Techy Zone » Phones

HTC Touch Pro 2 Review

admin — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:45:00 +0000

The HTC Touch Pro is a high-end “smart phone” that is part of the line of Internet enabled Windows smart phones designed by High Tech Computer (HTC) Corporation of Taiwan.

Technical Specifications of the HTC Touch Pro 2

It features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, slot for a micro SD card, camera flash, as well as portable media player capabilities and multimedia messaging. Internet services including email, web browsing, instant messaging, and Wi-Fi connectivity are also included. The HTC Touch Pro 2 includes an updated version of the TouchFLO interface. The Touch Pro 2 has a larger screen than before (3.6 inches diagonally), and has a slide-out, tiltable QWERTY keyboard with spaces between the keys for more comfort.

"One of the sexiest Windows Mobile devices we’ve ever seen"

The HTC Touch Pro 2 is described as “one of the sexiest Windows Mobile devices we’ve ever seen” by the Boy Genius Report. It has a chrome bezel, rounded corners and edges, and buttons described as “minimalist.” The design is reviewed as being completely functional, in that none of the design elements get in the way of actual usability.

The slide-out QWERTY keyboard has received rave reviews for its high quality touch and its usability for even large hands. The screen has been highly touted, too. It is a resistive screen rather than a capacitive screen. What that means is that the touch screen is made up of layers, including two thin, metallic, conductive layers separated by a small gap. When an object (finger or stylus) presses down on the panel’s outer surface, the two metallic layers connect, ultimately causing a change in electrical current that is registered as a “touch event” and processed accordingly.

When compared to the original Touch Pro where there were complaints about the touch screen not being as responsive as people wanted, the new Touch Pro 2 screen is very responsive, making going through menus and paging through screens very smooth. The resolution of the display is 800 x 480, and it measures 3.6 inches diagonally. It is described as being clear, bright, and vivid.

Messaging integration has been built into the HTC Touch Pro 2, which gives you access to your communications history with all contacts. You can click on a specific contact, see the recent calls, emails, and text messages between you and the contact, and it even shows Facebook page updates. Conference calls are said to be easy to set up too.

HTC Touch Pro 2 is a high end smart phone

The HTC Touch Pro 2 is a high end smart phone made to appeal to corporate royalty with its sexy design and extremely capable functionality. Who knows? Maybe some of the technology on the Touch Pro 2 will work its way down to less expensive devices in the next few years.

Palm Pre Review

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:13:00 +0000

If you were one of those early adopters of the iPhone, then hey: look at this Palm Pre.

Let’s face it, the iPhone is not that much of a step forward for technology. It’s a beautifully made piece of hardware made to sit on top an overpriced, spotty and somewhat slow 3G Internet experience. Plus, they make you use it as a phone in order to subsidize the cost by selling you pricey calling plans.

It doesn’t mean you can’t use it, it just means that despite the hype surrounding the phone and the amount it’s sold, the real money is probably being made by AT&T.

But whatever the case may be, the Palm Pre essentially becomes the Sprint version of the iPhone. It’ll be sold the same way, through phone contracts, because it costs 599 dollars. So what do you get for that price?

Technical Specifications of the Palm Pre

Oh 8 gigs of memory, a critically-acclaimed simple user interface (like the iPhone) a tiny little keyboard to perhaps make texting a bit faster, and a beautiful but tiny 320 by 480 screen. It essentially combines the functions of a $20 cell phone with a #200 netbook and put it into a very petite package with a fairly useless keyboard.

But then function isn’t necessarily all these things are about, are they? In today’s culture phones need to function as status symbols. And among those the Palm Pre looks to be pretty decent, but it doesn’t have all the Apple hype surrounding it.

Then again, it also doesn’t have too many of those apps available either, so that may work in favor of its end user experience, which has been highly praised by the media.

So is the Palm Pre an iPhone Killer?

So in the end the Palm Pre isn’t really much of a breakthrough product, but perhaps just a stop gap until universal WiFi comes along to make all cell phones obsolete. Then all you’ll have is nice little VOIP phone that you can make phone calls with while you use your little portable e-book or netbook to actually surf the Internet at regular speed.

