Phone New Update: January 2009

Free Callback Trial Credit by Phones.com

Hi,

We have been regularly covering posts about making cheap and free calls to India. Lot of working ways to make free calls to different countries have been covered on this blog. Readers just need to surf the blog to find right deal for them.

Phones.com is #1 online phones comparision websites. I check their website and yes they have a huge listing of mobiles phones and price comparisions which actually proves very useful for people when buying a mobile phone. Apart from this mobile phones comparision, phones.com is offering web callback service.

Phones.com is offering each new user free trial credit worth 2.5 $ to test their service. This credit can be used to make free calls to anywhere in world to anywhere in world (yes you can make free calls to India).

Lets look at the prcedure to get free trial credit.
1. Visit phones.com. callback page. (Clicking on make a free test call at the top of homepage).
2. Now Register with Phones.com (provide your correct details)
3. Verify your email address by clicking on activation link.
4. Now in your account page, you will be asked t verify your mobile number.
5. Click for verification of your mobile. They will send you verification SMS.

You will then instantly get $2.5 free trial credit in your account. You can make use of this credit to test their service for making phone calls or sending sms.

After you have ended up your trial credit, and if you liked their service then you can buy more credit from phones.com and continue with them. Their call rates are very competitive. You can also buy sms credit to send sms anywhere in world.

One can add contacts to their account, also you can import contacts from your skype account.

Its actually a great launch by phones.com with a lot more features. Three cheers to phones.com

Zakophone offering 60 Free Pc to Phone Minutes

Hi,

Who says Voip market is saturated. Indeed its just the beginning of the Voip era. Its time people should leave their landline and traditional phones and try voip phones or the popular Pc to Phone calling method.

I know a lot of people in India, don't have even heard of voip (or Free Pc to Phone calling) and those who have heard of it, never used it. At this time of recession, one of the ways to save money is by making Free Pc to Phone calls.

If you are paying money to make international calls specially calls to USA, Canada, European countries( Sweden, Germany etc), Australia then must say you are actually wasting your money.
New entrant in this voip market is Zakophone. ZaKoPhone is a free service that use voip technology to bring high-quality voice communications to people all over the world without the needs of Software installation. You can make free calls around the world only by using your Browser (with adope flash payer), all you need is a connected headset (speaker and microphone), there is requirement of downloading any softphone.

Zakophone is offering Free 60 minutes Pc to phone calls to many countries. (INDIA IS NOT INCLUDED). It means you can't make calls to India, however you can make calls from India to those free calling countries.

Free one hour calls can be made to -:

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hong Kong - Mobile, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxemburg, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama ,Portugal, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Singapore - Mobile, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United States, United States - Hawaii, US Virgin Islands.

I have tried the Zakophone service to make free calls, it do worked however the voice quality was not very good (it was just average). One should not complain much when they are getting it free.

Though there are many other services offering free calls to these destinations (Poketalk) but trying out others won't hurt (you never know which one may help you at the time of need).

In order to get free 60 calling minutes, one needs to register with Zakophone.
Confirm your eail address by clicking the activation link and you are don'e. You will get free 60 minutes to your account.

I was wondering that since they only require you to verify your email address, one can make multiple accounts and get more free minutes. So, its actually an unlimited free calling deal for you.

For making free calls to India, you need to surf the blog around (you will find many working ways).

Fuji FinePix F50fd

The F50fd has an attractive yet ergonomic design, with a slight curve that your shutter release finger curls around. That finger can also easily reach the power and image stabilization buttons, as well as operate the zoom lever, which encircles the shutter release. All of the other controls are located on the right hand side of the camera back, within easy reach of your thumb.

The rear mounted control dial turns smoothly but not so smoothly that you're likely to turn it inadvertently and provides access to automatic, aperture priority, and shutter priority exposure modes, as well as a video mode and two photo scene mode notches that can be programmed to activate any of 14 options. A panorama mode is notably missing, but there's an underwater mode for use with Fuji's compatible underwater housing.

For low light shooting, the dial also provides Natural Light and Natural Light & Flash selections. The first boosts the ISO setting and turns off the flash, while the second takes two shots in quick succession, one with flash and one without.

The remaining option on the dial is the somewhat misleadingly named Manual mode. It doesn't provide fully manual exposure controls but instead calculates exposure automatically and provides access to metering, white balance, and auto focus mode selections that are not available in the fully automatic shooting mode.

Those controls are also available in the priority modes. Other physical controls include a review mode button, a button for activating face detection modes, and a display button that turns off icons or activates a rule of thirds grid overlay. As is typical in Fuji cameras, the menu system is split between the main menu button and a function button a setup that makes the menus short and quick to navigate.

My only complaint about the menu system is that, as in other Fuji point and shoots, the menu turns off when you make a selection so that you have to reenter the system for each setting change. The menu button also serves as a center OK button for the four way controller, which itself provides direct access to exposure compensation, flash settings, the self timer, and a macro mode. Overall, the F50fd's control layout is efficient and comfortable to use. Covering the rest of the camera's back is a 2.7 inch LCD that shows a clear, detailed image and remains viewable in most lighting conditions, as well as when it's held at high and low angles and off to the side.

You can not only adjust its brightness but also change the camera's power setting to boost the screen's clarity and refresh rate other power options include a mode that maximizes the auto focus speed and one that extends the battery life. Another nice component of this camera's design is its memory card slot, which is more likely than most to be compatible with cards you already own; accepting either SD/SDHC or xD-Picture Card media.

Fuji FinePix Z5fd

The Z5fd is stylish looking, with a well constructed metal body. When opened, its sliding front cover turns the camera on to expose the 3X zoom lens and built in flash. A small number of buttons puts essential controls at the photographer's fingertips. These buttons also provide one touch activation of a face detection mode and a digital anti blur mode that boosts the shutter speed and ISO setting to capture sharper automatic shots.

Another function button on the camera provides quick access to quality, ISO, and color settings. Not every feature gets a quick access button, however exposure compensation and continuous shooting modes are among those that don't.

You have to go into the main LCD menu to use them. The Z5fd is oriented toward automatic shooting and provides just 12 scene modes, in addition to natural light and natural light + flash modes.

The latter takes a quick pair of shots, one with flash and one without, and lets you save the one you prefer. The 3X zoom lens offers a 35mm equivalent focal length range of 36mm to 108mm, with a maximum aperture of f/3.5 on the wide end to f/4.2 when zoomed in.

It's an average range, with no especially noteworthy capabilities. In most situations, Z5fd's 2.5 inch LCD viewfinder works well and presents a sharp, clearly visible image. You can adjust not only the display's brightness but also its refresh rate, making your own choice about which is more important a smooth view or battery stamina.

The LCD even has an internal sensor that automatically adjusts the display's gain in low light so that you can see what you're photographing. In bright light it's still fairly easy to use as a viewfinder. Like many of Fujifilm's recent cameras, this model incorporates IrSimple connectivity, which lets you beam images to, and receive them from, compatible devices. IrSimple hasn't been broadly implemented in imaging devices, but it can be a handy way to exchange photos with friends who also have Fujifilm cameras.

Fuji FinePix A920

Designed specifically for the first time digital camera buyer and consumers seeking an affordable, easy to operate upgrade to their current digital camera, Fujifilm's FinePix A920 is loaded with features usually reserved for more advanced models. The camera incorporates Fujifilm's signature Super CCD sensor technology, a 4.0x optical zoom lens and features a 2.7" LCD.

Unlimited Calling Annual plan by Teleblend

Hi,

We have been suggesting people to make use of voip for making phone calls. A large number of people living in USA and Canada have already replaced their traditional calling system with voip phones. Even many offices in India, small and large businesses have shifted to voip for making national and international calls and must say they must be saving lot of money at this time of recession.

Now once you have decided that you want to use voip for making phone calls, next is to decide a voip provider (a package) which suits you and will help you save money. It completely depends what package may suit you but considering that a large part of calls are local calls only (USA to USA, Canada etc) its better to choose a package offering you cheap international calls (Cheap calls to India, Cheap calls to Pakistan) and unlimited calls to USA (I have said this will completely depend on your type of business and target customers).

