PDA Reviews

One of the most popular brands of PDAs in world, BlackBerry is the fifth largest mobile phone industry in the world. With a share of almost 15 percent of mobile phones and PDAs in the world, the BlackBerry is a great sensation in the mobile communication world. Though all of its models are sensational and have had a great reputation, the Curve series of phone, in particular, have gained a lot of public attraction of late. The way these phones look, or operate has amused many a user and hence they have attained quite a lot of success in the recent past. We are now going to talk about one such PDA from this stalwart producer of mobile phones, who has of late gained a name for its QWERTY keypad phones. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 Smartphone is a beauty is its own manner. It has got everything in it to be a perfect partner for any business professional on any given day. It is now a revamped version of any Smartphone on earth since it has come out with some new features and provisions which are going to add quite a few feathers to its cap. Let us dive into more details as we unfold the Curve 8520 and its components.

Design:

Embrace the curves:
The name says it all. The Curve 8520 is such an attraction when it comes to design. It has got some nice curves and is a pleasure to the eye. Though almost all the mobile phones and PDAs from BlackBerry are quite curvy in their own manner, displaying the trademark designs of BlackBerry, the Curve series phone are curvier than any of their previous counterparts. The edges of the Curve 8520, for example, are very smooth and the device is perfectly engineered to give it a very enticing look. Now, let us have a look at the dimensions of the device.

The Curve 8520 measures about 4.29 inches high, 2.36 inches wide and 0.55 inches deep. In other words, the device is about 14 mm deep, which means that it is pretty slim, slimmer than you will normally see anywhere in the PDA market. This obviously makes the device very light and it consequently measures about 105 grams (3.70 ounces). These factors indeed give the Curve 8520 a pretty rich look and its shiny exterior appearance also does a world of good to its design. The Curve 8520 is available in as many as five colours, so there is some sort of diversity out there. And since all the colours are metallic in nature, you do not see them fading away as days pass by and the mobile stays looking fresh every single day. Though black is the business’ favourite colour, you can still try out the rich variety of colours that are available. Hence, regarding the design part of the device, the Blackberry Curve 8520 Smartphone deserves full marks.

Display:

BlackBerry phones are always associated with a high resolution display and the Curve 8520 PDA Smartphone is not an exception at all. Given the small screen it sports, the Curve 8520 comes with a 320 x 240 pixel resolution and also has colour display, if this surprises you by any means. But the more interesting features are that the screen is light sensitive and hence the brightness of the screen and the keypad changes with the available daylight. When you are between four walls, the brightness automatically increases and when you go outdoors, the light automatically dims, saving you a lot of battery. At nights, the brightness increases by a considerable amount. It is also one commendable feature since otherwise you will have to manually change the brightness of the screen each and every time there is a change in the brightness outside. This feature sets the brightness all by itself. Another nice feature in here is that there is an option for you to select the screen font size. Many a time, people with different disorders related to eyesight, find it quite difficult to cope up with the font sizes on their main screens. Hence, it would be tough to encounter the device and utilize its features completely. Hence, this feature is introduced by BlackBerry, with a view to increase comfort of the users.

Features:

Here comes the most important aspect of all when it comes any electronic device, let alone a PDA. Of late, we have been seeing lots of new stuff and unique features from all manufacturers. Maybe this is a sign of competitiveness among them, but at the end of the day, it is the user who is receiving all the benefits. In order to sustain the competition and live up to the expectations of a common man, these companies have to provide more and more of new and interesting features, an more importantly, for a reasonable rate. While we will be dealing with the pricing of the device a little later, we shall now see if this trend regarding features is being followed by the BlackBerry Curve 8520 Smartphone.

Processor:

Since the processor might prove to be a vital feature on any device, you should examine it twice before moving on. Now, as expected, BlackBerry has come up with its own processor again, but this time around, with a much better one. The Curve 8520 Smartphone sports a 512 MHz processor, manufactured by BlackBerry itself. And no, this is not the fastest thing going around and there are certainly processors with greater capabilities, better durability and better functioning. But having said that the device is only pertained to business people and it does not sport all the features in the world, this processor can be considered to work well. And by this we do not mean you will be having a great speed or response time, it is just the fact that your device does not get stuck or overloaded with too many applications. Since it is BlackBerry who has come up with this processor, things must have already been tested under all conditions. Hence there is not much to worry about the processor.

Operating System:

The Curve 8520 Smartphone is so smart since it comes with a BlackBerry operating system. Though any man on the street knows this is not the best operating system in the business, it still is the best suitable one for this device and for that matter, any device manufactured by BlackBerry. Since they are the manufacturers, they are the ones who will know of their features better than anyone else. Hence, BlackBerry has decided to feature an operating system of their own instead of borrowing from the likes of Microsoft Windows or Android. Yes, even we understand that an Android would look much cooler and would serve much better. But, we have got used to the BlackBerry OS on BlackBerry phones and PDA devices and things are starting to be more comfortable now. You too, as a user, will find this OS a more user friendly one and easy to understand. There are not many difficult operations on this OS. Everything is simple and straightforward. So, this could the perfect device if you wish to gift it to someone elder. They will not be having any sort of issues while using it.

Memory:

These days, memory has become a vital part of any electronic gadget and particularly any PDA. Now since you are going to buy a personal digital assistant, it means that you will need to store lots of information and files. You will obviously need lots of space on your device because, after all when you are purchasing a device, you would want to serve multiple purposes. And when there are features like camera, video recorder, music player, Bluetooth, etc., it means that you will have quite a large number of files to store. This is the reason the BlackBerry phones always come with very good memory. When it comes to the Curve 8520 Smartphone, the device comes with an onboard memory of either 256MB or 1GB. And in most cases, this should be enough for you. This is because you can practically store unlimited phone contacts, photo contacts, with unlimited fields. But if is not enough and you think you need more space on your device, then you always have the option to upgrade or increase the memory of your card, up to 32 GB. And it is worth noting the fact that the device supports only SD cards and SD memory cards are available in stores and you need to purchase separately.

QWERTY Keypad:

Yes, this is one of the most obvious and also interesting aspects of the device. Lots of new devices are coming up with this feature given the fact that people and especially the youth are into social networking these days. Chatting has become a viral phenomenon and wherever people go, they still want to maintain contact with their dear ones. And the best and fastest way to access the internet, chat with friends, type documents, and do a lot of similar stuff, is by using a QWERTY keypad. We know of many customers who look forward to buy a phone or a PDA that comes with only a QWERT keypad. Normal keypads, the slide types, the touch screen, all are kicked aside by this new idea. QWERTY is the order of the day and if you do not believe, just have a look at the increase in the production and at the same time, the sales of QWERTY phones over the last couple of years or so. It is also an easy transition between chatting on the computer and texting on the phone. It is much easier, faster and more effective. Hence, it is obviously preferred over other similar forms of keypad.

Camera and Video Recording:

It would always be nice to have a camera in hand whenever you are out with friends or on a tour. And it is a fact that these days, there is no mobile phone in this world that comes without a camera at all. Starting from VGA cameras to high definition cameras, you see different phones and PDA devices coming with different cameras. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 comes with a 2 megapixel camera and though you already know that this is not the end of the world and there are much better cameras featured on some other mobile phones and PDAs, this still is a decent feature and particularly under plenty of lighting, you will get good quality pictures without noise at all. And these days when we have picture modification software tools, the quality of the camera may not bother us that much. The camera has 5 x digital zoom feature so that you get some pretty good zoomed pictures. And things just do not end here. The camera also allows video recording and you again get some decent pictures when under daylight or plenty of artificial lighting. Since it is not the highest quality camera going around, it comes with a fixed focus and you will have to change or vary the focus in case you think it is needed.

