Sony Ericsson K850i Review

The range of Cyber Shot cell phones from Sony Ericsson have been an immense hit. The new Sony Ericsson K850i Cyber Shot cell phone has quickly gained an excellent reputation to be the best camera phone in the market. As the Sony 850i has changed the styling but not much of its, the phone is a perfect example of technology moving forward to the next generation as it designed with a powerful 5 megapixel camera including an excellent 3G high speed HSDPA network.

The Design

The team at Sony Ericsson was actually determined to restyle the 850i. It is surely less brink like with its looks and they have slimmed down the cell phone a lot which is a great change. The back hump found in the previous cyber shot cell phones is luckily a thing of past as the new 580i is designed with a flat back including piano black finish. It also inherits the previous K810’s small number keys but these are square ones and a bit more rubbery that offer better dialing grip. Sony Ericsson had to clearly cut down on their d-pad and keypad space in order to avoid enlarging the cell phone which has also increased the display size.

The Camera

When you talk about camera the Sony Ericsson 850i is clearly much ahead in the competition. It boasts of a high quality cyber shop optics and has an outstanding 5 megapixel resolution. It also includes the xenon flash which is much better compared to LED flashes. The cell phone camera is also designed using an autofocus and also the automatic lens cover. The Sony Ericsson 850i being designed with the BestPic feature it would automatically take nearly nine pictures in a second, letting you choose which you need. In order to reduce camera shakes you can use the picture stabilizer features in the mobile. The handy switch at the side of the phone would let you easily choose different camera modes which are much like a digital camera.

Features

The display of Sony Ericsson 580i is designed using high quality TFT ultra high resolution which offers the best of clarity you can expect on the large nearly 2.4 inch display. The cell phone also features a media player which is fully features with all the basic applications needed for easy browsing through your favorite songs although not being a walkman phone. It is also designed with in build FM radio feature with RDS. Sony Ericsson 580i features AC and MP3 ringtones. The cell phone is also the first among Sony cyber shot mobiles that uses 3G HSDPA technology as it enables you browse through the web and also download files at an excellent broadband speed. As it a 3G cell phone you can also enjoy video calling with high quality video viewing. There is also a front facing additional camera. it also excellent connectivity with full support for USB and Bluetooth which means that you can listen to your favorite tunes through a wireless handset and also transfer music files between PC to phone.

RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120 – Titanium

BlackBerry Pearl has actually gone a long way in positioning their formerly business centric handset much closer to their customers. Although the cell phone requires a monthly subscription with BlackBerry black end support it is however more to appeal the customers through its excellent value added features. The latest version of T-mobile is much like the previous AT&T model but is does not support its HotSpot@Home service but is lets you make calls through a wireless network which is much convenient. This means that you are also not restricted to web browsing with its excellent EDGE speed. This new BlackBerry Pearl 8120 is designed with several other improvements that include a much clear 2 megapixel camera that offers video recording competence and a better web browser that makes it a perfect upgrade over the original Pearl.

Design

In addition to its gray paint and drab job the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120 is much identically like the AT&T model with pretty matching dimensions. The compact size of the cell phone continues to be the main draws for the device. The 2.25 inch display features auto light sensing technology which means that it would automatically adjust the backlight according to the surrounding environment. Below the display there is SureType keyboard including navigation range of end and talk keys with back button, the trackball and the blackberry menu shortcut. There is a headphone jack, microSD expansion slot, USB port and a customizable convenience key which by default launches voice dialing at the left of the cell phone.

Features

The new BlackBerry Pearl 8120 have been designed on the success of their original BlackBerry Pearl by including a number of excellent features specially the integrated Wi-Fi. This smartphone would easily support 802.11a/b/g supports as it also includes enterprise security feature. There are also the VPN, WPA and WEP settings. With the addition of Wi-Fi has particularly proved much of its success as it offers you an alternative connection for web browsing. This feature which is coupled with the enhanced web browser of Pearl 8120 would make a smoother and better mobile internet browsing experience.

The cell phone being a quad-band world phone it offers you excellent calling features like speakerphone, speed dial, voice-activated dialing, conference calling, smart dialing and multimedia and text messing. This smart phone is also equipped wit the latest spell check features that monitors the errors in memos and email and not text messages. There is also an attachment viewer which would open all the popular file formats. If you are among the instant messaging fans then you will be impressed to know that the Pearl 8120 also includes popular instant messaging clients like Google talk, yahoo and AIM.