Anyways, considering an annual plan may be a nice options for several reasons. Firstly no tension of monthly payments, second and most important reason being that it will again save you money. Annual calling plans are much cheaper than monthly packages. These plans have their disadvantages too (service has got to be reliable otherwise you will have to suffer a whole year or cancel your package).

Teleblend, a very well known voip provider has revealed a new annual service plan that will feature a reduced rate for customers who want to pay for an entire year of service in advance.

The annual calling plan plan is available nationwide and features Unlimited calling to the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico for only $169.95 per year. They say that it will help you around $500 (annual).

Teleblend targets to provide a superior home phone service that offers increased functionality, free calling features, unlimited long distance calling and low international rates.

TeleBlend also has a unlimited calling plan for international users (making calls toIndia), the product is called the Free India Plan.

Free Indian plan offered unlimited calling to India, the U.S., and Canada for only $49.95 per month. It is available to new customers nationwide(USA) with no contracts or minimum commitments, it was indeed, one of the first calling plans available that features unlimited calling to India.

Apart from all these calling plans, Teleblend also offers Refer a friend program in which it offers one free month of voip phone calls for each referal.

I was wondering f any voip provider offer annual calling plan for making unlimited calls to India. I guess it will save you lot of money. Do let us know if you know any of such service.

Enjoy Cheap calling...
Cheers...!!

Send free sms from Internet to Mobile in USA

Sms industry is very big. More people like to send sms than to talk. We have many a times posted about various services to send text sms directly from Internet (your PC) to mobile anywhere in world. You can send free sms to Cuba, India, Pakistan just anywhere in world.

IMJunky allows you to send free sms to anyone living in USA. You can send unlimited number of free text messages to their cell phone for free.

Step by step procedure -:

1. Visit Imjunky
2. Enter the receiving mobile number. (Where you want to send sms)
3.Enter the subject.
4. Enter the message.
5. Select the receivers operator.
6. Click on Send Message.

Enjoy sending free sms to mobile directly from your Pc using Internet.

Fuji FinePix Z10

The 7.2 MegaPixel FinePix Z10fd features an ultra portable design, making it easy to take this sexy micro mini camera anywhere you go and it comes in five brilliant colors to match the latest styles of today's fashionistas Wave Blue, Wasabi Green, Hot Pink, Sunset Orange, and Midnight Black.

It also sports a Fujinon 3x optical Zoom lens, 2.5" LCD screen and packs 54MB of internal memory to give you some extra room when your memory card has had its fill.

With its stunning high resolution LCD, the FinePix Z10fd also has a cool new slideshow mode from Fujifilm that let's you view and share your photos spontaneously with friends with music provided to help set the mood.

Fuji Finepix F40fd

The F40fd's design is pleasingly minimalist. It measures a somewhat slim 2.3 by 3.8 by 0.9 inches and weighs 5.1 ounces. The camera features 3X optical zoom with an 8 mm to 24 mm range (which is equivalent to a 35mm lens with a 36 mm-108 mm zoom) and corresponding maximum f-stops of f/2.8 to f/5.1. One of this camera's features I really like is relatively new to Fuji face detection.

The Fuji FinePix S6000fd, a super zoom, also has this function, hence the "fd" suffix. With this feature enabled, when you're setting up a shot, you'll see white squares appear around people's faces on the camera's 2.5 inch LCD. The person closest to the camera gets a green square, and becomes the primary focus of the shot most cameras just automatically focus on the center of a shot with no regard for its composition.

In my testing, this feature was accurate most of the time, in both group and standalone shots. Another handy function is the F40fd's clunkily named "Natural Light and With Flash" two shot mode. This mode comes in handy when you're not sure if the flash is necessary in a given situation. In this mode, with the press of a button the camera snaps two shots in quick succession, one with and one without flash.

The two shots are then momentarily displayed on the LCD side by side. As we noted in the Fuji FinePix S6000fd review, the camera also adjusts its ISO settings when using this function. My "without flash" shot upped the ISO to 2,000, whereas the flash shot went down to 800 ISO. As is typical, the higher ISO shot showed some colored noise. Fuji's Picture Stabilization technology helps you capture clear action shots.

The camera reduces blur by increasing the ISO based on movement, and the company claims it can do so with low noise. In my high ISO test shots (1,600 ISO), the F40fd did a decent job, with some colored noise, but nothing too prominent. Colors and flesh tones retained vibrancy and accuracy. Like most point and shoots, the F40fd does not have fully manual modes, although you can adjust exposure compensation, white balance, ISO, image size, and color settings.

There's even a black and white mode. The F40fd has three burst modes one that saves the first two shots of a sequence, one that takes the last two, and one that saves a continuous stream of unlimited shots. Continuous burst mode was almost painfully slow in my testing the other modes were speedy but saved only two shots. The Canon PowerShot A550 has much better burst modes.

Sony Handycam HDR-SR5

Mostly, however, the SR5 simply confirms my belief that decent HD video will still run you more than $1,000. (But spending another $300 or so to upgrade from the 40GB SR5 to the 100GB SR5C, doesn't count.) If you discount the small touch screen LCD and lack of an eye level viewfinder, the SR5 has a perfectly serviceable design. With its shiny silver and matte black duo tone body, it lacks the sophistication of the 7 series models, but that's pretty typical for the camcorder B-list.

At about 1 pound, 3 ounces, it weighs down a jacket pocket but is pretty comfortable to hold during extended shooting. As you'd expect for the money, it feels solidly built, with nice touches such as a sliding jack cover, an electronic lens cover, and a sturdy tethered hot shoe protector.

The rest of the controls on the body sit in the places you'd expect to find them zoom switch, photo shutter, and power or mode switch fall under your index finger, while the stop and start record button lies under your thumb.

A tiny button for turning on the flash (for still photography) sits between the power and record controls. On the left side of the gripping ridge formed by the hard disk enclosure is the NightShot switch.

Underneath the LCD you'll find the buttons for for completely automatic operation (Easy), cycling through the display options, and launching thumbnail views, plus the slot for the Memory Stick Pro Duo that's required for shooting still photos. Also typical at least for Sony you operate almost all of the camcorder's functions via the touch screen menu system.

As I've said before, and will repeat ad nauseam, the 2.7 inch LCD is too small for comfortable touch screen operation. You have to press the tiny navigation icons with the very tips of your fingers, something that gets even more difficult in colder climes. Thankfully, there are larger, easier to press icons for adjusting exposure compensation, white balance, focus, and choosing scene modes.

Free Local Calling minutes in India by Reliance; 3G ready GSM Service

Hi,

Competition among the telecom providers in India is getting healthy and this clearly is shown by the latest offer by Reliance telecommunications (Rcom).

After launching its voip calling service Reliance iCall for its international users, Reliance has launched its 3G ready service in India and become the India's first private telecom provider to offers its service in both CDMA and Gsm technology. Their network is really vast and Beyond calling and messaging, it lets you e-mail, MMS, download videos, get live cricket scores, listen to music of your choice, blog and even surf the Net.

Actually this time Reliance has launched an amazing offer for its Indian users. It is offering free minutes on daily basis till three-Six months plus free sms plus talktime and all this at a very cheap rate.

This offer is called Customer Experience pack and is available to people living in following states-: Andhra Pradesh, Chennai ,Gujarat ,Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh-E and Uttar Pradesh-W.

Let me put forward the customer pack for Mumbai people -:
Validity - 6 months
First E-Recharge MRP - Rs 50
Talktime you get - Rs 44.50
Special benifit (its great) - Rs 10/Day (free)
Night calling : Free to local/Intra Circle Reliance GSM & CDMA Mobile

This talktime can be used to make all local calls and to send all local SMS to any network.
All unutilised balance given free will be forfeited at the end of the day.
The Special benefit of Talktime and night calling is subject to First E-recharge of Rs 50 and will be valid for first 3months.

The free minutes and first recharge varies with the states and for some states first recharge MRP is as low as Rs 20.

This customer Experience pack by Rcom has left other telecom companies (Airtel, Idea) amazed. We have seen that if one companies bring any new offers in the market, soon the other telecom companies follows with either same or a better offer. But Rcom customer experience pack is a very bold step by Rcom (Reliance is a very big company and they can obviously afford these steps) but it will be very difficult for other companies to match it.

