Cell and Mobile Phones

Cell Phones in Phuket

2009-11-21T19:17:00.000-08:00

Surprisingly there are a few good phuket deals on phones when traveling through this part of the world. the Main carrier there is DTAC and a pre-paid sim can be up and running for a few small dollars.

In terms of handsets there are many for sale, be careful though - as many of the phones sold in phuket and thailand are cheap copies.

Local sellers and markets will sell cheap copies of iphones, nokia n97's and other leading phones, they have no warranty and in many cases break easily or fail soon after purchase.

Nokia 7510 Cell Phone Review

2009-11-18T03:20:00.000-08:00

The name Supernova conjures up all sorts of images of intergalactic wonders and starry bodies which are associated with excitement - think of the buzz and the awe created by the real supernovas and comets as they approach our little planet on their way around the solar system.

We would expect, therefore that the Nokia 7510 Supernova would have the same effect on us when we opened the pack.

Instead - what stared us in the face was a little clam-shell phone which, when we started reading the specs, filled us with some disappointment. For some silly reason, we expect phones these days to work on 3G as standard. The Nokia 7510 Supernova does not offer that service. After our initial disappointment, believing in the abilities of the Nokia company to come up with 'the goods', we looked a little further at the offering.

The 7510 Supernova is an edge handset weighing in at 124g. Obviously more sturdy than we first thought with a sensible hinge, we noticed dual screens - monochrome on the outside for displaying caller info when the handset is closed at 128 x 160 pixels in size, and the primary LCD display (TFT with 16M colours) on the inside, sized at 240 x 320 pixels.

The handset features Xpress-On cover customisation options, a 2 megapixel camera with an LED flash, quad band compatibility and 256MB internal memory, which can be boosted up to 8GB by means of MicroSD cards. Stereo Bluetooth is also included, and the standard issue Lithium-ion battery will provide up to 6 hours of talk time and up to 300 hours on standby.

Priced at £159 (but can be found as cheaply as £135), the Supernova can be enhanced by optional add-ons in the form of two Bluetooth headsets (BH-503 at £64, and BH-304 at £45) and Speakerphone (HF-200 at £50). The usual other optionals are carrying case, additional lanyards, etc.

Once having overcome the idea of the lack of 3G, we took a closer look at what else the handset offers.

On GSM, it works on 850, 900, 1800 and 1900, with Vibration, downloadable polyphonic and MP3 ringtone alerts. Speakerphone can be attached by means of a 2.5mm audio jack. In terms of size, the Nokia 7510 Supernova weighs 124g, a little heavier than it's peers, but measuring a scant 92.5 x 46.4 x 16.7mm, this shows that the hinge is solid and will not fail easily.

At 27MB, the memory will hold 200 entries, plus photocall, and records up to 20 dialed, 20 received and 20 missed calls. By means of a microSD card slot, the memory can be increased to 8GB - a 512MB card is included with the handset on delivery.

This handset uses class 32, 88kbps for GPRS, does not support HSCSD, 3G or WLAN. It also does not have an infra red port. It does however have Class 32 (296 kb) Edge and v2.0 Bluetooth with A2DP and USB.

If it's high quality camera you are after - then this handset is probably not for you. At 2 megapixels, it is basic at best - images to max size 1600 x 1200 pixels are possible - but yes - this camera does have an LED flash. Video at QCIF - 15fps is possible, and it has no secondary camera.

For messaging, the Nokia 7510 Supernova supports the basics - SMS, MMS 1.3 (up to 600KB), Email and IM. It uses WAP browser 2.0/xHTML, HTML and boasts an FM radio, games and java at MIDP 2.0.

Colours available are Blue, Green, Brown, Graphite and Purple. Other features include a push-to-open mechanism, MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC/WMA player, MP4 player, T9 text input, voice command/dial/memo, and Nokia Maps for S40.

What we did like

We thought the Nokia Xpress-On covers were gone for good when they disappeared from the market some years ago - we were wrong - we are pleased to say - they're back on this new series of phones (7610, 7510, 7310 and 7210).

Stylish mobilephones are mostly best sellers but definitely not the best mobilephones. Best mobilephones should be usable, reliable and has a cheap mobilephone line rental cashback deal or a free Vodafone mobilephone contract offer - discounts are always better.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carlson_Osbourne

Mobile Phones Cell Phones

2009-08-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

Depending on which part of the world you are in are they "mobile phones cell phones"?