The cell phone also comes with a number of entertainment options. Firstly the in built media player would let you enjoy your favorite music in most of the popular formats. It includes functions like playlist creation, search function, repeat, shuffle and a full screen playback for your videos. The expansion slot of the cell phone can accept nearly 8 GB cards.

Palm Centro - Cobalt Blue

The customer of Verizon Wireless would surely be very happy to hear that they could again get their hands on the new Palm Centro cell phone. Being first introduced by Sprint and later by AT&T the new Palm Centro has been a great success for the struggling company as they offer an easy to use and an affordable smart phone. Although it uses a simple formula it has proved to be a great success for the company a they has increased their market shared and also reached a broader audience range. being designed with the new fresh paint job the Verizon Palm Centro provide the same easy using experience with a solid collection of communication and productivity features like the other models.

The Design

The feel and look of the new Verizon wireless Palm Centro does not differ much from other AT&T or Sprint versions although it is available in a striking cobalt blue colour. This smart phone features a clear and large 2.25 inch screen and is also retains most of the same compact dimensions. The Verizon Company has packed their Palm Centro phone with a USB cable, an AC adapter, reference material and a software CD.

Features

A part of what makes the Palm Centro cell phone much in demand is its loads of features offered for a reasonable price. Although you might get a smaller device when compared to Treo the Palm however does not compromise with any of its functionality. The cell phone offers the entire basic feature that you might expect from a smart phone as there are also several other value added features. The Centro offer 1.2 Bluetooth for those who use wireless headset, serial port, hands-free kit or dial up networking. Being capable of DUN the cell phone lets you use it as the modem for your laptop.

However there is not support for A2DP or the OBEX profile which does not let you use stereo Bluetooth headset with this cell phone. This smart phone is capable of EV-DO which brings broadband speed to your cell phone that lets you enjoy easy and fast web browsing, streaming of videos and music and data transfer. The Palm Centro also comes with the deluxe edition of PocketTunes where you can not only enjoy the latest and your favorite MP3 or DRM protected music but you can also stream radio stations from the internet. The cell phone is also equipped with 1.3 megapixel camera including voice recording capabilities.

Performance

The audio of the Palm Centro is desirably loud with clear sound. You will not find any problem when talking with friends and also when you use the automated voice response system of airline. Although you might find a bit of tanginess when you on the speakerphone the best side is that there is plenty of volume. Browsing the internet is also very fun and easy as it boasts of the EV-Do speed. The overall design and the features included in the cell phone are also a part of things that make it great value for money.

Beginners guide to linkbait for your gadget or mobile phone blog

Over at our other blog, BlogStorm we have just hit 1000 RSS subscribers after 3 months.

The success of the blog was mainly due to linkbaiting so we put together guide on how to market your websites and blogs using the same methods.

Click here to read the guide. You might like to subscribe to the RSS feed as we have lots of similar posts coming soon.

Would you queue for an iPhone?

With the iPhone forecast to hit the UK in January its probably going to be pretty cold for anybody desperate enough to want to queue up for an iPhone. Several people in New York were already queuing 100 hours early as analysts were announcing that the iPhone has hit Palm sales hard before it is even launched.

New column: Mobile DataDoctor answers your questions

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new weekly Mobile DataDoctor column on Mad4MobilePhones.

Every week experts from WDSGlobal will answer your questions about anything to do with mobile phones, mobile email, video and data plans. If you have a question to ask please either ask in the comments below or email us at datadoctor@mad4mobilephones.com

WDSGlobal operates several specialist call centres on behalf of more than 100 mobile operators, handset manufacturers and content providers around the world so you can be confident they will be able to answer even the most difficult questions.

1) I have X-Series on my new 3 Nokia N73, how can I view a Podcast?

With the X-Series on 3 you can view Podcasts on your N73 through the Mobilcast application. You can download this application from Planet 3 following the instructions below:

• Open Planet 3
• Select Go To Internet
• Scroll down and select Mobilcast
• Select Download Mobilcast
• When asked to confirm if you wish to download and install this application select Yes
• When you are given the application information (e.g. version of application) select Continue
• Once you receive the message Installation Complete press the red hang-up key to leave Planet 3

To open Mobilcast follow the instructions below;

• Press Menu
• Select Applications
• Select Mobilcast

The first time that you open the application you will receive a warning about data connections and data charges. Once you have read this scroll down and press Accept

You will then be prompted to select your Access Point. You will normally have the options of 3 and 3 MMS. You will need to select 3

You will now be in the Mobilcast application and able to select the Podcast you wish to view.

2) Why do I get an error message when I try to use a Hotmail email account with 3’s Mobile Mail?