I guess this Rcom offer will bring a lot of new customers to Relince. Now many of you might be thinking of switching to Rcom, hey just don't think go for it. Its really a great offer. I would suggest you to buy Reliance new sim (extra sim) as its really cheap and you don't want to miss this one.

For our international readers, guys if you are looking for Free calls to India or Cheap calls to Pakistan then just surf the blog, these days voip calling rates are very cheap and I am sure you will find a good deal.

Happy Free calling....!
Cheers.....!!

RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120

If you were to go on looks alone, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the original BlackBerry Pearl and RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120. We can't really knock the lack of changes to the design either, since you're getting a full featured smart phone in a cell phone like form factor that's pocket able and comfortable to use as a mobile.

The Pearl 8120 keeps the same compact frame, measuring 4.2 inches tall by 1.9 inches wide by 0.5 inch deep and even weighs less at 3.2 ounces. And while the casing might appear to be black, it's actually an attractive deep sapphire blue. The overall design of the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120 remains the same as the original Pearl. You do, however, get new interface themes, graphics, and more, including this L-shaped menu.

On front, there is a 2.25 inch nontouch display with a 65.000 color output and 260x240 pixel resolution. It's also equipped with a light sensing technology that automatically adjusts the backlight depending on the environment. All these factors combined make for a sharp and vibrant screen, but RIM also made some enhancements to the user interface to make it more visually pleasing and easier to use.

There are new themes, including an L-shaped menu format, new graphics, fonts, and colors. The changes aren't anything to write home about, but they certainly make for a better user experience.

The SureType keyboard will admittedly give some users some trouble, but also features enhanced word completion for easier text entry.

Below the display, you'll find the same navigation array of previous Pearls, which includes Talk and End keys, the BlackBerry menu shortcut, a back button, the pearl like trackball, and of course, the SureType keyboard.

As we've said many times in the past, the modified keyboard isn't going to suit everyone (present company included), and there is a bit of a learning curve to the text entry. However, we understand that some concessions had to be made in order to fit a QWERTY keyboard into a smaller space. The SureType software also now features improved word completion and an easier way to correct misspelled words, though we didn't notice a huge difference.

Among other things, the left side of the smart phone holds a 3.5 mm headphone jack and microSD or SDHC slot that can accept up to 8GB cards. On the left spine, there's a 3.5mm headphone jack, a mini USB port, a microSD or SDHC memory card slot, and a push to talk button. Meanwhile, the right side holds a volume rocker and a camera activation button.

Both the PTT and camera keys can, however, be reprogrammed to launch other applications if you prefer. There's a mute button on top of the unit, and finally, the camera lens, self-portrait mirror and flash are located on the back.

Nokia E90 Communicator

The Nokia E90 Communicator is a mammoth. The handset measures a whopping 5.2 inches tall by 2.2 inches wide by 0.7 inch deep and weighs 7.4 ounces, so you can pretty much forget about slipping this into a pants pocket, comfortably anyway. On the upside, the smart phone has a solid construction and looks like it could weather some rough treatment. It's also got a decidedly no nonsense, corporate look, which suits its intended audience of power business users.

Like its feature set, the Nokia E90 Communicator's design is quite large. The exterior of the E90 features a 2 inch diagonal, 16 million color display with a 320x240 pixel resolution. It's not a touch screen, but text and images are vibrant and sharp. Below the screen, you'll find a standard navigation array of two soft keys, Talk and End buttons, a shortcut to the Main Menu, a four way toggle with center select key, and the alphanumeric dial pad.

This is one area where the phone's bigger size is an advantage since the extra room allows for large buttons that are easy to press.

The extra room does allow for a roomy alphanumeric dial pad and navigation array. Aside from roomy controls, there's another benefit to Nokia E90's bulkiness.

The candy bar style phone opens up to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard and a 3.6 inch wide internal display.

The latter has a 16 million color output and 800x352 pixel resolution that makes for an impressive view. The wide screen also lends itself really well for browsing Web sites and reading documents and emails. Also, flanking the screen is another set of Talk and End buttons and two soft keys. Opening the candy bar style smart phone reveals a 3.6 inch internal display and full QWERTY keyboard.

The keyboard shouldn't give users too many problems as far as typing with ease and accuracy. The individual buttons are roomy, so it's not an issue that there isn't much spacing between them. They also have a tactile feel to them our only complaint would be that they're a bit stiff to press.

In addition, there's a dedicated number row, and right below the display, you will find shortcuts to various applications, including Contacts, Messaging, Web, and Calendar. On the right spine, there's a voice recorder button and a camera activation key, while the bottom of the device has a mini USB port, a power connector, and a 2.5 millimeter headset jack. On the back you will find the 3.2 megapixel camera and flash, and a microSD expansion slot.

Are you satisfied wih Mediaringtalk ? Which is better Nymgo or Mediaringtalk

Hi,

Mediaringtalk has made a big name in this industry, but keeping the name is a big deal. Nymgo on the other hand just launched its service, offers very cheap rates (cheaper than mediaringtalk), good voice quality and it too has become very popular among voip users (I guess we were the first few ones to post (blog post) about Nymgo).

This questions is actually a tuff one to answer which service (Nymgo or Mediarintalk) one should go for ?

You will find both positive and negative points for both services (both satisfied and unsatisfied customers).

One of the very important point to be checked while choosing your voip provider is its customer support. Many a times it happens that after purchasing credit you face some difficulty making calls, you try to contact customer support (but no response) and you end loosing up money.

Recently, this happened with one of our regular readers Mr Alpesh (Problem with Mediaringtalk). He posted about his experience in the comment sections and asked me to make others aware of it. Below is Alpesh's experience lifted from comments section.

"I signed up for mediaring talk & subscribed for 10$. I am having lot of problem. Nymgo is far much better.

Here is the problem that I had & still having: I downloaded MediaringTalk, installed it & logged in. It logs out hardly in one minute after logging in. This is happening continuously. So, even if you make a call it gets disconnected (since it logs out on its own). I have been exchanging emails with them since last 3 - 4 days. But seems that I have wasted my 10$. I made a video showing them the problem, But i always got a reply telling that there is some problem with the zip file. I send them the application log file as well. Finally i was asked to disable firewall & antivirus. But that was also not a solution. I had received a call when I placed an order for 10$. So I asked them to call me back so that the problem can be fixed. But it seems that they call only for order confirmation & not to provide any support.

They keep on mailing me to open different TCP & UDP Ports. Why will i put in time to open ports. I would rather prefer putting in extra penny to get peace of mind. "

Its quite possible that majority of people may not face any problem with Mediaringtalk but for a voip provider to survive in this competitive market, its important to answer queries of all customers. Good Customer support is very important.

Mediaringtalk is really a very nice PC to Phone calling service and I just hope people from Mediarintalk read this post and take suitable action to correct the above said problem.

BlackBerry Storm 9530

Designed to satisfy the needs of both consumers and business customers, the BlackBerry Storm smart phone offers a revolutionary touch screen that dramatically enhances the touch interface and enables easy and precise typing. The world's first "clickable" touch screen responds much like a physical keyboard and also supports single touch, multi touch and gestures for intuitive and efficient application navigation.

Whether traveling to Europe or Asia, the Storm provides globetrotters the freedom of reliable global connectivity with Verizon Wireless's reliable, high speed 3G CDMA network here in the United States and compatibility with GSM networks abroad. The SurePress touchscreen with tactile click response allows you to accurately navigate and type messages on the BlackBerry Storm.

The Storm's built in accelerometer automatically switches the screen between landscape mode and portrait modes as it rotates. It's compatible with the V Cast Music and V CAST Music with Rhapsody services, which enables you to purchase songs through your phone and download them via Verizon Wireless's fast EV-DO data network. You'll also benefit from the phone's A-GPS receiver, which enables you to access Verizon Wireless's VZ Navigator service for turn by turn directions.

Other features include a 3.2 megapixel camera and camcorder, Bluetooth connectivity for handsfree devices and stereo music streaming, 1 GB internal memory, MicroSD memory expansion to 16 GB, support for up to 10 personal and corporate email accounts, access to popular instant messaging services, and up to 6 hours of talk time.