Well in the Northern Hemisphere, and most certainly in the USA they are regarded as cell phones. However on the Southern Parts of the Globe they are commonly referred to as mobile phones.

Cellular telephone, sometimes called mobile telephone, is a type of short-wave analog or digital telecommunication in which a subscriber has a wireless connection from a mobile telephone to a relatively nearby transmitter. The transmitter's span of coverage is called a cell. Generally, cellular telephone service is available in urban areas and along major highways. As the cellular telephone user …

Pricing has really improved in the last decade, with handsets (both mobile phones cell phones) becoming much cheaper for users.

Initially with Nokia setting the standard for 'value for money' in their cell and mobile phones.

The latest craze is the Apple iPhone, which has sold so many units that international best selling cell phone records have been broken. (The previous most popular phone in terms of worldwide sales was the Motorola Razor)

iPhone Shopping Deals

2009-04-09T18:40:00.001-07:00

“Since launching our popular iPhone shopping deals on Apple and 3rd party Iphone apps in December, customers have been asking us to bring a similar experience to the BlackBerry, and we are thrilled to make it available to customers today," said Sam Hall, Director of Amazon Mobile. "In addition to their favorite Amazon shopping features, BlackBerry users can now access the Amazon Remembers feature for a fun and easy way to build a list of photographs showing products they want to remember for later, make price comparisons across multiple merchants, and purchase.”

Best Smart Phone

2009-03-20T18:16:00.001-07:00

Best Smart Phone

Much has been made of the best smart phone on the market. What do you choose, cell phone and PDA choices include the Apple iPhone, the BlackBerry from RIM and the new Google Andriod phone. The decision when picking the best smart phone is a very tough one these days.

According to market research firm Gartner, worldwide sales of smartphones totaled 38.1 million units in the fourth quarter of 2008--a year-over-year increase of 3.7%--and accounted for 12% of all mobile phones sold in the period.

Globally the best smart phone according to sales for the year topped 139.3 million devices, up 13.9% over 2007.

“In general in 2008, the focus from vendors and operators on increasing their smartphone portfolios remained very strong. Samsung, RIM, HTC and Apple saw their volumes and share increase during 2008, thanks to their ability to offer compelling device experiences and touch interfaces.”

iPhone Apps and Appstore Strategy

2009-03-13T19:38:00.001-07:00

Any of you that are familiar with what's going on in Apple's AppStore with the thousands of games available and the extremely competitive pricing problems might be intrigued to hear about a new strategy used by 5 independent iPhone game developers to try to raise awareness (and sales) of their games in the AppStore.

Majic Jungle Software, Veiled Games, Antair Games, IMS and Warhorse Games have gotten together to launch The 5 Fingers Games Bundle that includes 5 games, one from each developer, all for $5.

Per the press release, this is the first games bundle for the iPhone, but the real story here is the way in which it came about. Often for a games bundle, a publisher pulls together one or two good titles and pads them out with some weaker games, but this bundle includes the best selling game from each of five developers. The 5 games included in the bundle are:

* Chopper - Previously a #1 game on the App Store
* Up There - The most emotive game on the store
* Sneezies - An adorable puzzle game for all ages
* BurnBall - Addicting and high energy arcade action
* BlackBeards Assault - Puzzle adventure on the High Seas

Samsung now largest cell phone and mobile vendor

2008-11-11T04:52:00.001-08:00

Latest research and figures from company Strategy Analytics has shown that Samsung Electronics has now overtaken previous leader Motorola in the 3rd Qtr 2008, now positioned as the biggest mobile and cell phone vendor in the USA.

Samsung's wide range of devices in the cell phone lineup across multiple carriers, technologies and silos were apparently the reasons that have allowed them to leap to the top.

Korean players, Samsung and LG were both winners in terms of latest marketshare stats, giving them 22.4% and 20.5% each in the ball game.

Previous market leader Motorola (led by their impressive Motorola Razr Handset, positioned as the stand out leader since 2004, fell away to now only hold 21.1% from 32.7% only 12 months prior.

Nokia saw its market share drop in the USA to a lowly 8.4%.

The figures suggest overall mobile phone and cell handset sales in the United States went against the world wide forcasts of economic doom and gloom and grew 6.2% from a year ago to 47.4 million phones in the quarter.

