Ahead of the media preview of its bigger brother next week, Samsung have just released the Galaxy mini 2, an entry level Android smartphone that at RM599 looks like its quite good value for money. At 800MHz, 512MB of RAM, 3.27Inch HVGA TFT display which does 480x320, 3MP camera and 1,300mAh battery that has NFC capability, the only real letdown is that the phone will still run Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
The Galaxy mini 2 may just be head to head with the recently announced HTC Desire C and may fall behind on the OS front, camera and of course the 25GB dropbox space. However it's all about the price. If the price is drastically different, those specs won't matter, however if the price isn't all that different, I don't see why the mini 2 would be a better choice than the Desire C.
As it stands, for RM599 the mini 2 is quite a decent starter smartphone.
At a glance, the Sony Xperia U looks more or less like its flagship sibling, the Xperia S, only smaller. It features the same Identity design, and the special coating meant to repel dirt and dust is a welcome addition.
As a whole, we can say that the Xperia U is pretty nice little handset – it's made of plastic, but Sony has come up with a pleasing design, featuring the characteristic transparent line near the touch-sensitive navigation buttons and a changeable bottom part. These bottoms will be available in a number of colors, so that you can choose the one that suits you best. By the way, the above-mentioned transparent line actually illuminates in various colors, depending on how you set it. It can also lights up when you're getting a call, and changes its color according to the picture that you're currently viewing.
What we see on the smartphone's front is a petite 3.5-inch display with a resolution of 480 by 854 pixels. It did look fine while we were testing the handset here at MWC, but for some more in-depth details, we'll all have to wait a bit until we get the chance to review the handset properly.
The unit of the Sony Xperia U that we tested ran Gingerbread, but we really hope that Sony is to out the ICS update as soon as possible. There's been a fair degree of visual customization via the UXP NXT user interface (rolls right off the tongue). First of all, we see a revamped lock screen, as well as new gallery and music player apps. There are more than a few visual tweaks noticeable in Timescape.
Obviously, if HTC manages to pull off its software updating scheme well, its lineup will be a dangerous opponent to keep an eye on. The budget-oriented Xperia U is expected sometime during Q2 of 2012.
Sony Xperia Sola introduces "floating touch" navigation
Hot on the heels of the launch of the Xperia S, Sony has announced a new Xperia phone, the Sola.
What sets the Sola apart is the new "floating touch" touchscreen interface. According to Sony, this allows you to control a cursor without touching the screen itself - you let your finger hover over the panel to move the cursor and select a link, and then tap to launch it. We imagine it would have to be quite sensitive, as trying to move your finger across a phone's screen without touching it is actually quite difficult in practice.
The Sola will also be NFC-enabled, like many new phones, allowing you to trigger actions on your phone, such as toggling Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, by touching an NFC-compatible tag, which can then be placed where you need it. For example, you could associate a tag with turning on Bluetooth, and place it in your car so that when you get in, it turns on Bluetooth and connects to your hands-free headset.
More mundanely, it's got a 3.7in, 480x854 screen which uses Sony's Mobile Bravia Engine technology, and is powered by a dual-core 1GHz processor with 512MB of RAM. Sadly, it'll run Android 2.3, with Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" promised for "summer 2012".
According to Sony, the Xperia Sola will be available in a choice of black, white or red at some point in the second quarter of this year. As a side note, the Sola will be marketed as the Sole in Italy - "sole" means "sun", whereas "sola" means "only". In China it will be known as the MT27i - yawn.
The Xperia P is one of the better handsets from Sony Mobile's lineup this year. The smartphone has a great build quality and the WhiteMagic display is one of the best displays you can use outdoors.
The good
Beautiful design and brushed aluminum chassis; good build quality; bright 4-inch display; above-average camera.
The bad
Runs Gingerbread (Android 2.3); non-removable battery; lack of expansion slot; suffers from "death grip".
Announced at Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona, the Sony Xperia P was one of two handsets announced at the tradeshow. The other is the Xperia U and together with the Xperia S, these three handsets feature Sony's NXT design. This means that all three handsets look pretty similar--you'll note the flat front screen and curved back, as well as the transparent lighted band located at the bottom.
Design
Compared with the Xperia S, the slightly smaller Xperia P seems much easier to hold, and the brushed metal feels good in our hands. The 4-inch display also makes the P usable with just one hand, while size-wise, the smartphone is just slightly wider than Apple's iPhone 4S.