Bluetooth:

Bluetooth is indeed one of the major features on the BlackBerry Curve 8520 Phone, and it is also considered pretty important for any PDA device. Since you will be having the need to chare things like documents and files at office, Bluetooth will be a ready in hand option for you to do so. The device comes with Bluetooth version 2.0 and though version 3.0 has already featured in a couple of devices this year, the older version is still not so obsolete. It is moreover better than predecessor and will be giving you better outputs like faster searching of devices, stronger connectivity, and greater security. Along with the Bluetooth version 2.0, you will also be provided a few other important features like Bluetooth Headset profile, Bluetooth Handset Profile, phone book access profile, secure simple pairing profile, serial port profile, address book integration using AT commands and using object push or OBEX feature, stereo audio (A2DP or AVRCP) and dial up networking (DUN). All these features are obviously very essential for those in business field and since this device is especially designed for people like them, it has in it everything that they look out for.

Media Player:

Who does not love entertainment? On any given day, one would want a device that would also provide them some entertaining stuff while they are on the go or when boredom surrounds them. Given the fact that most of today’s PDAs have become mini television sets that fit into our hands and keep on chattering wherever we go, the doctor’s order is that the Curve 8520 should have a good media player. And thankfully, we have got some nice multimedia features for you. The media player sported on the Curve 8520 supports a large number of audio and video formats and this certainly is good news for those of you who love to watch videos or to listen to music while travelling. Here is a list of video and audio formats supported by the device: Video formats: H.263, WMV9, MPEG4, H.264,; Audio formats: MP3, AAC-LC, AMR-WB, AMR-NB, e AAC+, QCELP EVRC, AAC+, WMA9, Windows Media 10 Standard/Professional. Now that is quite a good list of supported formats and this means that there is no need of converting the media into different formats before actually loading them on to the device. Hence playing music and videos on this media player is fun, entertaining and easy too. This could also prove to be a vital feature and would certainly please many users and critics.

Wi-Fi:

It is a well known fact that Wi-Fi has become an integral part of almost all electronic goods during the last couple of years. And PDAs are the one of the first gadgets to have featured Wi-Fi. What happens when you have Wi-Fi is, even when you have a cable that connects you to the internet, you can still not use it and still get connected to the internet. This way, your device will become more mobile and you can surf the web sitting anywhere in your house. This could save you from a lot of discomfort too. And whenever you visit places like Airports, cafes, corporate offices, universities and so on, you can gain access to the internet with ease. Like all BlackBerry mobile phones and PDAs, the Curve 8520 Smartphone comes with the far famed 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi in association with WPA / WPA 2 Personal and Enterprise both. This is certified by Cisco CCX and hence it is guaranteed that everything works smoothly without any sorts of errors. Some of the other additional features regarding Wi-Fi on the device are: Wi-Fi® access to BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, Wi-Fi access to BlackBerry® Internet Bundle, Support for UMA (carrier-dependent). This is hence a great option for you to pull out the best from your Curve 8520 Smartphone and utilize its ability to the fullest.

Social Networking:

It is needless to say that social networking has become the top priority among people from all walks of life. It is the current trend and wherever you go, you see this phenomenon pretty predominant. People from every nook and corner of the globe are now able to contact one another through social networking. And of late, Social networking is also the sole reason behind the introduction of social commerce. Lots of businesses are being established every day and Social networking has been the driving force for all such businesses. Websites like Viigo, Foursquare, Twitter are now household names all over the world. Now this is the reason why the Blackberry Curve 8520 Smartphone comes with special featured apps for the above stated websites. Just one push of a button and you will be directed to those threesome websites. This way, you can quit living like a recluse since you will always be in contact with your pals, share your views, contacts, pictures, videos and stuff. Entertainment will always be with you if you have the Curve 8520. We have also liked the way the device provides you a link to such websites. Provision of shortcut buttons is also a nice way of connecting you to your pals and also a nicer way of saving your valuable time.

Security:

These days, one of the main problems regarding the PDA devices is that personal security is at stake. Many devices are coming without the option for you to lock or hide your personal data and stuff. Everything is being open to access for all and this is the reason people still go for buying laptops instead of a PDA. But one has got no such complaints regarding the BlackBerry Curve 8520 PDA phone. It is quite smart in all aspects and hence it comes with robust security features. As expected, there is keyboard lock along with password protection. This feature helps you in preventing others from opening your device and also from accessing its data. There is also a security mode called the sleep mode which locks the device temporarily. Other important features include AES or Triple DES encryption with BlackBerry Enterprise Server, Optional support for S/MIME, and FIPS validation. These small but important features add a lot of value to your device and also help you in protecting your all important data. These sort of features set an example to the other makers of PDAs, and BlackBerry outscores its competitors in this aspect.

Modem:

The internet has become a part and parcel of our lives and more and more people are onto the internet day by day. And is not it cool to have a modem for your device so that you can connect to the internet and surf the web whenever you wish to? It would be an even better idea because, after all the modem is provided by RIM and this means that only your device can be connected through the modem to the internet. No one else can access your modem since there will be a security key provided. The modem is also a wireless type and this means you can access Wi-Fi at home or wherever you go. There is also tethered modem capability for the device and hence it would be an added advantage for you when you choose the Curve 8520. Both these will be provided along with the device and you could be browsing the internet without any extra price. This is also another positive aspect regarding the mobile phones and PDAs from BlackBerry. You will always have something extra for the same price.

Connectivity:

The device comes with a mini USB port and a cable for connection and this allows you to connect it to your computer, sync them and exchange data between them. It is an easy method, compared to the likes of Bluetooth and Infrared, to send and receive data like documents, files, music, videos and so on. You can also charge your phone just by connecting to your computer using this mini USB cable. And just for the record, there is also an SD memory card slot available, as discussed earlier. So, you can even transfer files through the memory card. Either way, the connectivity of the device is pretty good.

So that ends a pretty good list of features, and we are happy that BlackBerry has been following the latest trends in the market and hence has been providing the right features. Though there are a few minor drawbacks regarding some of the features, the device is pretty good overall. But let us also see if this trend continues and if the performance of the device complements its features well or not.

Performance:

While the features on the device are so great and so appealing that you would have already had a soft corner for the Blackberry Curve 8520 Mobile Phone, the performance of the device, may not be as appealing. And the reasons include a less powerful processor. Well, there is no problem with the processor itself and it works fine when you run an application or two. But when multitasking is frequent and too many applications are open and being run simultaneously, the device may not have the caliber to perform at a good pace and the processor should experience an overload. This leads to deteriorated performance of the system and is this happens for a long time, the device may get damaged. But the situation is not so serious as it seems since more often than not one would not want to use too many applications simultaneously.

The operating system and the rest of the features perform very well and they complement the device so well that you get a commendable performance from the Curve 8520 Smartphone. There are quite a few utilities in the bag for you and if you get used to using then in the right way, you will then start loving your device and will also start appreciating the real potential of the device. Connectivity of the device has also been quite good during the tests and there are no major issues or errors reported. This could well be a decider, the performance of the device on the whole, since it is the single most important aspect of the device. And we are happy that this would not be the reason behind your rejection. The overall performance is pretty good, and in fact better than what was expected at the start, especially after knowing about the processor of the device. Hence, you can actually count on the performance of the device since it will always be there for you whenever you need and it will also not pose you frequent problems.

Battery:

Since there are quite a few features seen on the device, there is a chance of multitasking. And multitasking means more operations at a time and this eventually means more battery drain. This is the reason one would expect a pretty solid battery performance from their device.  One must not worry about the battery life while on the go and also must be able to confidently make video calls or do some extravagant stuff. But all this needs a good battery. Therefore, the Curve 8520 comes with a 1150 mAh removable/rechargeable lithium-ion battery that stays longer than usual. With the new revamped battery performance, the device can provide you a talk time of up to 4.5 hours (approx) and a standby time of up to 17 days or 408 hours (approx). Now this is something big. You have now got something really great from BlackBerry. You can now talk for more hours on the go, and also can quit worrying because you have not charged your device for some time. This sort of quality is expected from someone like BlackBerry and it has lived up to our expectations totally.

Warranty:

The BlackBerry Curve 8520 Smartphone comes with a parts and labour warranty for a period of about one year from the original date of purchase.