Sony Ericsson W760a

This AT&T phone can handle high speed data connectivity via AT&T's 3G mobile broadband data network, which is available in most major metropolitan areas. The AT&T 3G network uses the dual band UMTS 850, 1900 MHz network, and this phone is also compatible with 2100 MHz 3G networks (found in international territories).

The AT&T 3G network provides download speeds ranging from 700 Kbps to 1.7 Mbps, and upload speeds ranging from 500 Kbps to 1.2 Mbps. This makes it possible to enjoy a variety of feature rich wireless multimedia services, and it gives you the advantage of offering simultaneous voice and data services. (For use outside the United States, an AT&T international data plan is recommended.)

In areas where the 3G network is not available, you'll continue to receive service on the AT&T EDGE network, which offers availability in more than 13,000 US cities and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. Providing average data speeds between 75-135Kbps, it's fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services, including video and music clips, full picture and video messaging, high speed color Internet access, and email on the go.

You'll also enjoy quad band GSM connectivity, which allows you to make calls in more than 190 countries and access data applications in the more than 135 countries where AT&T offers international data roaming.

With 3G connectivity, you'll be able to access AT&T's Video Share service, which enables you to send a live, one way video stream to another compatible phone during a standard voice call.

The service also allows you to switch the direction of the video stream during the same phone call. (Customers must be in an area served by the company's 3G network and have a Video Share enabled phone.)

A majority of users in the architecture, engineering and construction industries rated the ability to share live video through Video Share highly, according to research commissioned by AT&T.

Video Share lets you see progress on a job site or review the day's work without having to drive from an office or other site to do so. You can take advantage of the AT&T Navigator GPS software and service, a full featured premium navigation application that includes audible turn by turn directions, real time traffic updates and re-routing options, and 3D moving maps (additional charges applicable).

AT&T Navigator offers several other features to make your commute more enjoyable and reliable, including mobile access to Yellowpages.com. Additionally, AT&T Navigator is the only mobile phone based GPS service that provides integrated speech recognition for address entry and points of interest search. With 3G connectivity, you'll be able to access AT&T's Cellular Video (CV) service and the Internet while on the go.

Cellular Video features content from CNN, The Weather Channel, iFilm, Comedy Central and exclusive premium content from HBO and much more. And you get access to AT&T Mobile Music, which enables you to buy tracks while on the, access the Napster and eMusic subscription music services, stream music video, discover what's playing with Music ID song recognition software, and find out what's hot with The Buzz music news portal. (A MEdia Max subscription bundle is recommended for accessing AT&T's Internet, video, and music services.)

Sony Ericsson Z525a

Sony Ericsson's reputation for cutting edge design is well represented with the Z525a. There's a 128 x 160 display housed under the cover while the outside sports a supplementary 101 x 80 color screen that can display time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. The VGA (640 x 480) camera is housed on the front cover as well. The z525a uses an internal antenna nothing to snag or break off and a five way button just above the dial pad is used to control most of the phone's menus and features.

Up and down buttons on the left side of the phone can be used for quick volume control and menu navigation. USB data and charging ports, as well as a headset port, are located on the phone's bottom edge.

And because the z525a's front and rear face plates are changeable with Sony Ericsson Style Up covers, you can dress it up to suit your style. Color light effects around the keypad complete the calling and messaging experience.

The Z525a's phone book can hold up to 510 contacts with multiple entries per contact. A call list remembers your most recent missed, received and dialed calls.

The phone's voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names. The phone also features a speaker phone for easy, hands free talking.

In addition to a vibrating alert, the phone supports polyphonic ringtones as well as MP3 ringers, allowing you to use portions of your favorite songs to alert you to incoming calls. There's even a bundled application that lets you mix your own ringtones with up to 16 tracks. Meanwhile, more ringtones can be downloaded from Cingular's MEdia Net wireless web service. Picture caller ID lets you assign a photo to specific callers. Similarly, a ringer ID lets you assign ringtones to callers. And don't forget that the Z525a's Bluetooth radio lets you use a wide range of wireless headsets for hands free calling.

Cingular Push To Talk is a walkie talkie type service that allows you to instantly reach others by eliminating the dialing and ringing steps in a regular cellular call. Push to talk calls can be made to one person or to a group of people. Choose Cingular Push To Talk as an add on service to your voice plan to enable the service on the Z525a. Cingular's unique service allows you to see who is available before you initiate a call. Plus, you can place yourself in "do not disturb" mode if you do not want to receive push to talk calls.

Sony Ericsson Z310a

In addition to making crystal clear calls, with the Sony Ericsson Z310a in hand you can send and receive email, browse the Web, synchronize your PC calendar and contacts, and more. Built in Bluetooth technology offers wireless freedom for hands free headsets and PC downloads. Other great features include a rounded clamshell design with an internal antenna, a VGA camera, RSS reader, EDGE data, a speaker phone, disappearing front indicators, an external display, and more.

With its quad band connectivity, this phone communicates over GSM or GPRS networks and AT&T offers voice roaming in more than 190 countries and data roaming in more than 130 countries. The Z310a's 65.000 color, 128 x 160 display is housed under the front cover while the semi transparent front of the clamshell sports a hidden display (measuring 96 x 64 pixels in monochrome) that can display time, caller information, and more.

Located just above the outer display are unique disappearing backlit indicator icons that indicate battery and signal strength, message status, and multimedia status. The indicators fade away when not in use, leaving the phone's outer interface clean and sleek looking. The handset's VGA camera is housed on the front cover as well, just above the indicator icons.

The Z310a uses an internal antenna leaving nothing to snag or break off and a five way button just above the dial pad is used to control most of the phone's menus and features. Up and down buttons on the left side of the phone can be used for quick volume control and menu navigation. USB data and charging ports, as well as a headset port, are located on the phone's bottom edge.

The cover includes a monochrome display as well as backlit indicator icons that show battery and signal strength, message status, and multimedia status. The Z310a's call list remembers most of your recent missed, received, and dialed calls. The phone also features a speaker phone for easy, hands free talking. In addition to a vibrating alert, the phone supports polyphonic ringtones as well as MP3 and AAC format ringers, allowing you to use portions of your favorite songs to alert you to incoming calls.

There's even a bundled application that lets you mix your own ringtones with up to 16 tracks. Picture caller ID lets you assign a photo to specific callers. Similarly, a ringer ID lets you assign ringtones to callers. Lastly, the phone also comes with conference call capabilities an ideal feature for both business and leisure applications. Because the Z310a is Bluetooth enabled, wireless communication headsets can be configured with the phone for total hands free operation.

The phone comes with a built in email client with support for POP3 and IMAP4 protocols, while the included Access NetFront Web Browser allows you to surf full HTML web sites. It also supports RSS feeds, allowing you to use your phone to view up to the minute news and other content from selected Web sites and blogs.

Just subscribe to the feed and let it come to you. Support is built in for sending and receiving text, video, graphics and sound via messages. T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

Virgin Mobile Free sms offers for Indian customers

Hi,

Few months back Virgin mobile launched thier service in India. Their get paid to receive calls service was the first of its kind in India and still it is the only such service in India.

At Free Pc to Phone calls, we try to provide users with best deals and help them save money. As we have many Indian readers, I guess it will be benificial for them to know the latest offers by different service poviders in India.

Virgin Mobile website is full of offers, some are really great. Virgin Mobile is now allowing users to send 200 sms free of cost, just paying for first three sms. User will get 100 local sms and 100 national sms free. Isn't it great..?

Actually Virgin Mobile is totally targetting youth of India and I guess they are quite successful in that. Their advertisement, color schemes, mobile phone plans, calling rates everything suits for the Youth. It has been found in surveys that Youth sends 6 times more sms'es than phone calls and this is the reason mobile companies bring special sms plans.

For the above said plan, first 3 local sms will cost you Rs 1 each and first three national sms Rs 1.5 each, thereafter you will get 200 free sms to any network in India.

Apart from this offers, some of the ongoing offers by Virgin Mobile include "buy any super hot virgin mobile phone and get three months subscription to Femina or Filmfare or Topgear. You also get 499 Local Minutes, 499 Local SMS and a lot more".

Also to inform all our blog readers Reliance telecom has launched their 3G service in India (with some great offers) and we will be posting about it on this blog very soon.