Unlike the Xperia S, the P does not come with plastic covers for its ports. The rear cover is also non-removable. This is no big loss, since the removable rear of the Xperia S only lets you access the microSIM card slot; the Xperia P's uses a slide-out microSIM tray located on the left side instead, and is a more elegant solution.
Located above the microSIM tray are the micro-USB and micro-HDMI ports. On the top is where you'll find the 3.5mm headphone jack, and finally, on the right are your power, volume and camera shutter buttons. We note that the handset's speakers are located on the right--an interesting design choice, to be sure.
The handset sports a 4-inch qHD (960 x 540 pixels) display, and comes with Sony's new WhiteMagic display. Sony claims the display is bright enough that you can view the screen comfortably even in direct sunlight. We found this to be true, when we used the phone outdoors-- we had no issues reading on the Xperia P's bright display.
The P features the same transparent lighted band at the bottom, and has the three icons for Back, Home and Menu. Instead of the Xperia S's annoying button placement (the keys are located above the icons), Sony has made the P's buttons on the lighted strip itself, which makes so much more sense.
Weighing at 120g, the Xperia P feels light enough in our hands, though its 10.5mm depth means it is much thicker than most phones. Lastly, the handset comes with a non-removable 1,500mAh battery.
Features
Unlike the smaller Xperia U, Sony has included built-in NFC for the Xperia P. This will allow you to make full use of the Xperia SmartTags the company is touting. These programmable NFC tags will allow you to quickly launch apps and services by simply tapping your Xperia P onto the tag. However, no SmartTags are included in the package. See our Xperia S review for more about this feature.
Other connectivity features include HSPA, Bluetooth as well as Wi-Fi. The handset comes with 16GB of onboard storage, though only 13GB is available for use.
The Xperia P does not come with the latest Android operating system (Ice Cream Sandwich) at launch. Instead, it runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) but Sony has promised that an update for the handset in the future.
That said, Sony has added tweaks to enhance the user experience. Like in Android 4.0, you can create folders by dragging apps on top of another and the company has also added notifications for messages on the lock screen (you can also slide the message to unlock your handset and jump straight to reading it.
The 8-megapixel camera uses Sony's Exmor R, which is a backside-illuminated (BSI) sensor. There was no shutter lag. The Xperia P's shutter button also lets you take a picture even if your phone is locked by holding down the button, which launches the camera app and immediately snaps a picture. We note that the white balance isn't adjusted properly when you use this feature. The shot after that will look better as the handset would have some time to adjust correctly. However, that takes away from the immediacy of this feature.
We found images taken by the Xperia P's camera to have lots of detail, but colors do seem a little washed out. In low-light situations (and with flash turned on), there still seems to be quite an ample amount of noise. For a midrange handset, the Xperia P's camera seems above average in our books.
Performance
While it does not have a quad-core processor as we've seen in the latest high-end smartphones, the Xperia P's dual-core 1GHz processor was more than sufficient to keep things running smoothly.
The smartphone lasted us for a day at moderate usage, and that's on top of our usual test settings with two Gmail accounts, Facebook as well as Twitter set on push. It may be a good idea to carry around a battery charger, especially since you won't be able to swap in a spare battery if you run dry.
Lastly, there's no issue with voice quality and call reception. However, there seems an attenuation issue when it is used indoors. When the phone is gripped with the palm touching the back (see below), the signal bars seems to fall off, but we note that you're still able to make calls but data is affected--web pages' loading time slowed down to a crawl. The speaker located at the right side was loud enough to be heard, and we didn't think the location affected the quality of the audio.
Here's how you can do the "death grip". (Credit: Aloysius Low/CNET Asia)
Conclusion
The Sony Xperia P is strangely a more compelling device compared with the Xperia S. We found it to be the better handset, especially when it comes to build and battery life. Though the screen resolution is not as high as on the S, the WhiteMagic display works as advertised, which means you won't have problems using this smartphone outdoors. In Singapore, the handset is currently only available from telco SingTel, and retails for S$248 (US$197) on the cheapest monthly plan. We've reached out to Sony for more information on regional pricing.
