Garminfone has a 3.5 inch capacitive touch screen which gives a resolution of 640x480 pixels. This is a GPS centric phone and hence it would have been better if the screen was a bit bigger. But I didn’t have any problems while viewing the GPS maps while traveling. The screen is bright enough. The display offers proximity sensor, built in accelerometer and pinch to zoom support (like the iPhone). The screen presses respond faster as compared to the previous Nuvifone. The touch screen worked quite well in my lab tests. Scrolling through the lists or selecting items was quite easy. There is a bit of lag for the onscreen virtual keyboard though. The keys are well spaced away from each other but when I pushed a button, it took a while for it to show on the screen. I guess this will frustrate  [...]

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I first saw the HTC Evo 4G at CTIA 2010 and there has been a lot of hype surrounding this phone because it is the first 4G handset here in the USA. The display of the phone is 4.3 inches big and it has capacitive touch screen interface so you can flick your fingers through it just like the iPhone. You will realize the extra real estate on the screen when you are working on applications because a lot of content fits in their easily. I haven’t seen this big screen ever for a phone in my labs. The colors look vibrant and sharp and you get a display resolution of 480x800 pixels. There is also the built in light sensor which automatically adjusts the display brightness according to the light in the ambience. HTC Evo 4G has a large display and this makes way for a bigger virtual keyboard. A  [...]

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Not everyone out there is crazy about cell phones some people need a mobile phone just for calling other people and sending text messages. Pantech sure understands that and gives a basic entry level phone for that. The manufacturer also has high end phones in its repertoire like Matrix Pro but the company is more popular for its basic phones. I liked that this handset had quick access buttons, intuitive interface and slim design. This handset costs $19.99 and you have to sign a two year contract with AT&T for it. The gadget is quite slim which is now getting typical in low end phones. This mobile is 4 inches long, 0.7 inch thick and 2 inches wide. Pantech Breeze II is rectangular and slender with a subtle curvature that looks good in the hand. On the back too there is a dimple surface for  [...]

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When I first saw this phone on my desk waiting to be reviewed, I thought the manufacturer sent me Samsung Rogue again. We had Rogue last year and both the devices look similar, have slide out QWERTY keyboards and also have the same touch screen displays. Both are from Verizon Wireless. But a closer look revealed that this phone is a scaled down version of the older model. The design is not as polished and there is EV-DO Rev. 0 in lieu of EV-DO Rev. But this phone doesn’t compromise on features seriously, it still has the multiple home screen interface and lots of social features that weren’t there on Rogue. This handset will put you back by $79.99 and requires a two year agreement from the service provider. Samsung Reality SCH-u820 is 4.23 inches long, 0.65 inch thick, 2.09 inches wide  [...]

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This is the third generation of Apple’s iPhone and the ‘S’ in 3 GS stands for speed. Better speed is supposed to come in lots of ways on this latest iteration of iPhone. Firstly, I did notice the faster processor in the cell phone when I opened the applications. Apart from that, scrolling through the pages is also a lot faster. 3G speed however, will depend on AT&T’s network. The service provider says they are moving to its HSDPA network which is supposed to provide 7.2 MBPS speed but that is going to take a while. Till then you will be stuck with slower 3G speeds even though the phone has all the necessary hardware for better 3G. Speaking of the design, it is almost the same as its predecessor. It comes in black and white versions. Storage options are 16 GB and 32 GB, the latter  [...]

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This is Casio’s first messaging phone and just like other Casio G’zOne handsets, this is a military certified phone. It is made to withstand a variety of environmental hazards which include water, shock, vibration, humidity and more. The handset is a chunky and hefty phone. It is made out of very hard plastic. On the back there is a crocodile texture for better grip and all of the ports are covered with a rubber stopper to prevent the water from going in. On the front of the Casio G'zOne Brigade, there is a round external display. It is OLED which shows you the date and time really brightly. On the lid you also get an alphanumeric keypad which has pointed buttons and are adequately raised above the surface for easy dialing by feel. The external display is 1.2 inch big  [...]

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Display of the phone has a resolution of 640x360 pixels and supports 16 million colors. The screen is bright, clear and satisfying. In bright sunlight, the display washes out a little but that is not unexpected of an LCD. The phone is all touch screen based so all you get is a virtual QWERTY keyboard which does feel a bit cramped. On the bright side, minimal buttons on the surface give you bigger screen size. The phone has both accelerometer and proximity sensor. The former lets you rotate the device to view the maps, photos, Web pages, etc in landscape mode. The transition is not smooth and we did face a bit of lag. Touch screen of the Nokia 5230 Nuron is responsive enough. It has list and grid menus which are well laid out and you can very easily navigate through the screen  [...]

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We have had great quality handsets from Verizon Wireless and LG in the past. LG has been versatile in making phones, they have given us high end cell phones like Chocolate Touch to basic entry level phones like VX5400. The phones cater to every budget range and the latest phone we have is LG Accolade VX5600 which is quite similar to the VX5400. As the title says, this handset is a mid range phone, it doesn’t have any high end features but there are a few advanced options that you might need in a phone. The phone costs $50 with Verizon Wireless and if you buy it unlocked, it will cost $199 which we think is pretty well priced. We will recommend this phone to youth or business men alike who need a handset just for basic purposes like making calls and sending text messages. The handset does  [...]

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Nokia recently announced that they will be reducing the smartphone production in 2010 because they are unable to compete with big wigs like HTC, LG and Samsung. We got the E55 in our test centers for review which is a business centric phone. (The E before the model number should make this clear) We liked this handset, it comes with everything that you would want in a smartphone like PC-syncing, North American 3G band support, Wi-Fi, GPS along with OVI maps, and email. The multimedia features on the E55 are also respectable, you get a 3.2 mp camera which supports video recording, 3.5 mm headphone jack and a music player. E55 is unlocked here in the US and will set you back by $339. Design: Nokia E55 was first seen in Mobile World Congress (MWC) at Barcelona and the manufacturer says  [...]

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Acer is trying to enter a territory that is dominated by LG, Samsung and HTC. Now, cell phone market is the most dynamic one when it comes to electronics because there new phones coming almost everyday in to the market. Acer Liquid isn’t released yet in the US market but you can get one unlocked for $400. This phone is available in the UK and is coming soon to Canada from Rogers Wireless. If you are a US citizen and are waiting for Liquid with a service, you will be disappointed because there are no plans for that at the moment.There is not much to complain about the high price of the phone because unlocked phones usually cost that much. Acer Liquid has all the useful features that you look to in a phone like 3G, GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. This is more of a multimedia phone and there are some  [...]

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