The error you will get is “The mail server address could not be determined based on your email address.” The setup will then ask you to confirm the server address.

The reason that you are getting this error is that 3’s Mobile Mail client is only compatible with POP and IMAP email servers and that Hotmail uses the HTTP protocol. The POP and IMAP protocols are Server/client based protocols. This means that you can use a client application on a PC to connect to these email servers, whereas the HTTP protocol is purely web based.

You will need to create a POP or IMAP email account in order to use the 3 Mobile Mail application. Examples of these are your Internet Service Provider email accounts, Gmail, Yahoo and AOL. This is not an exhaustive list, but will allow you to select the correct email type for your purposes.

Once you have created this email account, you will be able to enter these details in the setup page.

3) I am trying to view a Video Stream on my T-Mobile MDA Vario II, but Windows Media Player says that it cannot read the stream. How can I watch this Video?

On the T-Mobile MDA Vario II there is a separate application for viewing rtsp feeds. This program is called Streaming Media.

Note the address that Windows Media is trying to open; it will look similar to the link below:

rtsp://stream.buffalo.edu/shared/ublearns/johndoe

Once you have this address follow the steps below:

• Tap on Start
• Tap on Programs
• Scroll Down and tap on Streaming Media
• Tap on the Connect button
• Enter the rtsp:// address
• Tap on Connect

The stream will then load for you to view.

4) How do I remove/un-install third party programs on my Nokia N73?

A4 To remove/uninstall applications that you have downloaded go to Start

Select Tools

Select Applications Manager

In this option highlight the application that you wish to uninstall, select Options and then Remove

You will then be prompted to confirm that you wish to remove the application, select Yes

Yahoo to launch yPhone in 2007, forget the iPhone

While most of the world has been speculating about Google launching some kind of mobile phone or application it seems that Yahoo has been quietly working on a device of its own.

A document leaked late last week provides an insight into the forthcoming Yahoo Phone, codenamed the yPhone. Apparently the yPhone will be designed around a central portal service allowing users to surf the web from a desktop page styled much like the online Yahoo homepage. Users will make calls and send messages by clicking on links from the Yahoo homepage and the whole experience of the phone will be similar to the current Yahoo online pages.

Yahoo hasn’t ignored the demand for multimedia features and has included an application to play music and videos. Thanks to HSDPA Yahoo are offering free streaming of a variety of content from a special, mobile only, service called yTunes. Users can download a selection of free tracks and pay a small fee for premium songs.

The document leaked shows some screenshots of the yPhone with details of how the interface will work. Much of the technology employed is an ugraded version of the Yahoo Mobile applications which have been improved by Yahoo in recent weeks. The big difference is that the yPhone doesn’t use a browser - all the applications are desktop applications which run much faster.

The launch date for the yPhone isn’t listed but insiders believe it will be sometime during 2007. Yahoo are in discussions with a number of US distributors but it is likely that Sprint will be favourites to distribute the yPhone given that Cingular already has rights to the iPhone from Apple.

China mobile gains 4.9m subscribers in a month

China Mobile, the worlds largest mobile network, has been adding subscribers at a rate of almost 5 million users a month this year.

The network hit the 300 million subscriber mark in January this year and added 4.86 million subscribers in January and 4.91 million in February, a new record.

In contrast to the European market 4.58 million of its new customers in February were prepaid subscribers and only 328,000 were contract customers.

Sony Ericsson Walkman Phones, all 13 of them

Sony Ericsson has launched yet another great looking Walkman phone this week and it seems like an appropriate time to review exactly which Walkman phones are on the market at the moment and go through a few of the major features on each phone.

Sony Ericsson W900i

The Sony Ericsson W900i isn’t the most recent Walkman phone so the features might seem a little dated. The impressive swivel action is the most striking feature of this mid range music phone. A 470MB memory with Memory Stick support stores hours of tracks and hundreds of photos taken on the integrated 2 megapixel digital camera. 3G services include streaming audio and video as well as Sky TV broadcasts depending on your network

Sony Ericsson W950i

Sony Ericssons W950i Walkman is a great 3G phone with a huge touch screen and stylus for ease of use. The keypad is flush with the sleek surface of the phone and gives it an impressive look. A USB connection and amazing 4GB of built in flash memory makes this a real iPod rivalling MP3 player. An advanced internet browser works perfectly with the 3G connection to bring the web to your mobile.

Sony Ericsson W880i

One of the latest Sony Ericsson Walkman phones to be introduced the W880i is the slimmest music phone to be introduced this year. With a large memory and stunning metallic styling the W880 is set to be the top selling Walkman phone of 2007.