Keep your number and switch service Provider : Mobile Number Portability in India

Hi,

The concept of Mobile number portability is still a concept in India, and is yet to be implemented. I guess many of you must be thinking to switch your mobile service provider but won't be doing that as you don't want to loose your mobile number.

Soon, if you are not satisfied with your mobile service provider (may be rates are high, or may be there are no schemes or for any other reason), then you will easily be able switch to some other mobile service provider that too without loosing your mobile number and keeping the same.

Mobile number portability simple means that Mobile number will not be permanently associaed with any provider. I guess this type concept is highly benicificial both for the customers and for mobile service providers.

Many a times people don't join a new service provider just because they will be loosing their mobile number (which they don't want to). This way a already grown network keeps growing and leaves no room for a new service provider. Mobile number portability will remove monopoly of these service providers.

Department of Telecom (DoT) has invited bids from companies with worldwide experience to implement MNP in India. It is expected that customers will be to access this facility in the second half of 2009.

DoT has also revealed that TRAI will decide the amount which customer will have to pay. In 2006, Trai had recommended that consumers pay between Rs 200 and Rs 300 every time he/she wants to change their service provider.

Lets just hope that MNP is launched in India soon.

Cheers.

Sony Ericsson S500i

As we mentioned, the S500i is a very stylish and eye catching handset. It has a classy and sophisticated appearance, and there are even glowing LEDs along the sides whenever it's activated, making it appear extra sparkly. Not only is the S500i sleek, it's also compact, measuring only 3.9 inches by 1.8 inches by 0.5 inch and weighing about 3.3 ounces. The S500i is one of a few phones that Sony Ericsson has manufactured in a slider design, the others being the W580i and the W850i.

We like the slider mechanism quite a bit the movement was smooth yet sturdy, and didn't feel too loose at all. There is a slight sloping curl along the chin of the phone that you can use to push the phone open, and to close it, you can slide your thumb down on the raised toggle making the entire sliding process completely one handed. The Sony Ericsson S500i has a 2 megapixel camera on the back. The beauty of the S500i's display can't be denied.

It measures a little more than 2 inches diagonally and supports 262.000 colors and a lovely 240x320 pixel resolution. Colors popped from the screen and images showed up well.

You can adjust the phone's brightness and that's about it. Underneath the display is the navigation array, which consists of two skinny soft keys, a circular toggle with a central OK key, a Back key, a Clear key, a dedicated Web access key, plus a key dedicated to opening a My Shortcuts menu.

The circular toggle also doubles as four user defined shortcuts. Even though we found the toggle easy to use, we thought the surrounding keys felt a bit too small for our taste. This is especially true for the two soft keys, which are extremely skinny. Slide open the phone and you'll find a pretty decent number keypad. We were surprised that the keys weren't as flat as most keys on slider handsets.

There was noticeable textural difference between each tile like key, and the keys have a nice give when pressed. That said, the keypad did feel a tiny bit crowded and some users have complained about the keys cracking, though that was not a problem we encountered. There's a lovely white backlight emanating from the keypad when the phone is activated.

A slim volume control rests on the left spine, while the charger or headset jack is on the right. On top of the S500i is the memory stick slot plus the Power button. We wished the Power button was a bit larger, but it wasn't too difficult to press. Also, if you slide up the phone, you'll reveal a camera lens on the back of the phone. There's no flash or self portrait mirror, however.

Sony Ericsson Z750a

Like many Sony Ericsson phones, the Z750a comes in multiple colors phantom gray and rose pink. The pink version, which we examined, isn't as garish as the pink model of the Z310a, but it's still bright and shiny. It shows your reflection, albeit a rose tinted one, and like any mirror, it attracts fingerprints. We weren't crazy about it, to be frank, but it's certainly eye catching. As stated above, the Z750a is a tad bulky, but not excessively so.

It measures 3.8 inches by 1.9 inches by 0.8 inch and weighs 3.9 ounces. It fits in comfortably, but the outer plastic casing felt a bit flimsy. The Z750a's external display is similar to the Z310a's.

Though it's invisible when the back lighting is off, a quick flick of the left spine volume rocker makes it appear in the center of the front face. It's a unique touch, particularly since the display has a vertical orientation, but we didn't love it.

Though the display shows the time, battery life, signal strength, and number caller ID, it's rather small when compared with the phone's overall size.

That means that the text is also small and that the screen won't show photo caller ID or work as a viewfinder for the camera lens. Also, the display is difficult to see in direct light.

Like most Sony Ericsson phones, the Z750a has an excellent internal display that measures 2.25 inches (240x320 pixels) and supports 262.144 colors. Colors were vibrant and images were crisp, though the display can be difficult to see in direct light. You can change the brightness and the clock size, but none of the other options are customizable.

Sony Ericsson P1i

The Sony Ericsson P1i has the familiar design of many of the company's cell phones but most closely resembles the M600i. The candy bar shape smart phone is compact and light at 4.1 inches by 2.1 inches by 0.7 inch deep and 4.4 ounces, and sports a traditional but attractive silver and black casing. It's certainly a huge improvement over the bulky P990i. With a solid construction, the P1i is comfortable to use as a phone, and it has a nice soft touch finish on the back to make it easier to grip.

It also won't make too much of a tight fit in a pants pocket. The Sony Ericsson P1i next to the RIM BlackBerry Curve. The P1i boasts a beautiful 2.6 inch display that shows off 262,144 colors at a 320x240 pixel resolution. It's sharp and bright, and you can adjust the backlight timer, theme, wallpaper, menu style (grid or list views), and more to suit your personal style. Even better, it's a touch screen, so you can enter data, navigate the various menus, and launch applications with just touch of your finger or stylus.

For the most part, the screen was responsive to our commands, though the smart phone's somewhat sluggish performance originally had us thinking otherwise (see Performance section for more). Like the Sony Ericsson M600i, the P1i features a dual function rocker style keyboard that's surprisingly easy to use. Given the smaller footprint, the Sony Ericsson P1i doesn't have a full QWERTY keyboard but sports the dual function rocker style keyboard like the M600i's.

(You also have the option of entering text using the onscreen keyboard or handwriting recognition system.) There are two letters per key, and if you press it to the left, it inputs one letter pressing it to the right enters the other letter. Admittedly, it takes a bit of acclimation to use the keyboard, but not as much as one would think. We got the hang of it pretty quickly, and the tactile buttons are large and have a fair amount of spacing between them for easy typing.

The number buttons are outlined in red to help you locate them in a sea of black. Unlike many smart phones today, there are no dedicated Talk and End keys on the P1i, so you'll have to use the touch screen to make and end calls. There's also no navigation toggle, but you do get a scroll wheel on the left spine (as well as a back button and a cell phone strap loop) that you can depress to select an item.

Though this control allows for easier one handed use, we did miss having the directional keypad and we often found ourselves having to use the jog wheel for one task, the touch screen for another, and the keyboard for yet another function it just wasn't the most seamless experience and got to be frustrating.

On the right, you'll find a customizable shortcut button, a proprietary Sony Memory Stick Micro (M2) expansion slot, and a camera activation key. The camera lens and flash are located on the back, while there is a connector for the AC adapter and headset on the bottom. Of the latter, Sony Ericsson uses a proprietary port, so that's a bit of annoyance particularly where the headset is concerned.

Sony Ericsson W880i

Sony Ericsson was relatively late to the thin phone craze, but the W880i certainly would qualify as a svelte model. At 4 inches by 1.8 inches by 0.4 inch, it's extremely slim and sleek, but it fits comfortably in the hand. It's also light (2.5 ounces) but has a solid and sturdy feel. The phone comes in two color schemes a black and orange version and a silver and black model. We examined the former in this review, but our observations apply to either handset.

The W880i's display measures 1.75 inches and supports 262,144 colors. It's bright and vivid and displays everything form text to graphics well. You can only change the brightness, so users with visual impairments may want to test the phone first. The dialing text is large, but the messaging text is quite small. The menu system is uncomplicated and free of heavy graphics and animation.

Unfortunately, that's where the W880i's design good points end. We'll start with the navigation controls first. The problem isn't that you don't get enough keys rather it's that those keys are just too small.

The orange and silver navigation toggle and central OK button are the least offending of the bunch. Both are raised above the surface of the phone, and the toggle's top and bottom edges have tactile ridges.