And then all those "apps" and the entire cell phone infrastructure could possibly even evaporate. When you think about it rationally, it’s just too slow and too expensive and the money doesn’t go to the innovators or the public who own the airwaves to begin with. It just goes to the people who got the bandwidth out of the government to begin with. Those are the people the Internet helps us get around. But if you need a iPhone but you have to use Sprint then the Palm Pre is right for you.

HTC Magic G2

admin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:16:00 +0000

In the ever-changing world of cell phones and smart phones, the HTC Magic G2 Android is one of the most interesting new products on the market. It is specifically designed to bring all the features Google offers on the web to the mobile user. With a sleek white casing and intuitive 3.2 inch touch screen, the HTC Magic could be the next big competitor on the smart phone market.

HTC Magic is well integrated with Google’s Web Applications

The HTC magic G2 Android phone offers exceptional integration with e-mail clients and calendars as well as all major Google applications, including Google Talk, Google Maps, and Google Search. The network HTC Magic uses is even fast enough to accommodate seamless viewing of YouTube videos and other media. The phone can even view Microsoft Word documents and .pdf files.

G2 Technical Spec

The smart phone runs on a high-speed 3.5G network using the most advanced Wi-Fi technology available today. Like any good smart phone, the HTC Magic is also equipped with a camera that can capture both video and still images. The phone’s camera auto focuses and has a 3.2 megapixel capacity. Additionally, the HTC Magic is Bluetooth compatible. The phone even offers an expandable SD card slot for additional storage of photos, videos, music, and more beyond its built-in 512mb of memory.

As for its user interface, the HTC Magic has an on-screen keyboard that is remarkably intuitive. This is especially useful for using the phone’s chat interface to communicate instantly with anyone from anywhere. The phone is also equipped with a “Smart Dialer” feature that lets users make a call by typing a contact’s name instead of his or her phone number.

Another great feature is the HTC Magic’s barcode scanner. A user simply takes an image of a product’s barcode while shopping and the phone will call up relevant information from the web to help users make smarter purchasing decisions. Meanwhile, compatibility with Google Maps offers 3-D street views, GPS-like features, and information on destinations around the globe.

It’s a fantastic multipurpose smart phone

The HTC Magic operates with a lithium-ion battery that offers up to 400+ minutes of phone call time or 650+ hours of stand-by time. The phone runs on Google’s Android operating system. By logging into the Android Market, users can completely customize their smart phone experience. There is also an online HTC e-Club that offers members extra ringtones, wallpaper, and more. This gives the product room to grow as more and more people seek to obtain a multipurpose smart phone.

Buy the HTC Magic G2 Google Android at Amazon

Google’s G1 Android

admin — Fri, 29 May 2009 11:18:55 +0000

In an effort to compete with the iPhone and enter the smart phone market, Google released its first phone, the G1, in the fall of 2008. It was ultimately designed for use with the T-Mobile cell phone service and has been offered exclusively by this provider. T-Mobile offers access to a 3G high-speed network and the G1 can also connect to any basic Wi-Fi network in range.

G1 runs the Android Operating System

The G1 phone is the first to be powered by Android, Google’s own operating system. Android offers its own marketplace where users can download additional applications and features. The G1 also includes an integrated camera with 3.0 megapixels as well as mp3 player capabilities. Additionally, for hands free operation, users can operate Google search by voice command.

Google Apps on the Go

The G1 is designed to make use of all of Google’s applications and features while on the go. One of the most useful of these is Google Maps, which allows users to find their way and get information on businesses, restaurants, and more. Plus, the phone knows where a user is and can instantly respond to search inquiries with local results. The G1 also works naturally with Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Talk, and even YouTube.

The G1 can also connect to e-mail services sync this information right to the phone. Plus, it offers a full web browser with all that the internet has to offer. This means viewing web pages as they naturally appear, not though a “mobile web” type interface. As for battery life, charging the phone takes less than two hours and, with average use, should last roughly a day.

G1 is definitely user friendly

The G1’s interface is remarkably user friendly. It features a slide out keyboard with Qwerty in addition to a responsive touch screen. This touch screen is equipped with a unique phone locking system that adds security to the device while also preventing accidental calling. Users can also set special shortcuts that respond to longer presses on the touch screen. There are also five regular, hard keys on the phone’s casing for easy access to important features. These include power/end, call, menu, home, and back buttons.