Mobile and Cell Phone Sales Compared

2008-10-31T18:52:00.001-07:00

Recent Mobile and Cell phone stats show that 303 million cellphones were shipped worldwide in Q3 2008, only increasing by the slight amount of 5% year-on-year. There has been a visible slowdown in shipments to smaller markets - all of which points to the weakest growth rate since way back in 2002. 4 of the major mobile and cell phone players, only grew at single-digit rates or less. Apple was the standout with their iPhone, grabbing a 2% global share. Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and LG were well below their initial targets, while Apple, RIM and Samsung over achieved on their results.

Mobile and Cell Phone details:

-Nokia shipped 118 million handsets in the quarter, up 5% from the year prior. However it lost market share in every region and continues to miss opportunities in the U.S. where smartphone sales are especially strong.

-Samsung shipped 52 million handset, up 22% from last year. The company’s market share climbed to 17% and volumes increased in North America and Western Europe but were lackluster in emerging markets.

-Sony Ericsson sold 25.7 million handsets in the quarter, which marks a 1% decline.

-Motorola shipped 25.4 million handsets, a painful 32% decline from last year.

-LG shipped 23 million handsets, marking a 17% decline.

Not great news for sure but no surprise, either.

Movaya names new publishers

2008-10-18T14:59:00.001-07:00

Movaya (www.movaya.com), a leading mobile commerce service provider, today announced that over 500 publisher and merchant partners have signed up for the company's PlugNPlay and TryNBuy products, enabling these partners to sell mobile content directly to consumers.

"Movaya's technologies are revolutionizing the way consumers discover, browse and download mobile content," said Phil Yerkes, CEO of Movaya. "Rather than relying only on traditional wireless carriers as the prime merchants of mobile content including games and applications, consumers are beginning to discover and download games from all types of online merchants," Yerkes said.

Movaya offers its partners both turnkey and enterprise solutions, allowing merchants to quickly open 'App Stores in a box' for the 99% of mobile phone users that do not have an iPhone. Like both Google and RIM, who are supporting their own unique application stores, Movaya provides its partners with all the tools to build their own mobile application store: catalog of games, billing, distribution and storefront tools.

By partnering with Movaya, online merchants can select from a variety of methods to add mobile games and applications to their current stores. Mobile game publishers, casual game merchants and general video game merchants are currently the early adopters of Movaya's platform.

T Mobile G1

2008-09-25T05:19:00.001-07:00

A busy day in the cell and mobile phone arena in the past 24 hours - Google, T-Mobile and HTC have all "officially" confirmed the unleashing of the T-Mobile G1 - capable of handling the Google Android device.

In depth information covering the new release can be found, on the following links moconews. If you want to learn more about the phone and how to get one, check out the new site at www.t-mobileg1.com/

Orders for pre-release are being accepted by phone today and should be ready for collection on or around the 22nd of October at various T-Mobile outlets and online in the U.S. The G1 will cost $179 with a two-year voice and data agreement.

I have been holding off on getting a new phone and if the reviews of the G1 are good, I'll be picking one up. I think this day is a game changer for the mobile world - Apple did a great job educating all of us on the power of a good mobile device but Android will help bring this power to the masses.

Fred Wilson, a well respected NY area Venture Capitalist and a great blogger, had this to say earlier this month:

"They are building a mobile operating system, Android, that is also designed for running web apps in a mobile environment. I think in time, Google's Android will be to the iPhone what Windows was to the Mac. The iPhone laid out many of the killer mobile device innovations, but its a closed device, a closed carrier relationship, and even a closed application store. Android will take all of those good ideas and put them on every device, with every carrier, and in partnership with every app developer. You'd have thought that Apple would have learned the lesson that you can't control the entire ecosystem with the Mac, but they did not."

I couldn't agree more.

Mobile Text Messaging

2008-09-19T23:31:00.001-07:00

USA mobile and cell phone customers ranging between the ages of 14 and 30 apparently send up to 20 TXT or text messages each day, compared to only 1 or 2 text messages for older users in the 30 to 43 age group and then only a single SMS or Text Message in the 44 to 64, after leading marketing firm Knowledge Networks conducted a recently survey and audit of texting in the cell and mobile phone arena.

My kids are young so I don't know a lot about daily cellphone usage for teenagers but I was having a conversation with one of my colleagues recently on this subject. He has three boys between 10-15. They all have cellphones and he mentioned that one of them has "probably never" made an outgoing phone call on his cellphone! He will answer the phone if someone calls him but all he does on an outbound basis is text. I knew teenagers loved to text but this data point surprised me. Times are certainly changing.