Yet we'd still prefer something bigger. The toggle can be set as a shortcut to four user defined functions, and it doubles as a control for the Walkman player.

Surrounding the toggle are two soft keys, back and clear buttons, a Web browser shortcut, and an Activity control that opens a handy shortcuts menu. Like the toggle, these keys are tactile, but they're just too small.

More than once we pressed two keys accidentally. Per usual Sony Ericsson practice, there are no dedicated Talk and End buttons (the soft keys perform those functions), but the placement of the power control baffled us. Rather than featuring a dedicated power button (another Sony Ericsson hallmark), the W880i combines it with the clear button.

Though that's not the most ideal combination, we were more concerned with finding the control in the first place. The power icon is so small and so hard to see that we had to consult the manual to turn the phone on. And even when powering the phone the second time we had to look closely to find it again.

Sony Ericsson W810i

For the navigation keys, the W810i takes a different design approach than it did with the W800i and W600i. Besides scrolling through the attractive, user friendly menus (available in four styles), the sliver, circular navigation toggle serves as a shortcut to four user defined functions in standby mode. Also, when in Walkman mode, the toggle acts as your tool for scanning through your music list. In the middle of the toggle is a raised OK button that resembles a tiny joystick.

In addition to opening the main menu, the OK button is the play or pause control for the music player. Overall, both controls are tactile and easy to use, and we like that they're raised above the surface of the phone. On the downside, however, they're a bit small, especially for users with larger mitts. On either side of the toggle are two soft keys, a Clear button, and a Back key. In standby mode, the soft keys open the main menu and the Recent Calls list.

They're stiff to the touch, however, and it should be noted they double as the Talk or End controls. Sony Ericsson tends to forgo dedicated Talk or End keys it's not our favorite arrangement, but you get used to it. The final two buttons are an orange Walkman key that turns the media player on and off and a silver control for opening a user programmed shortcuts menu.

In all, the generous shortcut options are welcome. We've knocked Sony Ericsson in the past for its poorly designed keypads, but we're happy to report that the company got it just about right this time around. Instead of recessed or flat buttons, the W810i's keypad is raised above the surface of the phone, making it easy to dial by feel. The keys are spacious, and our only real complaint is that the orange back lighting was rather dim.

Completing the outside of the phone are a music player button and a Memory Stick Pro Duo slot on the left spine, a camera control and a volume and camera zoom toggle on the right spine, and a dedicated power button and the infrared port on top. On the bottom of the phone is the port for both the charger and the headset, which means you can't connect two peripherals at the same time.

The camera lens, flash, and self portrait mirror are on the back of the phone just above three round speakers. As with the W800i, you can hold the W810i much like a real camera to take a picture.

Like other Walkman phones, the Sony Ericsson W810i is packed with features that will appeal to multimedia mavens, but we'll get the basics out of the way first.

The phone book holds an impressive 1,000 contacts with room in each entry for five phone numbers work title and company name a birth date additional notes and email, Web, work, and home addresses. You can save 250 more names to the SIM card. You can assign contacts to a caller group and pair them with a picture or one of 23 polyphonic (40 chords) ring tones for caller ID purposes.

A vibrate mode, conference calling, voice dialing, and a speaker phone (usable only after you make a call) round out the calling options. Organizer features include an alarm clock, a calendar, a task list, a notepad, a calculator, a timer, a stopwatch, and a code memo for storing passwords and other secure information. And for the aspiring Linda Tripp, there's a recorder for both voice memos and calls length is limited by available memory. Finally, as with the Sony Ericsson W600i, the camera flash doubles as a tiny flashlight.

Though it's not suitable for finding your way through the woods at night, it's bright enough to help you find your keys in a dark room. Alternatively, you can set it to blink rapidly in SOS mode. Business users shouldn't be disappointed with the W810's offerings. Inside, you'll find full Bluetooth for headsets and data transfers, an infrared port, text and multimedia messaging, email support, USB cable support for data transfers, and PC syncing for contacts and other files.

In addition to sending files or connecting to a headset, you can use the Bluetooth feature as a remote control to connect with another Bluetooth devices. An unusual twist, there's a newsreader for access to news feeds from around the world. Access to BBC World News and Wired News came with the phone, but you van download more feeds if you want them.

The W180i also makes it easy to pass on your contact information by allowing you to beam an electronic business card with your vital data to a contact. Music, of course, is the primary attraction on the W810i, and the player's features, controls, and interface are the same as on other Walkman phones, but they take a little acclimation. Opening the player takes you directly to the main menu, where you can organize music by artist, track name, or playlist.

Settings include album or song shuffle and loop, Sony's Mega Bass, an equalizer, and stereo widening. Switching between the cell phone and the music player is seamless, as music automatically stops when you receive a call. Hang up and press the dedicated music key, and your song picks up from the point you left off.

There's an airplane mode that lets you listen to your tunes in flight with the cell phone turned off, and you can minimize the player while using other functions. Again, you must download music from a PC with the included USB cable and Disc2Phone software, and the W810i doesn't support Bluetooth stereo profiles; Sony Ericsson says it will resolve the latter gripe, however, in near future models, so stay tuned.

Sony Ericsson W980

With so many slider and candy bar Walkman phones, the sleek styling of the W980 is a welcome diversion. The shiny, black skin catches the light without attracting fingerprints or smudges and the clean lines give the handset an attractive edge. Another cool design touch is a quarter inch of clear plastic on the bottom of the front flap. Sure, it's slightly gimmicky, but it's also eye catching and we like how the embedded lights flash when you get a call and when music is playing.

At 3.6 inches tall by 1.8 inches wide by 0.7 inch deep and weighing 3.5 ounces, the phone travels well and fits comfortably in the hand. What's more, the hinge mechanism also feels solid. We noticed, however, that the plastic battery cover feels a bit flimsy and is rather difficult to remove. The external display measures a generous 1.5 inches. It won't support photo caller ID, but it shows the date, time, battery life, signal strength, and numeric caller ID.

None of display's options are adjustable, including the back lighting time. Below the display are the dedicated music controls, which have a design of three overlapping circles. The controls are touch sensitive, so there is little tactile definition besides the center circle being slightly recessed. As expected, you can manipulate all aspects of the player and radio without ever opening the phone.

It makes for a comfortable user experience, yet we had one complaint. When you close the W980, it goes directly into music mode with the external controls activated. It then remains in music mode until you switch to standard mode or activate the locking switch. It was a little annoying, and if there is a way to change it we couldn't find it.

The aforementioned locking switch sits on the left spine below a rather stiff volume rocker and the control that changes the handset from music mode to standard. Twin speakers sit on either spine, and the connection port sits on the right spine. Note that Sony Ericsson uses a proprietary connection for the charger, a wired headset, and a USB cable. Also, the combined port means that you can use only one peripheral at a time.

The camera lens sits on the rear face, which unfortunately is the same place we wanted to rest our finger when we were holding the phone to take a picture. It's also disappointing that you don't get a flash or a self portrait mirror for a 3.2 megapixel camera. The internal display measures 2.25 inches and supports 262.144 colors (320x240 pixels). Like most Sony Ericsson displays, it is bright, vibrant, and colorful, with sharp graphics and photos.

You can adjust the brightness and choose from a selection of menu styles. All of the styles are intuitive but the menu text might be a little small for some people. We were apprehensive about the navigation array typically that's where Sony Ericsson makes design missteps but the W980 pulls through.

The circular keys feature a four way toggle with a central OK button, two soft keys, Talk and End controls, a clear key, and a control that activates a user programmable shortcut menu. Though the controls are flush, they're tactile and easy to use, even if the calling buttons are a bit cramped.

You'll also find a dedicated power button and a Walkman control just below the array. The circular keypad buttons are also flat, but they have a spacious arrangement and a relatively comfortable feel beneath our finger. We could dial and text without any problems, but rapid texting felt a little awkward. The bright back lighting helps in dim situations, but dialing by feel is difficult.

Sony Ericsson TM506

The Sony Ericsson doesn't make a bold style statement, but that doesn't mean it's unattractive. Indeed, we liked its slim profile (3.7 inches tall by 1.9 inches wide by 0.7 inch thick) and its glossy black skin with the amber highlights. This phone would look at home both in the boardroom and in a nightclub. It's also relatively lightweight (3.4 ounces), but it has a comfortable feel and a sturdy hinge. Still, we had a few design gripes.