The G1 was the first smart phone to truly give the iPhone a run for its money. Of course, both the G1 and the first generation iPhone have come a long way in the last several months. Now, Google has released its upgraded HTC Magic, which also runs on its Android system and has many of the same capabilities of the G1.

Slingbox on your Iphone

admin — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:33:00 +0000

It used to be that television was something you watched from the comfort of your living room. As of early 2009, though, thanks to Slingbox, which is produced by Echostar’s Sling Media division, users can watch television from anywhere they have an internet connection. This is particularly attractive to iPhone owners, who can get a signal on their phone from almost any location and stream high-quality television right to their cell phone.

Using Slingbox to watch Tv on Iphone

To stream live or recorded television on an iPhone, a user first needs to get a Slingbox. A Slingbox is a box-like device that connects to any television, whether it uses cable, satellite, DVR, etc., and transmits the TV signal over the internet to any Wi-Fi device. There are several models available including the Slingbox SOLO, Slingbox PRO, and Slingbox PRO-HD. All Slingbox models offer live streaming from any television, but only the Slingbox PRO-HD supplies high definition quality. However, when watching on a device like an iPhone, the need for HD seems overkill. Still, the PRO model does offer some advantages over the SOLO. For example, it has an extra tuner so that watching on the go will not interfere with a viewer watching the television at home. It also allows connection to multiple audio and video sources, which means you can connect to a television and DVR.

With a Slingbox installed, a user also needs to get the appropriate software to stream the video on their iPhone. This means downloading SlingPlayer Mobile’s iPhone version. The cost for this software is currently $29.99 and is available from the iPhone’s App Store. In addition to the software, the user needs to know the password for his or her specific Slingbox device as well as access to a Wi-Fi connection. This means that the Slingbox will not currently work over a 3G network alone, but it may at some point in the future.

Slingbox + Iphone = Complete Control

When everything is up and running users can do anything on their iPhone that they would normally do with their television and more. This includes changing channels, controlling DVR, and even fast-forwarding, rewinding, and pausing up to sixty minutes of live television.

Following initial setup costs, there are no monthly fees associated with using Slingbox on an iPhone. Plus, the same device can also be used with any internet connected PC, laptop, or even other mobile devices. This means more flexibility for users and an almost endless variety of places to watch television.

Blackberry Onyx

admin — Mon, 25 May 2009 11:21:00 +0000

The Blackberry Onyx is the newest member of the Blackberry family, manufactured by Research in Motion Ltd., and is due to be released sometime in the near future. Until recently, though, details about the new smart phone were virtually impossible to obtain. Now, though, a few people have managed to get their hands on some pre-release models to reveal what Blackberry has up its sleeve this time with a phone that will allegedly be a vast improvement on the previous Blackberry Bold and Curve.

What is special about the Blackberry Onyx?

With so many smart phone competitors moving towards the touch screen design model, Blackberry Onyx seems to be taking a step back to the more traditional QWERTY keyboard setup. This is good news for many users who do not appreciate the touch screen feature. It also has a small trackball, which functions the way a mouse would on a traditional computer. However, some have also speculated that the Onyx could also offer a trackpad instead of a ball for a more user-friendly interface. Additionally, the Blackberry Onyx will be somewhat smaller than its predecessors, yet still offer a 480 x 360 display.

When it comes to connectivity, the Blackberry Onyx will offer both 3G GSM and 802.11abg Wi-Fi support. It will also include a GPS feature, though there is no word yet as to whether this would involve an extra subscription fee. It is believed that the Blackberry Onyx will run on AT&T’s network, but there is also talk that a virtually identical unlicensed model, called “Driftwood”, might be made available for T-Mobile.

The Blackberry Onyx is said to have a 3.2 megapixel camera with flash and auto-focus features built in. This is most likely the same model used in the Blackberry Curve. It also have 256mb of internal memory for storing pictures and other media. The battery is said to be the same as the one used in the Blackberry Bold, which means it should have comparable charging time and battery life.

Be patient, the Blackberry Onyx will be out soon!

Since the first supposed Onyx pictures were leaked in April 2009, a lot of people have been trying to figure out just what this new phone has to offer. Thus far, though, no official details of the Blackberry Onyx have been released. However, there is enough speculation about the new smart phone to keep enthusiasts satisfied. With all the hype about a new, non-touch screen phone, it is likely the Blackberry Onyx will be a popular buy once it is released.