Verdict:

If you were waiting for one last opinion of us on this Smartphone, we would like to tell you that you have encountered a really good device that helps you in all spheres of your life, office, home, family, friends, network, entertainment, and the list goes on. The features are great and the performance is better than what we expected. The battery life is quite commendable and the device also has pretty good connectivity options. The pricing is also not as high as expected and is quite reasonable, to be honest with you. Hence, with all the positive signs in front of us, all we can say is, if you are diehard fan of BlackBerry and if you are looking for more than a decent PDA device, then we would recommend the BlackBerry Curve 8520 Smartphone to you. It would be a nice companion to you and to your business. Even if your decision is negative regarding the device, or if this not what you are looking for, there is nothing to worry as we have got plenty of other top notch and competitive PDAs for you. You can read their reviews, look at their ratings and prices on this website itself.

BlackBerry Curve 8520 Smartphone – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	BlackBerry
Model Name	Curve 8520
Type	PDA
Series	Curve Series
Dimensions  (H x W x D)	4.29 x 2.36 x 0.55 inches
Weight	106 g
Colours available	Glossy Black and white
Display type	TFT, 65K colors, 2.46 inches
Resolution	320 x 240 pixels
Internal memory	256MB
Supported capacity	Up to 32GB
Memory card type	SD card
Bluetooth	Yes, version 2.0
Security	Yes
Weight	3.70 ounces
Keyboard	QWERTY
Processor	512 MHz
Clock speed	2.44 – 3.32 GHz max.
Wi-Fi	802.11 b/g
Video Support	MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV9
Audio Support	MP3, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, QCELP EVRC, AAC-LC, AAC+, e AAC+, WMA9, Windows Media 10 Standard/Professional
Built-in speakers	Yes
CPU	512MHz processor
Operating system	BlackBerry OS
Camera	2 MP, 1600×1200 pixels
Social Networking	Viigo, Foursquare, Twitter
Data	GPRS EDGE 3G WLAN Bluetooth USB
Features	Messaging: SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, IM HTML Browser GPS Java
Networking	Modem, Wireless networking
Battery	Standard battery, Li-Ion 1150 mAh
Battery life	Talk time of up to 4.5 hours (approx) and a standby time of up to 17 days or 408 hours (approx)
Warranty	1 year

The original Dell Streak came down with a bit of identity crisis; as the 5″ device did not belong either to the tablet family or its Smartphone cousins, and ended up in the hands of very few consumers. However, its big brother, the Streak 7 has escaped this issue; it is a tablet that is meant to be doing all things tablet such as reading ebooks, video playbacks as well as surfing the web.

Though the Dell Streak 7 might just look like a magnified Streak 5, but do not judge it by its outer cover as it differs in more than just the size, with a powerful 1GHz dual core Tegra T20 processor, 4G HSPA connectivity, a 5mp lens on the rear and 1.3mp front facing camera, and a 16GB of internal memory. As far as software is concerned, it is powered by Android 2.2 and the User Interface is Dell’s Stage, which the company promises to upgrade to Honeycomb as soon as it is ready. With the sounds of the features, it looks like one of the most complete 7” tablets in the current market. Unfortunately, there are a few factors that might keep its consumers from taking out the cash, find out what are they.

Design:

An enlarged original Streak:

Irrespective of the angle at which the Streak 7 Tablet PC is looked at, it still looks very much like an enlarged version of its 5″ predecessor. And this might not actually be a thing to complain about as the original’s tapered edges and quite rugged and durable plastic build is adorable. It is quite obvious that Dell is trying to have some identical design fashions throughout the Streak series, but it seems to be having some cues from the relatives of Venue Pro and Venue too. The style borrowing is evident in the rear that has similar textured diamond pattern. The feel of the device in hands is pretty good, and unlike that of the Streak 5, its rear does not have a removable battery, which is an absolute disappointment, the reason, you will find in the battery life section of the review.

Low-resolution woes:

While not in use, the display of the Streak 7 looked simply identical to that of the Galaxy Tab, as both of them seem to be pretty glossy with their 7″ Gorilla Glass display that feels pretty smooth to be touched. But that thought will change immediately as soon as it is turned on. When compared to the 1024 x 600 pixels resolution display of the Galaxy Tab, Streak 7’s 800 x 480 pixels panel looked simply cheap, and this will be very much obvious while browsing, reading , viewing images or just while watching a HD video clip. In side by side comparison, the Streak 7 looked lack lustre and if you are particular about the pixel numbers, just stop reading here and look at the alternative options available.

Disappointment with Display:

Getting back to the display, the most drastic difference is with how much brighter Galaxy’s version turned out to be. Flatly, Samsung’s panel is better than Dell’s in every way and will prove to be big difference as the complete tablet experience revolves around the display. The quality is also affected with the viewing angles; when held horizontally about 45 degrees, the colours just fade away to black. However, the vertical viewing angle is better when compared to that of the display of Galaxy Tab, which can be seen in pretty much any angle, but remember, you will not be able to get that supreme quality at any cost. Thought the quality of viewing on the display is not up to the mark, this capacitive display is very responsive and this is helped a great deal by the Tegra 2 processor. The accelerometer was also pretty snappy, but we just wished for an easy way to switch off the feature than to go through the settings menu of the display.

The handy 7″:

Though most of the Tablet manufacturers look towards the 10” form factor, the portability factor offered by the 7” models; some of our friends are wishing for a 7” iPad. Similar to that of the Archos 7 and the Galaxy Tab, the Streak 7 too is good with single hand using than the other 10” tablets we had tested. This 0.48” Streak 7 is comfy to be held while reading an ebook on bed or just wrapping both the hand around this 0.9 pounds tablet and just use the thumbs to type on it.

Buttons and slots:

The Dell Streak 7  Android Table is quite clean and all it has is three capacitive buttons for home, menu as well as back, the camera on the front of the device and mic. The SD card and SIM card slots have been hidden inside a plastic latch on its right edge, which can become quite hard to be opened if you do not have long nails. On the top, there is the volume rocker and power button. You will find a 3.5mm headphone jack on the left edge. Unfortunately, Dell has not offered any HDMI op on the tablet, but does provide a separate dock that is to be attached to a PDMI port beneath the unit. If you are wondering about the PDMI port, it is same as the one found in the original, and again as there is not even a USB port on the device, keep the cord in hands always if you wish to recharge or connect it to any other gadget. Charging is not done through USB and it has to be plugged into the wall with the help of its AC adaptor. Yes, it is absolutely annoying.

Features:

Software:

Most of the tablets that were announced this year in the Consumer Electronics Show are waiting for the release of Google’s Android 3.0 Honeycomb, which has been programmed especially for Tablets. But Dell alone had no patience whatsoever and released the Streak 7 with the Android 2.2, and it really feels rushed too and this fact is just stressed with Dell not taking any effort in addition to what the OS had to offer. You will find the software experience to be same as that of the original Streak and Venue, which had Stage UI with Dell’s full screen widgets along with the launcher. The widgets actually seem to be pretty useful and, on clicking over Home, you get the recently used apps and the local weather details as well. What is more, you get to see the all important Facebook and Twitter feed, gallery of locally stored pictures, and a Web search bar with thumbnails of your bookmarks. If you are not too keen about these widgets, they can always be deleted and just go on to customise it with regular Android Widgets and apps. Quick access to the mail app, app tray and browser is provided by the launcher at the base. Customisation of the launcher will just kill your time.

Music player:

The ordinary and boring looking stock Android music player, stresses more that Dell has rushed the Streak 7 into the market. This player is the one that you will find in any Android phone. Though it is quite functional, in heavy bass tones, the audio is rather lacking and glaringly still in the loudest setting. You also do not get any sort of visualisations or equaliser setting to enhance the experience.