Gartner: Smart Phone Sales Rising

2008-09-02T03:10:00.001-07:00

Gartner Corporation Director Carolina Milanesi recently explained how the growing public - worldwide will quickly increase to around the 190 million smartphones or pda devices this year, which is a staggering jump of 52% in terms of year on year figures.

While mobiles and cell phones are rapidly increasing, staggeringly around the globe. Few can imagine or have predicted how quickly smartphones, or pda devices could have started expanding.

In terms of earnings, 190 million smartphones means around 15%, or $65 billion-worth, of the overall market of 1.28 billion mobile cell devices that should be turned over this year.

In 2012, mobile and cell phone industry experts believe that PDA, Cell and smartphone device turnover and sales will get to possibly 700 million of the total 1.8 billion cell phone handset market; that's 65%, or $200 billion-worth, of the total $312 billion mobile phone market at that time.

Considering the mobile and cell phone operating systems and software from companies such as Symbian, Android, and Linux pushing deeper down into product portfolios," . "Take for instance, the new Apple's iPhone; at this stage it doesn't have a huge sales volume, but it helped stimulate the market. People are rolling into outlets and specifically demanding a PDA or smartphone carrier device, something that wasn't happening in the mobile and cell phone market just a few short years ago.

iPhone 3G Reviews

2008-08-25T20:48:00.001-07:00

At least one individual who purchased an iPhone 3G is less than impressed with the new device. So have other iphone 3g reviews;

A lawsuit has been filed against the company by Alabama resident Jessica Alena Smith claiming that the iPhone's 3G performance and reliability has not measured up to what the company claimed in its marketing campaign.

The lawsuit alleges that despite aggressive marketing that the 3G iPhone is "twice as fast for half the price," the much-hyped smartphone is actually much slower than advertised and prone to dropping calls.

"Apple sold these devices on the promise that they were twice as fast as the pre-existing phones and that they would function suitably, or properly, on the 3G network. But, thus far, Apple and the phone have failed to deliver on this promise," Jonathan Kudulis, an attorney with Birmingham, Ala.-based Trimmier Law Firm, told ABCNEWS.com.

Trimmier is the firm representing the Ala.-based plaintiff, Jessica Alena Smith.

Unless Ms. Smith lives in or near Montgomery or Birmingham, Alabama, this should not have come as a surprise to her. If you take a look at AT&T's 3G coverage (3G coverage area pictured in blue above), it is pretty limited in the state of Alabama.

What is more interesting in the article, is all the complaints about dropped calls with the new phone. I know a number of people in Seattle that have purchased it and haven't heard that as a problem. Stay tuned...

NFL on your Sprint Mobile

2008-08-19T18:37:00.001-07:00

Large US Cell Phone Carrier Sprint have teamed with the NFL to release the new NFL Mobile Live Service, a cool new appl that that gives Sprint users wireless connection to live radio broadcasts of all 2008 matches plus 8 big time Thursday Night games broadcast via cable television's NFL Network.

Each time users access the NFL Mobile Live app, their favorite team's information will immediately appear onscreen, eliminating clicks by pushing the latest franchise updates and quick links to upcoming live broadcasts.

In addition, NFL Mobile Live enables NFL.com fantasy owners to monitor the performance of every player in real time, delivering game and season cumulative stats, rankings, player profiles, photos and video highlights.

"NFL Mobile Live demonstrates how Sprint brings its Now Network to life," said John Garcia, president of Sprint's wireless division. "With NFL Mobile Live, fans will be able to listen to any NFL game as it happens, watch live streaming action of NFL Network games or check stats of their fantasy players and get updated scores - all from their phones. And they can do this from wherever they happen to be - at their child's soccer game, shopping at the mall or even sneaking a peek while they're raking leaves in the yard."

NFL Mobile Live is included free as part of Sprint's Simply Everything flat-rate package--subscribers may also add Data Packs starting at $15 per month. You can read more info here or text NFL to 7777 to get it now.

Mobile Rewards Coupons

2008-08-15T00:41:00.001-07:00

These are the latest reports from the Mobile Cell Phones - Mobile Rewards Coupons Offers:

Congratulations a.sutcliffe@googlemail.com!

According to our records, you may be eligible for £100 in pre-paid mobile phone top up cards. To verify your eligibility, please follow the link below. These pre-paid top up cards are good for any network and the best part is there is no purchase required.

Click here to get started D.

Click here if you can't view the image below.