Outdoor test shot. Click for original image. (Credit: Aloysius Low/CNET Asia)Macro test shot. Click for original image. (Credit: Aloysius Low/CNET Asia)Indoor test shot. Click for original image. (Credit: Aloysius Low/CNET Asia)Indoor test shot with flash. Click for original image. (Credit: Aloysius Low/CNET Asia) Article Source - CNET Asia
Thursday, 10 May 2012
Samsung Galaxy S Advance - Rebooting Smartphone Devices
Samsung looks to be rebooting and upgrading many of its previous models like the hit Samsung Galaxy S in this case, by revealing its new Samsung Galaxy S Advance at the 2012 MWC. The latest phone comes with 1GHz dual processor and equipped with an AMOLED screen. It also fancies a 5MP rear camera along with a 1.3MP front camera for video chatting and comes with 720p recording capacity. It consists of the Android Gingerbread (2.3.6) and supports all the latest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections.
We live in an era of sophisticated functionality in mobile phones, right in the form of Smartphones, which can do things swiftly. They can greatly function as electronic diaries, compact computers to view office files and presentations. You can now flexibly work by availing such Smartphones, with just few taps and clicks. People do rely on phones like these and buy Samsung Galaxy S Advance increasingly these days for acquiring information right at their fingertips. Accessing maps, directions, and even acquiring television transmissions on small touch screens is very much possible. You can now stay up to date with current trending, avail traffic information on the go, and stay a step ahead of your competitive business!
You can easily access web by availing the Samsung Galaxy S Advance and communicate quickly with your family and clients. Moreover, you can take good quality pictures on the go with the built in cameras and share it online within few seconds. People also take advantage of the best social networking features in such Smartphones to stay well connected with their peers and friends. So, if you choose to live a comfortable and happier life, then it is best to pick up phones like the Samsung Galaxy S Advance.
There are few more compelling reasons regarding why you can consider to buy Samsung Galaxy S Advance, as it comes with a 4 inch screen and its price range is very affordable. The latest Gingerbread technology makes the phone run easily without any hassles. In addition, its body contours are slightly curved to fit perfectly in your hands and definitely hugs your face's side when you make or receive calls!
The loaded web pages in this Smartphone beauty can be very much clear and crisp and contains better text reflow without any signs of slowdown. The auto focus feature in the camera can give quick accessibility and the single LED flash is an added benefit.
The Samsung Galaxy S3 has just been released, and its spec list reads like a dream for tech enthusiasts. In this article I will look at how the handset differs to its predecessor the Galaxy S2 in terms of some key features.
Screen
The Samsung Galaxy S2 is well known for the quality of its touchscreen, and this is continues with the Galaxy S3. The new version has a larger screen at 4.8 inches which is half an inch bigger than that of the previous instalment of the Galaxy smartphone series. The same basic screen technology is continued in the new flagship, sporting a Super-AMOLED capacitive panel, which is renowned as one of the best features of the Galaxy S2. In the new version though, the screen resolution has been upped to a 720p count, which means the Galaxy S3 is capable of displaying high definition content like movies and games.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S3 was widely rumoured to include a 12 megapixel camera leading up to its release. During the live unveiling at Earl's Court in London though, we learned that it actually has an 8 megapixel unit, as does the Samsung Galaxy S3. Although the camera's pixel count is not as high as many were anticipating, it is far from disappointing. A wealth of new features has been added to the camera function, making it easier to use than ever. For example, you can capture up to 20 photos with a single touch of the capture icon, so you can choose the best one to keep. Of course, all the usual image enhancing features are included such as image stabilisation, face detection and an LED flash. Video capture is in 1080p high definition which looks great on the HD screen, and can be streamed to a number of compatible devices.
Processor and Operating System
The Samsung Galaxy S2 was the first smartphone from the manufacturer to sport a dual-core processor with a clockspeed of 1.2 GHz. The S3 though has a 1.4 GHz Exynos processor so it directly competes with flagship phones from the likes of HTC (One X) and LG (Optimus 4X HD), both of which recently unveiled their new flagship Android devices at MWC 2012 in Barcelona. The new Android 'Ice Cream Sandwich' is the latest version, and is the OS of choice for the Samsung Galaxy S3 which also runs Samsung's custom Android UI called TouchWiz. This has plenty of improvements over the previous version found on the S2, many of which are aimed at making it the most intuitive interface out there which responds to a variety of natural movements and actions.
The Samsung Galaxy S3 offers plenty of improvements over its predecessor, but the Galaxy S2 is still as popular as ever, remaining one of the best selling Android devices of all time. The S2 will be released in the UK on May 29th, with a number of major networks already advertising pre-order offers on their websites.