The apps:

Taking about apps, none of them, not even the mail and some of the other native apps like messaging and calendar apps have not even got any sort of upgrades that can take advantage of the additional display real estate. It is shocking that Dell has not even bothered to optimise the Gmail experience. We cannot help appreciating Samsung in this regard, as they had done heaps of retooling. We think Dell thought that since the Streak 7 had the same resolution as that of the original, it did not have the need.
Being a tablet, the messaging experience can turn out to be a little challenging as there are specific ways in which it has to be held and also considering the size of on-screen keys. The additional apps available include BrainPOP which is an educational game for the kids, Kindle, a magazine app called as Zinio, Blockbuster, Let’s Golf and a Slacker Radio. You get Swype too, but this large device does not ask for regular thumb typing. T-Mobile has done its part by including the T-Mobile TV and Qik Video Chat apps. Overall, as far as the software package is concerned, it is simply an oversized smartphone. A couple of months back, that was acceptable, but with the Honeycomb around the corner, it is all about to change.

Camera:

A quick video chat with our friend was good with the Qik Video Chat app, using the front facing 1.3mp camera in Dell Streak 7. Though that app on its own does not provide you with good quality video, we have to mention that it is better on WiFi than what you can get expect from 4G, still do not expect it to be desktop grade for the sake of video calling. The stills taken with the lens on the front is pretty good and obviously, the 5mp camera on the rear turned out with better snaps that were crisper, but a little washed out. That said, taking pictures with a 7” viewfinder makes it all the more awkward. But the auto-focus is quicker and the flash is pretty handy in low-lit conditions. Dell has not provided any panorama or continuous shooting option like the one found on the Galaxy Tab, but to make up for it, the Streak 7 has the capability to take 720p video. Though you get smooth motion capture, the footage seemed to be pretty grainy and oversaturated.

Performance:

Dell’s Streak 7 is one of the first tablets that we had tested, sporting NVIDIS’s 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 T20 processor. It is odd that the processor has been down-clocked to 800MHz and Dell gives the reason to be “saving power”. But the down-clocking has not had any kind of effect on the performance of the Tablet and most of the time, it seems to be snappier than the Galaxy Tab. Operations such as scrolling through the web pages, opening the apps and flicking through the pictures is done in a breeze. The games were pretty good too. Apart from the fast performance, the processor also offers full HD playback and this Dell product does exactly that. One 1080p clip played without any stuttering or lag and this is just pointless when you consider that the screen is pretty much awful. If you wish to get any value out of the HD video, the HDMI op cable comes handy. The YouTube videos were impressive and the general flash performance seemed to be pretty decent. Video clips loaded in a few seconds and we were good to go.

Battery life:

Unfortunately, ‘good performance’ is not the case with Battery life, and it is seriously disappointing. The maximum you can get out of the Streak 7 is about six hours. With about 5 hours of use on 4G network, like checking emails, twitter feeds, surfing and google maps, Streak 7 just died. With the WiFi On, you can get about 6 hours. Its life is almost half of that of Galaxy Tab; though this can be expected with the larger 4000mAh cell on the Tab, this low life cannot be ignored for a highly mobile device such as this one. It is true that having the HSPA+ or 4G network is always going to eat away the battery life, but that is the feature offering quick browsing. As you can imagine, you will not be able to make calls with the Streak 7, but can always send messages.

Package:

The package contents of the Dell Streak 7 includes USB cable, Hands-free  headset, a wall charger, a quick start guide with terms and conditions.

Warranty:

Dell offers its Streak 7 one year warranty for parts and labour.

Verdict:

Though the Dell Streak 7 has better set of specifications than the original Streak, its experience has not taken any big leap. This is mainly because it runs the same software and in spite of having a bigger display, the low resolution does not enhance its usefulness. And, it does not even make any calls. The Streak 7 just needed some more love from Dell and it would have been a great device. We do not think this was the right time or form to bring the Tablet into the market. Its price tag is pretty competitive and HSPA+ gives it the power of speed, but the low resolution display, soon to be out-dated Operating System and poor battery life, makes it hard for us to recommend the product even though it is budget friendly.

Dell Streak 7 Android Tablet PC – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Dell
Model Name	Dell Streak 7
Dimensions (W x H x D)	199.9 x 119.8 x 12,4 mm
Weight	450g
Colours available	Black
Display Size	7 inch
Type	WVGA Capacitive Multi-Touch Screen with Corning Gorilla Glass
Display Resolution	Display Resolution
Display features	Multi-touch Light sensor Proximity Sensor Scratch-resistant glass
Touch Screen	Yes
Camera resolution	Front: 1.3MP Fixed Focus Rear: 5MP Auto Focus with Flash
Video	Yes
Camera features	Auto focus, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, Night mode, White balance, Effects, Scenes
Card slot	SD, MMC, SDHC memory card slot
Memory	16GB of Internal Storage with support for up to 32GB additional storage
Processor	NVIDIA® Tegra 2 mobile processor
Messaging	Email, IM and Video Chat on all models SMS & MMS on 3G models only
Browser	Full HTML WebKit browser, Adobe Flash 10.1 (Froyo)
Supported Digital Audio Formats	MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR, MIDI, WAV
Supported Digital video Formats	H.263/H.264, 3GP, MPEG4, WMV
YouTube player	Yes
GSM	850, 900, 1800, 1900
UMTS	850, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100
3D Graphics hardware accelerator	Yes
Built-in online services support	Facebook, YouTube (upload), Flickr, Twitter
WiFi	Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
GPS	Yes
GPS features	Turn-by-turn navigation, Voice navigation
Battery	2780 mAh
Battery life	6 hrs
Warranty	One year

Samsung’s initial attempt with their very own OS, Bada, – Samsung Wave – had too many first’s to it making it an instant hit among users, thin aluminum chassis, a 1GHZ Hummingbird handset, for the first time ever Super AMOLED screen, were some of the “firsts” to name a few, making their debut. The Wave 723 is the fourth Bada handset that follows suit of the Wave 2 and Wave 2 Pro. Well for a change, the Korean manufacturer decides to democratize the smartphone making it accessible to people from almost all walks of life giving everyone a taste of remarkable smartphone experience. So let us see how this “not so” high-end phone, priced at around £200 right in the middle of the crowded smartphone market finds its way to the top? With its rather unusual feature of an attached leather, covering the touchscreen which gives it both a positive and negative rating, does the Samsung Wave 723 counter weigh for shedding its high-end chipset or the brilliant Super AMOLED like the ones found in the existing Wave? Read on to find out!

Overview:

Well! With some changes done here and there, what we have here is a low-res LCD that takes the place of the Super AMOLED of the S8500 with the 720p video recording missing too. But on a positive note, the excellent connectivity of the Samsung Wave 723 Smartphone is beyond comparison, particularly the Wi-Fi/USB tethering, not something that you can see in every other phone and would be welcomed especially by corporate users with a data plan. Also worth mentioning would be the Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11n, yet another rare feature. Beyond doubts, the Wave 723 is sure to hit the search result page of latest phones with budget and specs as the criteria. The immense free game options along with the 5MP camera pack quite a punch. Well, as mentioned above, the detachable leathery plastic flap at the bottom of the device along with enhancing the looks also safeguards the phone from users with butter fingers, who are well known for dropping the device every now and then. And for those of you who find it rather annoying, there is always the option of detaching it.

Design and Feel:

The Samsung  Wave 723 measures 109.5 x 53.9 x 11.8 mm sans the flap categorising it into a relatively compact handset. With the flap on, it weighs around 113.8 g adding about 2.5mm to the thickness. With a small screen of about 3.2 inches, the pixel count is at 240 x 400, which is on the low side. While the backplate is made of sturdy metal, the rest of the body is made of plastic with a shiny front fascia. The faux leather texture finish in the front along with the brushed aluminium feel at the back sure does give users a literal feel of high-end opulence. The metal casing is any day a treat for the hands with its tough and solid feel. Though it cannot be compared to the S8500, it is quite a looker nonetheless.