Nokia 3110c - Handy Phone with Bluetooth

2008-04-08T04:55:00.000-07:00

My love affair with Nokia handsets continues. This latest Nokia Mobile Cell phone I am using is the 3110c model phone.

While it's at the entry to mid level for Nokia handsets, it still has bluetooth, 1.3mp camera and a lot of the handy features one expects, including radio. But what I really like about this phone, it's size is compact without being 'too small' and the buttons are quite large and very 'sturdy' to press. It feels like a quality, genuine product.

I've synched it with the Nokia software via Bluetooth to my vista laptop quite easily. Overall an impressive phone with a good price point and even better if on sale.

Nokia N95 missing Microsoft Activesync

2008-03-25T01:10:00.000-07:00

I found out today that the Nokia N95 doesn't actually ship with the Microsoft ActiveSync feature and apparently Nokia only release this in their 'E' series or range of handsets which are more aimed at the business (not the standard retail consumer level)

It was a big surprise, as the N95 is certainly a high end phone and out of reach of most average cell phone users.

The other problem I have found with the N95 is the extremely poor battery life. The user is forever recharging due to heavy demands from applications on the N95

LG Prada goes end of line

2008-03-21T22:36:00.001-07:00

LG (Lucky Goldstar) has announced one of their flagship phones the LG Prada has gone end of line (EOL) due to poor sales and uptake of their touchscreen phone. Seemingly the earliest form of the iPhone - high price and limited features meant the LG Prada was very highly priced at above $1000 per unit.

Nokia N73 Mobile Cell Phone

2008-02-21T19:44:00.000-08:00

The Nokia N73 is a standout in the N-Series from Nokia. Featuring high quality photos and still images from the 3.2 megapixel camera with the N73 - this Carl Zeiss based lens is amazingly clear.

Vivid quality prints are able to be taken with the mobile phone, the Nokia N73 able to capture prints up 8" x 10" or 20cm x 25cm.

Dedicated large keys make using this phone easy, and a slide cover for the camera at the back makes things more durable. Press a single key to review, send, post onto your blog or print. Upload photos directly from the N73 to photo sharing communities such as Flickr, Imageshack or Blogger.com

The screen is a large 2.4" display and allows for pan and zoom effects on the pictures taken.

The N73 also features a built in music player with stereo speakers and the crisp smooth quality is stunning from this small handset.

Also included is the Nokia Music Manager application within the Nokia PC Suite software making transferring of MP3s, ringtones and contacts very easy between PC and phone.

Connecting the Nokia N73 to the PC is simple. Use either; Bluetooth, Infrared or USB cable to sync and mobile internet is always available with this great phone. So using Yahoo! Go your fully covered for anti-virus and spam protection too, saving your money on your internet usage.

Nokia N73 Full Specifications and Tech Specs
116 Grams Weight
262k Color Screen
42MB inbuilt memory
miniSD card is supported up to 2GB
226 minutes talk time
370 hours standby
3.2 Megapixel with autofocus and Carl Zeiss Optics
Secondary Camera VGA
Integrated Flash with Red Eye Reduction
Digital Zoom 20x Still and 8x Video
2 Stage Capture Key
Video Camera CIF, 15fps, Mpeg4
XpressPrint,XpressTransfer,XpressShare
SMS, MMS, email
USB2.0
Bluetooth 2.0
IrDA
OTA provisioning
MP3/AAC/eAAC
3GPP Video Streaming
Java
Logs
MS Word
MS Powerpoint
Excel
PIM (calendar and contacts)

WCDMA 2100 and Edge, GSM

Nokia 2630 Mobile Cell Phone

2008-02-21T19:40:00.000-08:00

A small phone in size, the Nokia 2630 is only 9.9mm thick. Heap of features on board this mobile, built in VGA camera with 4x digital zoom and a 128x160TFT color display too.

This new Nokia is set to replace the Nokia 2626 which is now end of line and also features a handy FM radio built in. Users can enjoy MP3 ringtones, pictures and other content via MMS and bluetooth.

Large memory is onboard the Nokia 2630 storing up to 1000 phonebook entries and storage for up to 100 still images or photos. You're still able to sync with your calendar, contacts and other appointments for business use and view them clearly on the phone with large fonts. The bluetooth on board allows for a wireless sync of the phone.