The external display is small, rectangular, and monochrome. As such, it won't work as a self portrait viewfinder and it can't support photo caller ID. It does show the time, battery life, signal strength, and numeric caller ID, but none of the display's options are customizable. Fortunately, one flick of the volume rocker on the right spine will reactivate the screen's back lighting.

In the right light, the phone's external skin will show some fingerprints and smudges, but they weren't noticeable most of the time.

Besides the volume rocker, there are few remaining features on the TM506's exterior. The Memory Stick Micro slot is in a convenient and readily accessible location on the left spine.

The camera lens sits just above the external display, the charger port rests on the bottom of the phone, and the TM506's single speaker is on the rear side.

Though the TM506's external display is disappointing, its 2.25 inch internal screen is bright, colorful, and vibrant. With support for 262,000 colors, it stands up to Sony Ericsson's long tradition of making great displays. Graphics, photos, and text show up well and gaming was a treat. You can change the brightness level and choose from three easy to use menu interface designs. Initially we were a little wary of the TM506's controls and keypad, but in use, they're not so bad. The circular toggle and central OK button are flush, but they're surrounded by a raised ring that gives them some definition.

The toggle doubles as a shortcut to four user defined functions. The Talk and End buttons, the camera shortcut, and the clear key are also flat, but their arrangement is spacious enough to prevent misdials. The thin sliver soft keys are raised slightly above the surface of the phone, but they're not as tactile as we'd like. There's a dedicated power button just below the keypad.

Sony Ericsson W350a

With straight lines and sharp corners, the Sony Ericsson W350a is just about a perfect rectangle, albeit a thin one at 4.7 inches by 1.7 inches by 0.4 inch. Sony Ericsson never jumped fully onto the slim phone bandwagon but the W350a certainly qualifies. It fits neatly in a pocket and it weighs just 2.8 ounces. The W350a comes in three color schemes electric black, ice blue, and organic white.

We reviewed the black model but the features are the same on both models. The W350a has an attractive display. At 1.8 inches, it's large for phone's overall size and its 262.144 color resolution makes it easy on the eyes. Colors were bright and vibrant and the text was easy to read. The interface is intuitive and you can choose from a number of menus styles. You can adjust the brightness as well. Unfortunately, that is the limit of the design highlights.

To begin with, the W350s is covered in a plastic shell that feels rather flimsy in the hand. This is not a phone we'd want to bang around.

But more importantly, we were confounded by the W350a's strange flap that covers the handset's navigation array and keypad. Since you must tilt the flap down to access the handset's controls, it makes the rectangular W350a something of a candy bar or flip phone hybrid.

Also, when the flap is closed, it protects the numeric keypad while presenting a dedicated set of Walkman controls. In fact, when the handset is closed it looks like standalone MP3 player.

Though it's an interesting and unique idea, the execution isn't so great. We like the idea of dedicated Walkman controls, especially when they allow you to play or pause tunes and scroll through your play lists, but on the W350a those controls aren't real buttons.

Instead, when you press the controls you're actually pushing through to the numeric keypad to make the command. What's more, the Walkman controls are flush and feel rather fragile. The construction of the flap made us worry about its long term durability. Not only is the hinge loose but the flap also doesn't lock into place when it's open.

And considering you must open the flap to do anything besides play music, we're worried that it would wear out fast. You can remove the flap completely if you like, though we're certain that Sony Ericsson wouldn't recommend it. And on a final note, when you close the flap the Walkman player begins automatically. We found no way to change that setting, which is annoying.

LG Incite CT810

Measuring 4.21 inches long by 2.2 inches wide by 0.55 inch thick, the LG Incite is one of the shiniest handsets we've ever seen; its display is reflective when idle, similar to the one on the LG Shine, and the Incite's entire chassis has a mirror finish. You will definitely have a tough time trying to get fingerprint smudges off the phone, and there's no need for a self portrait mirror next to the camera, as the handset's surface itself can act as a mirror.

Like most touch screen handsets, the Incite has a minimalist appeal it is sleek and slim, with few external controls. It's also quite lightweight at 4.23 ounces, so it won't weigh you down, either. The LG Incite has a really reflective surface. Following the lead of other touch screen smart phones like the Samsung Omnia and the HTC Touch, the LG Incite's design is dominated by the large touch screen on the front.

The 3 inch diagonal screen is a 240x400 pixel resolution QVGA display with support for 262.000 colors, which makes for vibrant colors and sharp images.

It doesn't have the screen real estate of other handsets like the Samsung Instinct or the Apple iPhone 3G, but that's only really an issue when it comes to the Web browser (which we'll get to later).

You can adjust the screen's backlight time plus the font size. Because the display is so reflective, we have to say it can be a little tough to read the screen under direct sunlight.

The touch screen on the Incite has haptic tactile feedback, which lets you know, using vibrations, that your touch has registered. You can adjust the sensitivity of the touch response as well as the length and strength of the vibrations. Since the touch screen is resistive, you can use either your finger or the provided stylus to navigate through the screen. We found the touch screen to be mostly responsive, but we did notice some problems with lag sometimes it takes about half a second for a touch to register, which is a little longer than we would like.

We also found that we needed to be very precise in selecting something with the finger, lest we tap the wrong thing. The Incite does come with the aforementioned stylus for more accurate tapping, but we're not fans of having the stylus dangling off the corner of the phone. (You attach the stylus like you would a cell phone charm via a small lanyard.) The LG Incite also has a built in accelerometer, and the screen will change from portrait to landscape mode when you rotate the phone 90 degrees to either the left or the right.

Here again we noticed some lag issues. It occasionally takes about a second for the screen to fully rotate, which can be quite annoying. The Incite also has a proximity sensor, which shuts off the screen when you bring it to the side of your face, so as to prevent accidental taps. We also like that the Incite automatically adjusts the screen's luminance depending on the surrounding light.

LG Lotus

A recipient of the Red Dot Design Award, the design of the LG Lotus is what sets it apart from most other messaging phones. Sure the Verizon Wireless Blitz also has a square and compact shape, but the LG Lotus is not only small, it's slim and sleek as well. Measuring 3.3 inches wide by 2.4 inches tall by 0.7 inch thick, the Lotus is surprisingly chic despite its squat appearance. It comes in both textured purple and satin black, and both give the Lotus a nice sheen.

The Lotus weighs around 3.7 ounces and has a soft touch finish, giving it a comfortable feel in the hand. The LG Lotus has a full QWERTY keyboard. Perhaps due to its wide body, the LG Lotus has a wider than average 1.4 inch external display, which supports up to 65,000 colors. You can adjust the screen saver and the clock, and that's about it.

It displays the usual date, time, battery, and signal strength information, plus it also displays music player information when the music player is activated. The display also acts as a self portrait viewfinder when the camera is activated. Underneath the display is a thin silver strip that is actually home to three dedicated music player keys. They are the previous track, play or pause, and next track keys.

You can hardly see them when the music player isn't activated, but when it is, the keys glow white.

We appreciate that the keys are not touch sensitive unlike those of the LG Chocolate but we wish there was some kind of texture difference between each key.

Instead, the keys are completely flat and you need to look at what you're doing to make sure you're hitting the right one.

Right under the external music player keys are the Sprint logo, the camera lens, and the external speakers.

To the left is the volume rocker and charger jack, while the right spine is home to a headset jack, a dedicated music player key, a dedicated camera key, and a microSD-card slot.

The LG Lotus has a 2.0 megapixel camera. Flip open the Lotus and you'll find a stunning 2.4 inch display that supports up to 262.000 colors. The wider display makes the Lotus ideal for viewing streaming video, and the color support helps make images and graphics look rich and vibrant. You can adjust the screen's backlight time, the screen saver, and the image that appears whenever there's an incoming call. The Lotus comes with Sprint's new One Click navigation interface.