Getting around the 723:

Below the display is where the hardware keys are housed namely – Call, Menu and End buttons. There is nothing more in terms of hardware control on the front panel with all controls hefty and solid, designed to fit hands of any size. While pressing the End key stops any current running app taking you to the home screen, press-holding the Menu key initiates the task switcher. Above the display stands the loner, the earpiece. Towards the left side is the thin volume rocker sitting low, something not really comfortable to be accessed at all times. Towards the right is where one can find the Power/Lock key along with the Camera Key, rather tiny buttons with an easy to use shutter key perched a little above them. Well it was pretty impressive to watch the camera launch instantly, almost at all times. The microUSB port sits on top hidden under a plastic lid, sliding in and out seamlessly along with the uncovered 3.5mm audio jack. The above mentioned leather flap sits at the bottom, guarding the screen from rough users that can be fixed by detaching the chassis’ back section at the bottom and sliding the screen back to place.

Moving on, towards the back is where we find the conventional 5MP camera, LED flash equipped along with the loudspeaker. The inset attribute of the camera lens safeguards it from scratches. The SIM card slot is right above the battery with the microSD slot sitting below.

Well, there is nothing much to complain about the 723 both in terms of quality or build. Yeah! The Super AMOLED screen was a great miss though.

User Interface:

Based on TouchWiz and Android, the Bada interface is not something that is too hard to tame, for both patron and non-patrons of the Samsung family. So, starting with the homescreen (the basic attraction of the Bada interface) has several panes to its credit that holds as many widgets you would like it to hold. In the landscape mode, the 723 allows editing of these widgets by adding, removing or even rearranging panes, with the current pane being displayed on the top via circled numbers. Tapping on the same takes you directly to that particular screen. Widgets can be pulled out or placed back on the tray at the foot of the screen when unused. Then again, the low-res screen of the 723 does not really help with handling too many widgets per pane. There is a thin notification bar on top of the screen that displays info such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, battery, time, and Music player controls, provided it is running in the background. Long pressing the centre key launches the Task Manger that helps you toggle between active apps or terminating them. Furthermore, the System Manager is more for the techies and consists of four tabs with the first tab showing info on the device like model number, MAC addresses and firmware update, the second tab provides info on the battery, while the last two tab updates you on the memory and CPU usage. It also displays the current running app enabling you to launch the Task manager. Turning the phone landscape while in the edit mode allows you to add and delete pages, akin to the homescreen. With the screen scrolling being looped, do not bother sweeping all the way back to reach the last one.

Phonebook/Call Quality:

Samsung have always been famous for their opulent functionality and literally unrestricted capacity when it comes to Phonebook. The Samsung Wave 723 Bada OS Phone continues that legacy by assimilating social networking with contacts. Contacts can be pulled in from Facebook or Twitter, provided you are logged in. In fact, you can formulate an up-to-date and detailed contact list with pulling contacts from Twitter and Facebook along with adding some from the SIM too. Searching for entries is possible by either doing an alphabet scroll that is available on the side of the screen or flick scrolling the list. Then again, typing for the search entry is there always. Despite having the option to assign numerous info fields to the contacts everything remains flawlessly organised. Trying clicking on a + sign located on the right in the contact list, this allows a new field to be added for a contact. Again by clicking on a minus sign you can get rid of any unnecessary field. Yet another cool feature similar to the Galaxy S is, swiping right on the main contact list dials instantly the number of a contact and with swiping left you are allowed to send a SMS to that contact. The side swiping feature works with other lists too in case of numbers or names being involved. Majority of the functions are pretty much Android-y.

During calls, accessing the mute button or the speaker phone is very much possible, but what was annoying was having to press-hold the On/Off lock keys located on the side that in turn takes you to the menu. There are options to make or take video calls, but then again with no front-facing camera, you might have to use the camera on the back to send your videos.

The call quality of the Wave 723 can be categorised as fair, as it was not that loud despite the max sound setting. With the absence of the proximity sensor, manual unlocking of the phone needs to be done in order to use some features amidst a call. The Smart dialing feature also was not really impressive, as it searches only with numbers and not names. We found it a bit weird, because we are more prone to forgetting numbers than names and that is exactly why a Name Search would be appreciated better. The call receiver key populates the call log showing all of the received, dialed and missed calls/messages all in the same list. There is also the option of different tabs that sorts history better.

Messaging:

Samsung has been very innovative in terms of Messaging with an array of options on offer. Well it starts with the standard, SMS, MMS, and voice mail along with Facebook and Twitter. This is just to begin with; the main menu offers an app named My Accounts. On opening that, you get to set up various email accounts. While corporate users find Exchange ActiveSync feature fairly handy, others might be happy to have their hands full with Gmail, Windows Live, Yahoo etc. MySpace is also on offer on the social networking front.

Creating messages has been kept simple and straightforward. While the capacitive touchscreen makes life easier with being spontaneous and receptive, the keyboard is no less effective by way of offering dedicated keys for symbols like @ and ‘.com’. Perched conveniently above the keyboard are three menu buttons, “Recent, Contact, Groups” which acts quickly in adding a recipient/group of recipients in a message. The Recent button also comes in pretty handy. While sending message, the predictive text offers you alternative words and the same can be availed of by pulling it down and clicking on the arrow towards the right of the box. If you find the keyboard a bit small in the tall mode try switching to wide mode to gain more space.

Typing speed in the Wave 723 was not an issue until the built-in dictionary comes in your way. Similar to its brothers, the 723 follows the same painful process with new words – coining a new word is possible only after entering the same in the dictionary, which means you might spend an eternity keying in all your buddies’ nicknames in the dictionary, unless you turn that option off. Yet another feature worth mentioning in the Samsung’s Bada is that majority of the screens display three small dotted icons at the bottom of the screen, which pops a context-sensitive menu, which is extremely handy. For eg, with messaging it allows you to easily add attachments and multimedia to your messages. Maximum attachment size is 5MB for both incoming and outgoing mails.

Check this cool feature that the Wave 723 has to offer. The SMS editor offers two tabbed folders – view and conversation. While the former displays all your folders at the bottom of the screen as tabs, the latter groups your messages. Yet another remarkable option would be the “Scheduled message” – this takes care of scheduling a composed message to be sent automatically on a specified time and date.

Multimedia:

Face Tagging-Enabled Gallery:

The Samsung Wave 723’s Media Browser can be categorized as basic with clips and images displayed together in the thumb format. The selected file can be viewed in both the landscape and portrait mode. As the phone is multi-touch supported, Pinch-Zooming is also offered and double tapping the screen allows for a zoom in and zoom out. Well it appears that Samsung needs to improvise on the zooming feature, as it appears less responsive. Organizing files via the Media Browser is done by tag, date, view favorites and the best of all View By Person. This would mean upon tagging a contact’s face, you will be allowed to view all photos pertaining to that contact.

Not so impressive Video player:

The Wave 723 does not match up to the expectations in terms of video player in comparison to the first Wave. High resolution videos and codecs appear to be a no-no with the Wave 723. While the .3GP and .MP4 files seem to work (with less resolution though) there seemed to be some resistance against DivX and XviD encoded .AVI files. Again, it did not seem to have anything against .WMV files. Well, as these files are no longer largely in use, there is nothing much to complain here. Check out this cool feature, Mosaic Search. This is how it works – clips are broken down into various parts displaying each clip’s first frame helping you fish out the scene that you are hunting for.

Decent Music player:

We have to admit that the music player experience in the Wave 723 was nowhere near the video player. Tracks get organized by artists, albums, composers and genres, with the option to hide the same while not in use. Sound Effects along with Equalizer Presets are also on offer along with Samsung’s own DNSe sound enhancement technology giving you the choice of Music Clarity, Wide, Bass enhancement and Externalization, Concert Hall and 5.1 channel virtualization too. With the music player on, the notification panel displays info on the track being played along with playback controls. Also included is Samsung’s conventional music recognition feature that allows recording a few seconds of the currently played track ultimately providing you info on the name of the artist and the track being played. Yet another similar feature is “Find similar” that uses an online service to find similar tracks to the one currently being played. This also allows for tracks to be added to the wish list.

