The Sony Ericsson C905 is perhaps the most notable release recently. The rumors of AT&T picking it up at some point has been swirling for longer than we can remember. A high-end Cyber-shot phone in AT&T's lineup will certainly make it harder for unlocked shops to sell dedicated camera phones, but it's a victory for AT&T subscribers looking for something extra nonetheless. The C905 is a typical release from Sony Ericsson, where the Cyber-shot camera outshines the other multimedia features by far. Of course, the brand new Sony Ericsson W995 was just released as well, though that phone is still only available as an unlocked phone. And as you already know, its Walkman player outshines the other multimedia features by far. A year or two from now, you'll probably see AT&T releasing a Sony Ericsson phone that can do everything well at once.
We also have to mention Verizon Wireless' continued release of significantly improved successors to well-known phone types. Recently, Verizon Wireless also announced that Java (or more specifically J2ME) would be supported in new cell phones in the future. That'll without a doubt give users better customization and app/games opportunities. BREW will still be supported, but Java will dominate once on board. BlackBerry devices are easily the hottest phones Verizon Wireless subscribers can get their hands on, and they are Java based. Despite Java apps being device specific, nearly everything (if not more) you can add to your BlackBerry device, you'll soon be able to add to a high-end Verizon cell phone, if the carrier chooses to let you.
The Sony Ericsson W995 gets things right in a few key ways that its primary competitors miss. As an unlocked multimedia super-phone, the real competition for the Sony Ericsson W995 is Nokia's Nseries, and in terms of the Walkman music player with the Media Go software, the W995 proves itself a capable Walkman (to check out recent Sony Ericsson Walkman phones, click here). Since it isn't a smartphone, Sony Ericsson can keep a clean menu design in a way that Nokia cannot. In addition to the music features, the phone also gets Web browsing and Wi-Fi, but though the speeds are impressive, the Access Netfront browser found in this phone isn't. We think the 8.1-megapixel camera is overkill though, and image quality can't compete with Nokia's best offerings, like the Nokia N85.
The LG enV Touch is certainly a superior device compared to the LG Voyager, even though the new phone lacks V Cast Mobile TV. Instead, the enV Touch gets 2 high-resolution displays (hint: one's still better than the other), a slew of multimedia and messaging features, and enough power to show off those big displays with fancy video playback and Web browsing with Flash Lite. We'd have liked to see some new ideas from Verizon Wireless for this phone to give it advanced access to the online social networking services that are most popular with this phone's potential audience. Still, if you're looking for something different, a solid phone all around with a great screen (or two), the LG enV Touch gets the job done nicely.
The Sony Ericsson C905 is a phone that takes pictures that look fantastic, perhaps better than any other cameraphone we've seen so far. Unfortunately, that's about the only thing it does very well. For people who want to take print-worthy shots without carrying an extra camera, the Sony Ericsson C905 is a perfect fit. In terms of other features, it does an adequate job, especially in text messaging and GPS Navigation. But for a high-end phone, we were let down by the lack of a decent Web browser, and we were frustrated by the video playback that made our videos look foggy and poor. It's too bad AT&T is selling this phone without the included headphones and memory stick micro, as these proprietary formats are expensive, and a few features rely on these accessories to work properly. Still, cameraphone fans have found their king shooter at the top of the carrier pile, and AT&T has fired its latest shot in the burgeoning megapixel phone wars.
Of all the compact QWERTY phone designs (check them out here), we like the LG enV model the best, with its small but useful external screen and its roomy internal keyboard and display. The phone was a bit thick and chunky but it was so comfortable to use, with large keys inside and out, that we hardly noticed its size. The new LG enV3 is even better than its predecessors, with its ability to download and sync corporate e-mail and contacts, its improved call quality and multimedia experience, especially in video. It isn't perfect, as the Web browser and the 3-megapixel camera left us disappointed, but there are more advanced phones for those features. The messaging apps could also use an update to bring SMS into the modern age, but overall this is a very likeable phone, and easy to recommend to folks who want a compact texting machine with a few clever extras onboard.
The Samsung Highlight is an interesting alternative to the Samsung Behold, and we think it will have more appeal for a younger audience looking for a cool phone without the advanced camera features and chunky design of the former phone. We like the slim, Icy blue shell, and we even had a good time with the responsive, vibrant touchscreen, even though the TouchWiz interface got messy when we started dragging out too many widgets. The phone isn't great at any one feature, but it is pretty good at almost all of them, with a friendly, capable music player and a Web browser that was better than most basic feature phones. The key for this phone will be if T-Mobile can offer it for a bargain basement price, which isn't the case at launch, so we're hoping the price will drop rapidly into the $50 range. It needs to be affordable for teens and even tweens, who will definitely be the target audience for this cool looking, though underpowered, little tablet phone.
There are very few waterproof phones on the market right now, so if you're looking for the one that takes the best pictures, stop searching and buy the Casio Exilim C721. We've seen better cameraphones, but none this sturdy, and certainly none that were waterproof. We wish Casio had done a better job with the camera interface, which was sluggish and difficult to use, but we still managed to squeeze out some great shots. Getting those shots onto our PCs was a big pain, and this needs an immediate fix before Mac users can apply. Beyond the durability and the 5-megapixel, 3X zoom camera, there isn't much to recommend on this phone. Messaging was barely adequate. For music and multimedia, the Casio Exilim C721 got the job done, but not very well. GPS navigation worked nicely, thanks to the VZ Navigator app on board. For most buyers considering the Exilim C721, though, these features won't matter as much as the military spec housing and the high-end camera. For those folks, there's nothing else on the market worth considering.
A few improved apps and a magical keyboard are all it takes to make the Samsung Alias 2 a much more desirable phone than its predecessors, and one of the coolest consumer QWERTY phones around. That e-ink keyboard is very snazzy, and we hope the technology shows up on more phones, and more features on those phones, in the future. For now, while we're pleased with the addition of Microsoft Exchange e-mail, contacts and calendar support, we still think Samsung could have gone farther, especially with that adaptive keyboard. Call quality was very good, so folks who just want to make calls and send messages will be pleased with what they find in the Alias 2. But if you're looking for advanced features, like Web browsing, GPS navigation and multimedia playback, the Samsung Alias 2 can be something of a letdown. Still, none of that will matter when you pull it out of your pocket at parties and begin to wow the crowd with a bit of magic.
|
|
Archive