Sony Ericsson W810i

Predecessor to the W880i and one of the most popular Walkman models the Sony Ericsson W810i is an excellent music phone. With great looks and a 512MG memory card the W810 is a top seller and there are some very good deals available now the W880i has been released.

Sony Ericsson W850i

The Sony Ericsson W850i was the first 3G slider to be added to the Walkman range and offers features such as a 1GB Memory Stick Pro and 30 hours music playback.

Sony Ericsson W800i

The first phone to be given Walkman status the Sony Ericsson W800i is still a very popular handset. With a fantastic white casing and orange trim this handset looks great and performs as well as any music phones on the market today.

Sony Ericsson W710i

The Sony Ericsson W710i Walkman phone was one of the first clamshell Walkmans and is designed to support an active lifestyle with motion sensor and fitness software applications to measure your running speed, distance and time, or simply count your steps when walking. A strap and special earphones allow you to listen to the built in radio or MP3 player during a work out.

Sony Ericsson W700i

As one of the newer Walkman phones the W700i oozes style and good looks. A dedicated Walkman key lets you start the music playing instantly and with 256Mb internal memory expandable to 4GB you can play tunes all day. New Disc2Phone music management software allows you to burn CD’s onto the phone with ease and a standard headphone socket means you can plug your best headphones straight into the W700i for the ultimate music phone. A 2 Mega Pixel camera and high quality colour screen are also included.

Sony Ericsson W610i

Due to be released this month the Sony Ericsson W610i has stunning good looks derived from the earlier Walkman phones and stores up to 500 tracks on the 512MB Memory Stick Micro included in the package. An innovative TrackID feature lets you record a sound clip and immediately receive notification of the track name and album thanks to the built in music recognition service.

Sony Ericsson W660i

Announced by Sony Ericsson earlier today the W660i Walkman phone has a finish that stands out among its peers. Although the W660 places the emphasis firmly on design, it is also a full member of the Walkman phone family, able to store several hundred full-length songs.

Sony Ericsson W550i

Designed towards the lower end of the music phone market the W550i includes a 1.8 inch colour screen and excellent swivel open feature. Dedicated gaming buttons give action packed 3D gaming on the Sony Ericsson W550i and a quality Walkman MP3 player with stereo headset and 1.3 Mega pixel digital video camera are also included.

Sony Ericsson W300i

The Sony Ericsson W300i is aimed again towards the lower end of the market but still packs all the features you might expect from a Walkman. A 256Mb internal memory powers the MPS player and an FM radio is also included. Rip CDs easily with the Disc2Phone music management software and plug headphones or portable speakers into the standard 3.5mm headphone socket. USB port and Bluetooth as well as a quality digital camera make this a great low cost multimedia mobile phone.

Sony Ericsson W200i

Another low end handset the W200i is still firmly focussed on music and includes a 128Mb Memory Stick Micro and enough battery to listen to 18 hours of tracks. A dedicated music button, camera and FM radio top off the package.

More about Sony Ericsson Walkman Phones

Patent: Google Phone knows what you want before you search

Our patent gurus have discovered an interesting patent filing from Google that could reveal the applications they are planning for the Google phone. Alternatively this technology could even debut in the iPhone when it is released in June.

Google has become the number one place we go when we want to find something online and the Mountain View based company has been building mobile versions of common applications such as Gmail and Google Maps/Local for some time now.

The patent filing details an application that can predict what a user is searching for or the words they are typing in a text message by taking into account the users location, previous searching / messaging history and even the time of day.

This concept might seem familiar to older Google users. Way back in 2000 an April Fools joke called Google MentalPlex promised to use 1.6 billion variables to predict what you wanted before you searched. Another ongoing project used in Google Labs and the latest Google Toolbar predicts what you are searching for as you type but still doesn’t go anywhere near as far as the Nonstandard locality-based text entry patent filed in 2005.

In the patent Google discusses how all the data is stored on Google’s servers and queries are sent whenever the user is searching for something or typing a message. Presumably the queries would be sent over some kind of mobile AJAX interface.

This patent is truly groundbreaking in what the application could do. Imagine that you are planning a night out in London. At 6pm Google could predict you are looking for a restaurant and, given your history of looking for directions to Chinese restaurants every week, would select an array of suitable places for you to eat.

At 9pm you would turn your phone on again and Google would know you wanted bars near the restaurant. At 11pm Google again predicts you need a list of local taxi firms.

Discovered by Patrick Altoft

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