmopolitan White, Jungle Grey and Lava Black. All three W595 models will be available in Q4.

BenQ - E72 review

BenQ's E72 is an interesting Windows Mobile device. It has unashamedly consumer-friendly looks and packs some consumer-friendly software too. Yet it runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard edition, an operating system more usually found in business oriented smartphones.

This quad-band GSM phone is light at just 90g and has a rather stylish look. Its mostly black fascia is trimmed with red, it has nicely curved edges and the screen has a mirrored finish. If you just glanced at it in passing you'd probably think it was a mid-range, fairly averagely featured handset.

However, checking off the features list, in addition to Windows Mobile we have Wi-Fi which is rare enough in a mid-range handset to cause a raised eyebrow or two. BenQ has also decided to include some handy software in the shape of Mundu. This is a unified Instant Messaging client which works with MSN Messenger, Gtalk, Yahoo, ICQ, AOL and Jabber.

There is more in the way of consumer software to be had, too. A ringtone editor will amuse some, though what you think is a great tone could well annoy others who have to listen to it! A set of tools for travellers gives you access to multiple alarms, a world clock, a to-do list manager, currency conversion and a handy weather forecast checker.

The Today screen has a set of shortcuts to your often used applications, a profiles setting and a shortcut to the Wi-Fi.

The main problem with this phone is its screen. This is very small considering that the E72 is a smartphone. At just 2 inches across diagonal corners its small size makes some of the feats it can accomplish in theory rather less than satisfactory in practice.

One example is Web browsing. With the Wi-Fi on board you can do this freely over your wireless connection, which is a great lure. But it isn't always easy to view Web pages on the small screen.

Battery life is a little on the short side too. You'll probably need to think in the realms of a daily recharge if you want to use this phone's capabilities to the full on a regular basis. And then there is the issue of slow running. We found that at times we had to wait for the phone to respond to key presses. This could become rather irritating in everyday use.

BenQ - E72 features - Verdict

This is a good looking Windows Mobile handset with excellent software for Instant Messaging fans and Wi-Fi for the rest of us. It is hampered by short battery life, a small screen and a slow processor, though.
£101 inc. VAT (SIM-free, also available on BT Fusion)

Sony Ericsson - C902 review

Let's get one thing out of the way right at the start. We found the C902 to be one of the best mobiles we've used for a long time. The combination of features seems just about right and, while there's nothing too flashy going on here, there is some rather good stuff when it comes to photography.

This is a Quad-band 3G handset with HSDPA and a front-facing camera for two-way video calling. The general design is well thought out and the phone feels good in the hand. The 2-inch screen is up to Sony Ericsson's high standards, though it does seem a bit small in relation to the handset itself.

The reason for this is that two bars down the left and right hand side of the screen offer touch sensitive icons when the 5-megapixel main camera is in use. Backlit a subtle deep blue, they offer access to a range of features that you might want to get at quickly.

For example, you can switch from photography to gallery mode and into video mode too. You can change the focus settings quickly, flicking into macro or face detection modes. You can turn on BestPic (the system which sees the phone shoot several shots when you depress the shutter button, allowing you to choose the best to keep). And you can choose scene, set the self timer, use the flash... Well, you get the idea. It works really smoothly and is, for once, a feature that's as useful as it is idiosyncratic.

Of course none of this matters a jot if the camera is poor. There is good news here, as it is up with the best 5-megapixel phones we've seen. For those who need to know where photos were shot, they can be geo-coded too.

As for the rest, well, the almost obligatory accelerometer knows when you turn the phone round and will obligingly flip the screen, and a music player copes well with your tunes. There is 160MB of built-in memory and a Memory Stick Micro card slot for adding more storage.

The side-slotting mains power charger has a through port so you can use the headphones when charging the handset. The end result is cumbersome to look at and is a travesty when compared to the good looks of the phone itself, but it does work. There is a 3.5mm headset connector beyond the microphone on the supplied headphones. Battery life for music playback is, incidentally, astonishingly good.

Sony Ericsson - C902 features - Verdict

This is the best Sony Ericsson handset we've seen for some considerable while. A good all-rounder, the camera features are superb and it is not a burden to carry.
£299.99 inc. VAT (SIM-free)

Watchmaker Tag Heuer Meridiist Has Designed an Exciting New Mobile Device

We have just received information about a hot new design from the world renowned watch maker Tag Heuer Meridiist. Are you interested? Well, you should be! Information has been leaked about the new innovation design and features that are sure to please the public. This new phone features something we are not used to seeing actually incorporated into the design of a mobile device: leather! Although this phone is a bit on the pricey side, users will definitely be getting their money’s worth with this new phone. Tag Heuer Meridiist is a craftsman who settles for nothing but the best and perfection. The leather and metal design elements make this phone the highest in style. This phone will run in the $6000 range.

The new Tag Heuer Meridiist cell phone features a display class made of Sapphire crystals for the clearest of viewing, a 2 megapixel camera (a little low if you ask me, for such an expensive phone), a 1.9 inch QVGA display, OLED 96 x 76 pixel secondary display and Bluetooth technologies. Of course, each phone can be custom ordered, so this may change the options and pricing for your particular phone choice. So although there are a few things that could be improved as far as this new and expensive design goes, we are very excited about the new design elements that Tag has experimented with to bring us this innovation. If you have the money for this phone and find yourself in possession of one, let us know what you think about it!