FM on board:

The Samsung Wave 723 PDA Smartphone  is loaded with FM radio along with RDS. It allows as much as 6 stations to be stored as favorites with the All Channels Menu retaining the rest. Recording of FM audio is also possible with the possibility to store the recorded music in your music folder in a MP3 format.

Audio output Quality:

Moving forward, the audio output quality leaves you with mixed feeling and is kind of hard to comment on the same. For eg., while the handset fares well with being plugged to an external amplifier, the same is just  average with plugging to the headphones.

Camera:

The Samsung Wave 723 Mobile Phone comes with 5MP camera that is LED flash and auto-focus supported and it sure does match our expectations in terms of still shooting. It also feature smile detection along with geo tagging. There are several scene modes namely Party/Indoor, Dawn, Sports, Fireworks, Night, Candlelight and Text. Also available are options like Continuous Mode and Panorama Mode together with Smile Shot, so have fun exploring your shoot skills. The touch optimized interface is fairly comfortable with almost all available options by way of vertical bars on each side of the viewfinder. The settings menu allow for toggling between white balance, ISO, auto contrast and effects. Also available is the macro mode along with Scene presets. In short, the Wave 723 shoots decent photos that can be expected from a 5MP camera with great attention being paid to resolved detail while also taking care of noise levels

Connectivity And Web Browser:

The connectivity factor of the 723 is way ahead for a phone that is categorized in the mid-range level. Along with the customary quad-band GPRS/EDGE/GSM there is also dual-band 3G with 7.2Mbps HSDPA on offer. Furthermore, it is loaded with the best local wireless connectivity – b/g/n variants of Wi-Fi along with Bluetooth v3.0. In terms of mass storage, there is the microUSB port, DRM Media, internet sharing and Samsung Kies. Speaking of Internet Sharing, check out the 723 turn into a wireless router (thanks to Mobile AP) connecting to as much as three Wi-Fi clients using the HSDPA connection to access the net. Wi-Fi also pairs with WPS – well for the non-techies out there WPS or Wi-Fi Protected Setup  is a secure way that helps connecting your secured network with a wireless device (that is, if your router supports the feature). Press the dedicated button and Voila watch it pairing up with your Wave 723.

The Wave 723 comes loaded with a Webkit-based browser, Dolphin 2.0 that opens multiple pages simultaneously along with Flash support also on board. The Pinch-Zoom feature works like a breeze especially with the screen being multi-touch enabled. But then again, it is fairly annoying to note the absence of text reflow that eventually leads to additional swiping in an attempt to read the zoomed stuff. Nevertheless, the Auto-complete option sure does save you some energy with entering site addresses if you have frequented the site before. Other notable features of the browser are the Find-on-Page and Translate option. Again, the volume rocker mounted on the left can be toggled to act as scroller as well, especially for those accustomed to single-handed browsing. The context-sensitive menu located in the browser page comes in very handy with sending URLs via SMS/email. So there again, the browser has its own pros and cons and sure does need a little tweaking here and there that Samsung needs to take care of.

Organiser:

The 723’s Organizer is a relatively handy app. There is also this Home screen widget displaying all impending appointments – a lifesaver really. So all those anniversaries, birthdays and meetings are just a tap away, in order to avoid any dicey scenarios. Also on board is the latest Picsel Viewer that works like a charm when it comes to Pinch- Zooming. It works perfectly well for PowerPoint docs, Excel, PDFs and Word. The 723 also comes loaded with the conventional organizer functions like the World Clock, Countdown timer, Alarm, Stopwatch etc. Another feature worth mentioning would be My Files – an efficient and simple to use file manager that also does the role of an image gallery. It also aids in copying, moving, locking and renaming bulk files and sending the same over Bluetooth.

App store:

Nothing much to be mentioned about the Samsung App store, it lags far behind in comparison to Android or Apple. While the apps are divided into categories, some have very few entries with the Social Networking having 7 to its credit and the Productivity having just 19. Well if it is just apps that you are interested in, then it would be ideal to look for options.

SatNav/GPS Navigation:

The Wave 723 comes with a dedicated Sat Nav along with the Samsung Mobile Navigator. Though the maps give out an outdated look, it is rich in features with nothing to complain about. It is also voice-guided along with a whole host of additional features, but obviously at an extra cost.

Battery Life:

Yet another disappointing feature of the 723 is its battery life. With just a meager usage, the battery dies within three days. With heavy usage, it drains rapidly requiring an almost everyday charge to continue breathing. And if you are the kind of person that listens to music a good amount of time, then be warned to do an everyday charge to avoid being appalled with a sudden battery drain. On the other hand, if you are the prudent kind, then you can expect anywhere from a day or two or maybe three, before the 723 dies out on you.

Hits:

• Solid design
• Context-sensitive app menus
• Expanding home screens with addition of widgets
• Pull down controls taking the shape of notification panel.
• Wi-Fi settings.
• Neat camera.
• Leather casing
• Integration of Facebook and Twitter contacts.

Misses:

• Not well designed app store
• Lack of text reflow.
• Low display resolution.
• Disappointing video playback

To Conclude:

The Korean manufacturer has indeed devised a mid-range compelling Bada handset that sure does steal the show in the smartphone market, but is yet to work on some rough edges like its OS, app store, and screen resolution etc. But the question still remains as to who would prefer the Bada over a Froyo or a Sense? Guess the £200 mark is after all not enough to survive the smartphone crusade, unless Samsung decides to refine the Bada big time!

Samsung Wave 723 Mobile Phone – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Samsung
Model Name	Samsung Wave 723
Phone Type	Smartphone
Form Factor	Full touch
Dimensions (H x W x D)	4.31 x 2.12 x 0.46 cm
2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network	HSDPA 900 / 2100
Release Date	August 2010
Colour	Black
Weight	3.53oz (100 g)
Operating System	BADA 1.1
Display	TFT Capacitive touchscreen
Display size	3.2 inches
Screen resolution	240 x 400 pixels, 256K colours
Personal Information Management	To Do, Calendar, Scheduler, World time, Clock, Calculator, Memo, Stopwatch, Count down timer
Internet Browser Support	Dolphin 2.0 HTML
Built-in Service Support	Facebook, MySpace, Twitter
Messaging options	SMS, MMS, IM, RSS, Predictive text input T9, Email, Cell broadcast, Vcard/Vcalendar
E-Mail	IMAP, POP3, SMTP, Microsoft Exchange
Call Functions	Speaker Phone, Caller ID, Dialled/Missed/Received calls, Multi Party, Call Cost, Call Time.
Memory	User memory 100MB SMS Memory 1300 Phonebook Entries – Unlimited Memory External Memory – MicroSD up to 16GB
Phonebook Features	Caller groups, Multiple numbers per contact, Search by first and last names, Picture ID, Ring ID
Messaging	SMS, MMS (vCard/vCalendar), Predictive Text Input T9, IM
Business & Office	Document Viewer, Mobile Printing, Offline Mode, Voice Memo/Voice Mail
Audio Compatibility	MP3, Music Recognition
Video Playback	MPEG4, H.263, H.264
Fun & Entertainment	Embedded JAVA games, Embedded wallpaper, FM Radio
Music & Sound	Music Player, Poly ringtones, MP3 Ringtone, DRM, Music Library, 3D Sound technology
Connectivity	Bluetooth, WAP, Wi-Fi, SyncML (DS/DM), USB, A-GPS, PC Sync Application, internet HTML browser, USB File Transfer
Memory Slot Type	microSD, microSDHC
Special Features	Touch Phone, Mobile Tracker
Camera	5 Mp Auto Focus
Battery	Standard battery, Li-Ion 1200 mAh
Warranty	One year

When it comes to electronics, Sony has always been on the top and also has gained huge reputation and appreciation among all its users. Sony has lately come into the mobile phone industry after seeing enormous success in the sales of other electronic goods. Despite the late entry, it still managed to withstand the enormous peer pressure especially with the likes of Nokia and Samsung already being popular and well settled in the mobile phone market. Out of all phones released by Sony, the Ericsson has been one of the most popular and at the same time, highly successful brand of mobile phones in the market.