Talktime 6 hours

Standby Time 13 days

Weight: 66 grams

Samsung SGH Z400V

2008-02-21T19:31:00.000-08:00

A powerful 3G mobile cell phone, the Samsung SGH Z400V is a slider based phone offering solid reception and clear speech calling. A slim phone, the SGH-Z400V has the latest technology from cellular manufacturer Samsung with the standout being the 2 megapixel camera (2mp) and the fact that this is one of the slimmest cell phones in the market.

This model superseeded the Samsung D500 model and offers the benefits of 3G, EDGE and 144 colours on a QVGA screen. Also has the benefit of a document viewer and flight mode for safe operation in the air.

Software wise, the photo slide option allows you to make very handy slideshows of the pictures and images you have taken on the mobile cell phone.

One of the features we loved is the MOBILE TRACKER. Preventing theft, this software setup with work to recover your phone when lost, it will send an SMS to a predetermined number when the SIM card is changed alerting you to the phones location like a homing device.

Also on board this new Samsung mobile phone is bluetooth, and MicroSD storage.

Take advantage of the video recorder fuction on the Z400v as well as a range of business fuctions. Check out PPT , Excel and Doc files - and also PDF HTML and text files too. 30mb of memory onboard and can handle wireless headset connectivity.

Samsung SGH Z400V Full Specifications and Technical Specs
UMTS
TRIBAND
EDGE
GPRS
2 MP camera (2 megapixel) x4 digital zoom
Additional VGA camera for Video Call
Video Recording and Messaging
Music Player (MP3/AAC/AAC+/e-AAC+)
USB
BLUETOOTH
Document Viewer and Offline Mode

MMS EMAIL JAVA WAP
Call Drop / Connection Vibration and Mobile Tracking Device
Mobile Printing via Bluetooth
30MB storage on phone + MicroSD slot
Voicememo
VoiceMail
Speakerphone
107 grams weight
Talk Time 3.7 hours
Standby time 320h

Sony Ericsson W950i review

2008-02-14T01:38:00.000-08:00

I was quite impressed when I received the Sony Ericsson w950i phone today, while it's quite a large design cell phone. It features a large screen and stylus pen and a whopping 4GB internal memory.

While the w950i doesn't feature a camera, the features on offer through the software are very impressive. Sony have packed in all the features of their walkman technology and music lovers will be in heaven. In the box you get a good quality stereo headset and a solid cover to keep the phone safe.

The keypad on the W950i mobile cell phone is very unique, no buttons as such but just raised braille style nibs that let you know which key you are pressing. Weird at first but you do get used to it.

Overall it's a largish phone, but packs heaps of features - music fans will go wild for this one and with it's recent price drop, the sale prices on these Sony Phones are going through the floor.

Nokia 5310 Xpress Music

2008-02-09T23:26:00.000-08:00

The Nokia 5310 continues to impress all new users of this small and unique mobile cell phone. One of the slimmest cell phones on the market to support a full 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, it offers ideal features to runners, travellers and music lovers who need the gear but dont want a massive cell phone size in their pocket.

Crystal clear dedicated sound through a special chip provides the clearest production. Bluetooth capable, you get to add the best of headsets and addons to this funky handset.

A true award winning cell phone, the Nokia 5310 will continue to sell in large volume as the 'for sale' sign and 'bargain' or 'wholesale price' signs go up onto shelves in stores and through internet online shop outlets.

Nokia 6680 replacement cover and keyboard

2008-02-01T02:16:00.000-08:00

Recently my Nokia 6680 was damaged, as my young daughter broke some of the numbers off the keypay.

Browsing ebay, I purchased a complete replacement cover for the 6680. I received the cover a week later - it was fairly easy to put on, the old cover slipping off easily. The new black colour was unique, certainly different from the majority of blue and light blue 6680 covers around.

The only complaint was the keypad. Both the cover and new keypad looked good, sporting Nokia logos and were quite original looking - however the keypad it quite firm and it causes some misdialing of keys.

So while I recommend aftermarket covers, ensure you are getting a quality keypad that will feel as good as the original.

Nokia 6121

2008-01-23T12:09:00.000-08:00

The Nokia 6121 classic brings original styling together with the best features. Strong and sturdy - the phone looks great and performs well. Simple operation with 'demo' mode for new users, you still get 3.5G and easy web browsing with quick music and video downloads. 16 million color screen is available with the Nokia 6121 as is the 2mp camera.

All the features of multimedia operation, the 6121 is a cost effective Nokia with good features to boot.