This consists of eight shortcut tiles along the bottom of the home screen, and each tile can become any of 14 shortcuts to applications. You can even have a shortcut that leads to other shortcuts. As you flip through, you will get a small pop-up menu of the application's options. The Google tile, for example, pops up shortcuts to Google search, Google Maps, Gmail, and YouTube. You can also add a "bubble" to the home screen that either displays the latest headlines or your latest horoscope. We found the interface very intuitive and easy to use.

LG Chocolate 3

As the first flip phone in the Chocolate line of handsets, the design of the Chocolate 3 is markedly different from its predecessors the only remaining similarity appears to be the iPod like scroll wheel on the front of the device. Measuring 3.87 inches high by 1.94 inches wide by 0.64 inch thick, it is also the least "chocolate bar" looking of the lot, with a wide yet slim rectangular body.

While we appreciate LG going in a different design direction for the Chocolate 3, this new design makes the Chocolate 3 look and feel like just any other slim flip phone on the market, and it doesn't seem as special and iconic as its predecessors. Like the LG Decoy, the Chocolate 3 has a reflective mirror like finish on the entire front surface of the phone. It's so reflective that it almost obscures the 1.76 inch 262.000 colors external screen located right above the scroll wheel.

The external screen displays the typical caller ID, date, time, and battery and signal strength information when in standby mode. You can adjust the backlight time and clock format, but not much else. From the external screen, you can then access a limited menu. The menu options are presented in rotating pattern, so it's easy to navigate just by using the scroll wheel. Menu options include the camera, the calendar, the messaging inbox, the My Music folder, and the My Pictures folder.

This way, you can take a quick glance at things like your recent messages or the day's events without having to open the phone. Also, since there's no dedicated camera button, this is the only way to access the camera feature when the phone is closed. Of course, you can also access the music player interface either via the My Music folder or simply by hitting the dedicated Music button on the right spine.

The display shows the album art of the song, plus you can play, pause, rewind, or fast forward the music by clicking on the scroll wheel (more on the music player in the Features section). The LG Chocolate 3 has a mechanical scroll wheel on the front. Underneath the display is the aforementioned mechanical scroll wheel. It feels reminiscent of the one on the VX8550 Chocolate, and that's a good thing.

The spun metal surface of the wheel makes it feel tactile, and the wheel spins freely without a lot of resistance. We could press the wheel in four different quadrants (up, down, left, right) and the middle button quite easily, as well. Almost too easily, in fact this is why the Chocolate 3 has a Keylock or Hold button on the right spine to prevent accidental presses. Unlike that of the two other Chocolate phones, the Chocolate 3 does not have any touch sensitive navigation keys, which is just fine by us.

LG LX400

Unlike most push to talk phones, the LX400's design is not lacking in style. We're quite pleased with its deep red hue and sharp, tapered look. Measuring 3.5 inches long by 1.9 inches wide by 0.82 inch thick, the LX400 feels solid in the hand and won't weigh you down at around 3.2 ounces. The LG LX400 has a large speaker grille on the front.

A rather big speaker grille sits prominently on the front of the phone. Underneath that is a 1 inch 65,000 color external display that shows the date, time, battery life, signal strength, and caller ID.

You can also use the external display as a self portrait camera viewfinder. You can adjust its screen saver and clock style, but nothing else. At the bottom front of the phone is a camera lens.

The push to talk or Direct Connect key, volume rocker, and charger jack sits on the left spine, while the headset jack and dedicated camera key is on the right.

On top of the phone are a Direct Connect speaker button that toggles the speaker on and off during a push to talk connection.

There's also a Stop button with several functions ending a Direct Connect call, pulling up recent call history when in idle mode, and allowing you to make a voice call when the phone is closed. When you open the phone, you'll find a 262,144 color display that displays images and graphics with sharp and clear detail. You can adjust the backlight timer, skins, dialing font, foregrounds, plus the animation on the screen whenever there's an incoming call. The menu is the standard Sprint grid style interface and is easy to use. You also have the option of arranging the menu in a list style.

LG Decoy

At first glance, the Decoy looks like one of the glossiest phones we've ever seen. Indeed, its entire front surface positively gleams with a reflective mirror finish, right down to the navigation keys and the steel tinged joystick toggle. Measuring 4.01 inches high by 1.97 inches wide by 0.67 inch thick, the Decoy is not a very compact phone, but it has a nice enough size to accommodate its large 2.2 inch display.

It does weigh about 4.05 ounces, which makes it feel very solid in the hand. Though we can appreciate the glittery appeal of such a shiny surface, we found that it is very fingerprint prone, and that it's difficult to see the display especially on a bright and sunny day. The LG Decoy has a very shiny reflective surface. As we mentioned, the Decoy has a generous 2.2 inch 262,000 color display front and center on the phone.

It's bright, vivid, and shows off the colorful menu interface very well. You can adjust the font size as well as the backlight time, but not the brightness or contrast. Thankfully, you're not subject to Verizon's clunky old menu interface the Decoy offers tab, list, and grid menu interface options so you can arrange it how you like. Underneath the display is the navigation array, which consists of two soft keys, a center joystick, a dedicated speaker phone key, and a Clear key.

On standby mode, the center joystick also leads to three user defined shortcuts (to the bottom, left, and top). If you toggle it to the right, it will lead you to a My Shortcuts folder, which can also be customized to your liking.

Though we found the keys to be quite slippery, they had enough definition that they were still easy to find and press. We also found the joystick toggle to be very responsive.

We could be quite gentle in pushing it around, as it is sensitive to even the slightest of gestures.

You slide open the phone by pushing the bottom lip of the front surface up. That will reveal the full alphanumeric keypad, as well as the Send, voice command, and End or Power keys at the very top.

These topmost keys were the hardest to get to, since they're positioned right up against the bottom of the slider. Otherwise, we found the keypad to be very pleasant to use. Unlike most slider keypads which are flat, the Decoy has keys with curved textured bumps that we could easily find by feel.

The volume rocker and charger jack is on the left spine, while the microSD card slot and dedicated camera key are on the right. The LG Decoy has a built in Bluetooth headset on its back, as well as a camera lens and a self portrait mirror. But the most important aspect of the Decoy lies on its back. When you turn the Decoy around, you will see a rectangular bump jutting out from the top part of the phone.

This is actually a built in Bluetooth headset, stowed away in a custom built dock. Press down on a tiny latch at the top, and the headset will pop out. The headset itself is incredibly slim and flat, measuring 1.6 inches long by 0.8 inch wide by 0.2 inch deep, and weighs less than an ounce. It has a multifunction button on the front, which also houses an LED indicator light, and the volume rocker sits on the right spine. On the back is a simple springy ear piece that actually fits quite comfortably in the ear, resting just outside the ear canal.

LG KE500

Bluetooth
Bluetooth allows your mobile phone to wirelessly connect, via low frequency radio waves, with external devices such as a headset for making calls. Many Bluetooth cell phones also allow you to exchange or sync data with other Bluetooth devices or to connect to stereo headphones to listen to music.

Speaker phone
A speaker phone is useful for hands free calling when you're driving or multitasking. Consider getting a cell phone with a full duplex speaker phone, which allows both parties to speak at the same time. Business travelers who need to set up impromptu meetings will want to look at a mobile phone or smart phone that supports conference calling.

Specification
Phone

Vibrating Alert : Yes
Speaker phone : Yes
Voice Mail Capability : Yes
Polyphonic Ringer : Yes
Melody Composer : Yes
Alarm Clock : Yes
Calendar : Yes
Multi language Menu : Yes

General

Cellular technology GSM
Band or mode GSM 900, 1800, 1900 (Tri-Band)
Wireless Interface Bluetooth (A2DP)
Standby time Up to 250 h
Combined with With digital camera, digital player, FM radio

Digital Camera

Camera highlights With a resolution of 2 megapixels, this model will give you better pictures than other phones.
Still image resolution 1600 x 1200
Digital zoom 4

Digital Player and Recorder

Digital player supported digital audio standards AAC, MP3
Digital player and recorder type Digital player

Display

Display Type LCD display
Display technology TFT
Display Resolution 176 x 220 pixels
Color Support Color
Color Depth 18 bit (262.000 Colors)

Messaging and Data Services

Short Messaging Service (SMS) : Yes
Internet Browser : Yes
GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) : Yes
Messaging Services EMS, MMS
WAP Protocol Supported:WAP Protocol Version WAP 2.0

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