This particular series, released by Sony which is regarded as one of the greatest producer of consumer electronics along with Samsung, has been a commercial hit of late and this is the solid reason behind why Sony is still releasing Ericsson series mobile phones into the market. Each phone that belongs to the Ericsson series has got world class features and is also regarded as an excellent performer too. Now, with such a huge reputation, Sony has released the XPERIA mobile phones. One of them is the X10 mini and it is our topic of interest now. Let us analyze this new phone from Sony and see if it conforms to our expectations.

Design:

The lightest ever:

Now here we have got one of the lightest phones ever in the market. Though it looks a bit out of the trend, it still is quite sleek. It is a bit wider than normal and this is quite surprising since today’s mobile phones are too rectangular in shape. But then, this shape can be quite comfortable to use as well since you get to experience new comforts while using such a mobile phone. Since the phone is touch responsive, a wider screen helps as you can use two hands at a time. Hence, multitasking becomes easier than ever. Measuring about (H x W x D) 83 x 50 x 16 mm, it is one of the smallest mobile phones you will ever see in the market. It hence justifies the name Mini. Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini weighs an incredible 88 grams, which is approximately half the usual weight of an average mobile phone. Now, this shows how portable the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is. Though there is this slide out QWERTY keypad, which adds to the features list, the device is still quite slim and fit. You can actually slip it into your jeans or even into the smallest off handbags. This enhances the user friendliness of the mobile since it can be used and held comfortably by most people. Now most of the youth likes this very fact that their mobile is sleek, attractive and portable at the same time. It actually adds a lot of value to its users.

Colours Galore:

Now with the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, there is a lot of room for customization and probably, customer satisfaction. Though there are numerous models in the Xperia series already, the X10 has come up with a different type of customisation facility. There are as many as twelve colours in all for you to choose from and the colours are also widely diverse and not just shades of the same colour. The Xperia X10 is available in the following colours: Black, White, Pink, Pearl, Pale Pink, Gold, Orange, Silver, Azure, Light Silver, Lime and Red. This allows you to choose the mobile and the colour of your choice, which is always welcome, isn’t it?

Display:

The Xperia X10 comes with a 2.55 inch TFT capacitive touch screen display. Now since it is capacitive type touch screen, there is no need to use a stylus. Hence no stylus is provided. You can interface it comfortable with your fingers. The screen resolution is actually 240 x 320p and this low screen resolution is understandable since it is a mini phone. The normal mobile phones come with a resolution that is twice as good as this but this mobile phone does not need a better screen resolution. Now this screen has got some special features. It has got a scratch resistant surface, which is pretty much necessary since the mobile is mostly intended to be used by youth, who are expected to be quite rough with the handling and usage of their mobile phones. Hence, even if the screen undergoes rough handling, it still does not show up any scratches, lines or cracks. This is a pretty good sign indeed. Then there is the accelerometer sensor which is embedded in the screen itself and this helps you detect acceleration under various circumstances. Hence the display if the Xperia X10 also provides you with a lot of options.

Features:

Now when it comes to features, the mobiles from Sony rank among the top, be it the number of features or the credibility of them or even the innovative ideas that take to introduce them. After a long time, Sony and Android have collaborated for another time and you cannot expect anything better to happen in this world. With that being the best feature of the day, we will, in this features section, discuss more and more new features and innovations that are seen on this new and promising mobile phone from Sony, the Xperia X10.

Android:

Android has become one of the fastest and best selling operating systems in the mobile market. It has got in it something very special that wonderfully suits the latest PDAs and high end mobile phones, like the Xperia X10 mini. Since it has got an array of features and shortcut applications that make your work simpler and at the same time save your time, it is being used in more mobile phones of late and is also widely renowned. The newest version of the Android operating system is being used in the Xperia X10 and it has come up with quite a few applications and add-ons, even more than ever, only in order to make things easier for the users. If you look at the latest added applications, you will find instant messaging, internet add-ons which are preloaded, instant Googling, Instant email, and most interestingly, instant access to YouTube. Hence you can suddenly access almost everything quicker than ever. You can even download your favorite applications from the Android Market. And if you are using 3G, then your connection to the internet is even faster and you can mail, watch videos and Google search even faster than ever before. This is a pretty good sign for any latest mobile phone. The Android Platform is also powered by a very powerful and efficient CPU or processor, which in turn helps it perform at a very fast rate. This means that even if you have an overload of applications, your mobile will work pretty well and it will never be jammed. There are two different versions of this operating system, namely version 1.5 and version 2.0. You can select either of them while you are purchasing the device.

Processor:

Since quite some time, Sony has been sticking with the processors manufactured by Qualcomm. The Xperia X10, however, may have just been associated with the wrong processor. Well, no offence, but the clock speed of the Qualcomm MSM 7227, is a mere 600 MHz. You might already be musing over the fact that many of today’s PDAs come with a 600 MHz processor, but please note that the Sony Ericsson mobile phones are supposed to be high end devices and are hence expected to perform at a higher level than most of the other competitors. And with the abounding Android applications, numerous features and internet facility with the 3G facility, all along with an expectation for great multitasking, it would definitely have been great if there was a faster and better processor. The device could do nothing wrong with the existing processor but then, you would have loved a faster processor.

Google Support:

Imagine what happens when two of the giants of information technology collaborate. Wouldn’t that be great? Well, it is great and it is even better if the two giants end up being Google and Android, which are two of the most commercially successful companies. Now limiting ourselves to the Xperia X10 mobile phone, you will find quite a few exciting applications powered by a Google, and more interestingly, on an Android base. It doesn’t get any better, does it? Now Google has provided on the Xperia X10, three of its most famous and powerful tools, viz., Google Search, Google Maps and Google Mail, which includes the Google Voice Mail service.  Hence, you can always feel good while using the Xperia X10 because there will be nothing new when it comes to surfing the internet and using the basic applications. It is all easy and quite exciting to use and also is fun actually. Well, Android always brings along something entertaining. Another fact is that when you combine the utilities provided by Google Maps and the GPS service provided by your mobile, your results will be faster, smarter, and more candid than normal.

Timescape:

Timescape is a whole new very interesting feature initiated by Sony in order to provide a few exciting features on the Xperia X10 mini Smartphone. First of them is an animated view of all your messages, emails, facebook updates, Tweets, and so on, which gives a very interesting look to your mobile phone. You can flip around the tablet views and select the update you want to view separately. You can also select the contacts you want from the available list of all contacts and all your contact details and history will be shown to you and the status updates they have made in the past, the tweets they have made and the comments that you have posted on their profiles, photos that you people are tagged in, and all such details will be shown in a new exciting manner. You can hence directly send messages, status updates, or emails, or even ping them for chat directly from this view. Hence, this proves to be one very exciting feature on the whole. Well, more than the feature, the very look of it is quite interesting and trendy too and hence it can be a great tool for you. It looks great and also at the same time, makes things easy for you to deal with. Timescape is regarded as an exclusive feature of the Sony Xperia series mobile phones and hence are not seen anywhere else. Hence, this unique feature may help boost the sales of the Xperia X10 mini.

GPS:

From the time when GPS came into full existence and is fully used mainly in cars, people from all over the world found travelling very easy. Particularly when you go to a new place, the GPS system helps you reach your destination quickly and easily. Now, of late this GPS system is being integrated into handheld devices as well, in order to provide more access to foreign places all over the world. With this system at your fingertips, you can quickly know where the nearest bus station is, or you can find the details of the nearest theatre, shopping malls, or restaurants, so on and so forth. This will avoid any confusion in your mind while travelling in new places. It also comes in the form of a very user friendly application, which has panning and zooming options so that you can view the maps at your will. Landscape view also makes it better for you to locate the places of your interest. Hence, GPS is also another important feature seen on the Xperia X10.