Nokia N81

2008-01-23T12:07:00.001-08:00

The Nokia N81 is a multimedia computer phone WITHOUT the huge size. Slimmed down and nice and compact, the Nokia N81 gives you great quality music, podcasts, 3.5mm audio jacks, 4gb microSD memory and seamless integration to other devices.

Similar to the n-gauge in features, you potrait and landscape views with the Nokia n81 - and world class gaming titles from the best publishers. 16 million color screen, web browser and RSS reader and WLAN support with bluetooth.

Dedicated music keys on the handset, N-Series music player, 5 band equalizer, FM Radio and of course the 3.5mm audio jack which is SO handy.

Nokia 5310 XpressMusic

2008-01-23T12:03:00.000-08:00

The Nokia 5310 XpressMusic is a tribute to the Nokia designers and manufactures. This phone is super slim, before turning it on - you're already in love with it. Stylists and people on the move will love this phone.

Nokia have packed in a 2mp camera, 3.5mm stereo AV jack and option for a stack of microSD space up to 4GB.

Its amazing they have packed these features into such a super slim phone. Crystal clear audio make it a great phone for people that enjoy music on the go, at the gym or anywhere. 18 hours extended battery for music, you won't be left short.

With a specificly designed audio 'chip' - this phone gets the closest to iPods and true audio devices. Supports Mp3, eAAC+ and WMA too. Of course you still get bluetooh and the access to the music is by new dedicated keys on the outter case down the side. Very handy.

One of Nokias great designs for 2008 - the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic is a winner.

Nokia N82

2008-01-21T11:51:00.000-08:00

The Nokia N82 cell phone has recently been released to the flagship nseries from Nokia mobile phones. Featuring a lot of the advantages of the Nokia N95 - it comes in a much small package that is more compact and boasts much better battery life.

You'll get the carl ziess 5mp camera built in, gps mapping and handy blogging and photo upload to the internet simply and quickly.

A real powerful package at a good price and strongly made. Nokia has taken the nseries to a new level with the design of the Nokia n82.

Nokia n95 vs Nokia n82?

A tough one, overall the features in the n95 still outweigh this new baby brother. However for power and features on the move - its hard to go past the nokia n82.

Nokia N95 Price

2008-01-08T01:54:00.000-08:00

The price of the Nokia N95 has dropped recently, coming down from $999 AUD to $899 AUD and this has seen a flurry in new purchases for the flagship Nokia handset. With recent firmware upgrades for the Nokia N95 going mainstream, mobile phone users much like those that use the iPhone are starting to do some customized things with the impressive Nokia handset.

The N95 outshines man other cell phones with it's amazing 5MP camera alone.

Keep your eyes open for more recent price drops for the Nokia N95 making it an attractive phone to purchase with each drop in price.

Blackberry 8100

2008-01-04T20:47:00.000-08:00

Got my hands on the blackberry 8100 or the blackberry pearl as it's known the other day. Coming in two colors on offer to the public; red and black are the options. However there is a limited edition white blackberry pearl or "whiteberry" as its known.

Generally only on offer to mobile and cell phone insiders, this phone is sought after and can fetch a bit on the secondhand market. So if you see the white blackberry grab it.

Feature wise it's not too bad, the blackberry 8100 is a compact and sleek design, giving true blackberry options and of course the legendary mobile email. Its the first time the blackberry went compact and dropped the full keyboard, however the give the keyboard access through relettering of the standard mobile phonepad numbers.

While certainly handy after using it for a while, it does take some time to get used to. If you want to send longer emails and want true PDA features, stick to the Blackberry Pearl - as it is worth the extra dollars and size in your pocket.

Nokia e65

2007-12-30T12:30:00.000-08:00

The Nokia e65 is the baby brother of the N95 handset. A feature rich Nokia handset, this unit gives plenty of punch for a low dollar entry price. With a 2mp camera built into it, the Nokia e65 doesn't have the snap shot power of the N95, however with wi-fi and voice over IP this handset should prove popular with the punters.

Solid construction and slide design make it a sleek handset, yet sturdy and stylish too. Large screen makes usage easy and battery life including talk time is always impressive from Nokia.

All in all the Nokia e65 is a great handset for those needing lots of grunt, but not wishing to pay the earth for their mobile or cell phone.

Nokia 2626

2007-12-26T02:29:00.000-08:00

We've had our hands on the Nokia 2626 now for a few weeks and are able to bring this quick review to you.

The Nokia 2626 is a basic, low end Nokia phone aimed at the entry level user who simply needs clear quality voice calling and decent text messaging.