GPRS:

General Packet Radio Service or GPRS has come into existence only a few years ago and it, when combined with 2G or 3G, gives you high speed data transfer and hence at the end of the day, you get the benefits of a high speed and also qualitative communication. The GPRS system on the Xperia X10 gives a very decent bandwidth, which can range up to 85.6 kbps, which is quite larger than the ones seen on normal mobile phones. GPRS, when combined with 2G system, is effectively known as 2.5G as it boosts up the performance of the 2G system. Since the Xperia X10 mini comes with a GPRS service, it is actually beneficial to the customers.

3G:

Ever since 3G has entered the mobile market, high speed web access has become quite simple and accessible. Though 2G was a decent success among the users a few years ago, 3G has surpassed all norms when it comes to the speed of access and the amount of data that can be received in a stipulated amount of time. Latest and unforeseen features are being provided of late by 3G and the services include the following: wide area wireless voice telephone, video calling facility, mobile Internet access, mobile TV, high speed internet access, and high download speeds. Since it has become quite popular now, the costs are also being cut down by the service providers. Hence this is almost like the perfect time to fully utilize the amazing mobile features provided by 3G. Coming to the Xperia X10, you can choose either of 2G or 3G device sets when you are purchasing. So you have got an option beforehand so that there is no regretting later on. There are two types of networks that are seen here. One is the GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, which is for 2G and the other one, HSDPA 900 / 2100 or HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100, which is for 3G. You can choose either of them.

Wi-Fi:

When there are many other exciting features on the Xperia X10, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Wi-Fi system featuring here. But there is something special about the Wi-Fi system used here, about which we are going to tell you. Now some devices find it difficult to connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot and their connections are also not quite strong. But you would not find any such problems with the Xperia X10 mini, as it has a robust Wi-Fi mechanism that easily connects you to an available port, amplifies the signal if it is weak, and holds the connection for longer intervals of time. You can even browse through the internet pretty quickly and also even watch videos on YouTube with little buffering. Hence, you have got to appreciate the way the Xperia X10 works when it comes to wirelessly connecting you to the internet.

Camera:
Most of the mobile phones do not give much importance to their cameras and they feature only primitive cameras that are capable of only taking mediocre pictures and less than average videos. But since the Xperia X10 has been revamping all its features and options, it has once again provided a better camera for you to get more out if it. A 5 mega pixel camera is too good for a mobile phone and as if it is not enough, there is an LED flash light abutting the lens of the camera so that it would be easy for you to shoot or to take pictures in low light conditions. The pictures come with great quality and with a resolution that is as good as 2592 x 1944 pixels. This means that the photos can be printed too. The videos are captured at 30 frames per second and in VGA so that it is easy for conversions in future. The camera comes with auto focus feature so that the lens automatically focuses on the subjects. You do not need to change the focus from time to time. Geo Tagging is also available for the videos and photos such that it allows you to tag the places where the pictures have been taken. Overall, the camera is more than useful to the commons.

Memory:

The memory available on the device is perhaps the only disappointing thing here as the rest of things are simply quite attractive. Now you have got only about 128 MB of memory on the device by default. But then, according to Sony, practically you can store unlimited contacts and call logs on your device as they only require little space. When it comes to solid or real data like documents, music, sound files and videos files, memory is limited and 128 MB is not at all sufficient. Hence Sony has given an option for you to buy an external Memory card from the stores, which you need to buy separately, and use it in the device. Micro SD cards up to capacities of 16 GB are supported by the Xperia X10 mini PDA Smartphone. Now 16 GB is very good indeed for any kind of user and you can store lots of music, videos and documents in your device. Customers are once again reminded that only micro SD cards are supported and any other kind of card is not compatible with the device. Hence, if external memory is supplied to the device, it works wonderfully well.

Performance:

Regarding the features, the Xperia X10 mini has been too good for its price tag. There are lots of new and exciting features offered by the device for the first time. But has it been able to live up to the expectations of the general public when it comes to its performance? Let us see how far it has been able to do it.

General Performance:

In general, the performance of the device has been very good. It has passed all the tests conducted and also has come out to be very good. Though the processor is a bit slower than normal, the device still managed to work very well and if you install good memory onto your device, it works faster than otherwise. The revamped user interface has been awesome to say the least band it would be an enjoying experience using the device. All the new features have helped the device perform faster and better than ever before. Hence there are no worries regarding the general performance of the Xperia X10 mini.

Audio and Video Performance:

The audio on the device is really good to be honest. The device has got good quality speakers so that you get decent sounds out of it. Since there is an mp3 player and also an FM radio application on the mobile, it would be good to play them when you are on the go. You are also provided with a set of earphones. The quality of the sound is very good. Regarding the video performance, we have already seen that there is a very good display mechanism on the device and also there is a good quality camera. Hence the video performance of the device is also fine and commendable.

Connectivity:

As we have already seen, the Xperia X10 Mini PDA Phone is excellent when it comes to connectivity. It has Wi-Fi, 3G, GPRS, Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, and what not? Since there are so many options for you to get connected to your friends and family, you can say that the connectivity of the device is pretty good in deed. Now you can also connect the device to your computer at home, using the mini USB cable provided along with the device. Hence, you can easily sync lots of data items like music, movies, documents, videos, sound files, and voice messages and so on. Hence, in two words, the device’s connectivity is top class.

Battery:

Since there are lots of features and utilities on the Xperia X10 mini, the device uses many applications at once. Hence it obviously needs to have a very good battery backup, which it actually has. With the new revolutions in the battery technology, mobile phones are now made to last longer than they have ever before. Coming to the Xperia X10, its standby by time is up to a whopping 360 hours when you use 3G. Surprisingly, when you use 2G or 2.5G, the battery life reduces, contrasting the increase in battery life of other mobile phones. But then, there aren’t many other mobile phones which can guarantee you a 360 hour battery life. And the talk time is about three and a half hours. Hence, you can have a wonderful battery life.

Warranty:

Sony has warranted the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini mobile phone, for parts and labour, for a period of about one year from the original date of purchase.

Verdict:

With all the important points discussed, now is the time to decide whether or not to go for the Xperia X10. Our opinion is already clear. Now to put it straight, it is a wonderful mobile phone for anyone and is also easy to use with the interesting user interface. It can be used as a camera, a mobile phone and a PDA, all at once. Hence it is a very good choice. It is also very nicely priced, considering the serviceability that it gives you. Lots of options are in your hands when it comes to today’s mobile industry. You have several similarly excellent mobile phones in the market and you can read their reviews here before deciding on the perfect mobile phone for you.

You may also be interested in checking full reviews and specs details of HTC Wildfire and Samsung S5230 Tocco Lite.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini – Technical Specification Details

Manufacturer	Sony
Model Name	Ericsson Xperia
Model Number	X10 mini
Dimensions (W x H x D)	83 x 50 x 16 mm
Weight	88 grams
Colours available	Doodle, Passion, Black, Pearl White, Lime, Red, Pink, Silver, Gold, Light Pink, Light Silver, Azur, Orange
Display Type	3.2 inches, TFT
Display Resolution	240 x 320 pixels (QVGA)
Display features	Scratch-resistant surface Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate Timescape UI
Touch Screen	2.55″ capacitive touchscreen
Camera resolution	5 MP
Video	CIF@30fps
Camera features	Auto Focus
Card slot	MicroSD support (up to 16 GB)
Memory	Phone memory up to 128MB
Phonebook	Yes, unlimited
OS	Android OS 1.6 (Donut), upgradable to Android 2.1 (Eclair)
Messaging	SMS, MMS, Email
Browser	HTML
Supported Digital Audio Formats	MP3
Supported Digital video Formats	VGA
Radio	Stereo FM radio with RDS
Alert types	Vibration; Downloadable polyphonic, MP3, WAV ringtones
Speaker phone	Yes
Networks	GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS/HSPA 900/2100 UMTS/HSPA 850/1900/2100
3G Network	HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100
GPRS	85.6 kbps
EDGE	236.8 kbps
Bluetooth	Yes, v2.1
USB	v2.0
GPS	A-GPS support
Battery	Standard battery, Li ion
Battery life	Talk time: 3.5 hours Standby time: 360 hours
Warranty	1 year