This 2626 model has no camera, however for a low end phone (Sub $70US) it features: Diary / Calendar, SMS, Email / Web and the usual suspects from Nokia (Games and Decent Music/Sound)

The buttons feel slightly cheap and you do feel like your pressing a 'cheap' phone when you type in numbers or press the centre scroll/answer button.

This Nokia 2626 has a large screen, featuring 128k colors which is handy and ideal for most users.

Rating Overall: 6.5/10 (Great value phone which has most features the basic cell phone user needs)

Mobile Phone Unlocking

2007-12-20T02:45:00.000-08:00

Unlocking for a whole range of Nokia Phones is now possible You can unlock most Nokia Phones even some of the "Nokia BB5" range of mobile phones and handsets including the N70, 6680, N95 and others in the BB5 sector.

We are also seeing SIM swaps and mobile hacking being done more on the iPhone in all parts of the world.

Word is that Google is still working hard towards their Google Phone or GPhone that will be an iPhone killer. The LG Prada tried the touch key thing, but has failed badly in ths department.

(In blog roll news we are continuing the John Chow experiment and have also added YouTube Pro to our list of networked sites)

Unlock Mobile Phones

2007-08-14T06:07:00.000-07:00

Do you want to 'Unlock Mobile Phones' - well today we have put together some of the best places on the internet where you can get some detailed information on your mobile phone and how to unlock the handset.

There are many guides to: Unlock Mobile Phones - but many are full of older models, don't actually work or will cost you the earth.

Stick with these websites / links and you will have more luck:

http://www.mobilesource.com/unlock.cfm

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=43994

http://www.ukclassifieds.co.uk/unlock_mobile_phone_0906_635_9067_1_50_per_min_takes_4min-o207075.html

If you have found some good spots to unlock mobile phones - then please drop us a reply to this message and we will post the site during the coming days.

Best of luck with your unlocking.

Nokia N95 Software Update Reviewed

2007-08-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

The much awaited software / flash upgrade for the new Nokia N95 has been available for a little while now; with many Nokia N95 users installing the ROM upgrade and testing the features.

One of the key differences was the speed and accuracy of the satellite and GPS interface - faster load times along with less bugs was reportedly the new feel.

Apparently though, many Nokia N95 users have found the upgrade hasn't helped a lot with the satellite and GPS program on their phones.

Apart from improving overall interface loading times and a reduction in minor crashes the new Symbion OS has little advantages.

Advice for Nokia N95 users: Hold off the upgrade for now, wait for the next version which should have more of an impact on your new handset!

Bluetooth Explained

2007-07-26T23:35:00.000-07:00

When you use PC, music devices or mobile cell phones, the different components make up a world of electronic devices. These various devices talk to one another other using a different connectors, cables, signaling and IR light rays.

Allowing devices to communicate with each other gets harder almost daily as technology changes. Bluetooth, simplifies this problem. A Bluetooth setup is totally wireless and protocol free. Simple enough to become a standard adopted by many vendors

Looking for a Bluetooth headset?
Check out Bluetooth headset prices at Consumer Guide Products first before committing.

When any two devices need to exchange information with one another, they need to establish certain rules first. Initially the point of establishment is physical: Will they talk over a wire? Or via a wireless signal? If they do use wires, how many are needed -- Then the physical conditions are decided, many more questions pop up:

* Amount of data that will be sent at once? Eg, serial ports send data 1 bit at a time, while a parallel port send multiple bits at once.

* How will they chat to one another? All of the participants in an electronic exchange need to know what the bits mean and if the message they get is the same message that was sent. So ensuring a set of commands and acknowledgements is known as a protocol.

Bluetooth offers a solution to this problem.

Mobile and Cell Phone World

Solar Mobile Cell Phone

2007-07-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

The first ever 'green' mobile cell phone is now available - running on solar power!

Manufactured by company: HiTech Wealth, the new model S116 phone has the following specs which are very juicy! The price tag is quite high at US$510 (comparable with the new Apple iPhone in terms of pice) so it does have you thinking why you don’t just get an iPhone?

Only a 1.3 megapixel camera is available for the S116, it does include an MP3 player and the solar panels do make the cell phone stand out from the mobile crowd.

Details:
Solar Cell Phone
S116
The solar panels trickle-charge the battery in even limited sunlight, can be charged even by indoor lights and candle lights, the battery life is approx 2 and a half times longer than it would be minus the solar panels. One hour of direct sunlight will create an extra 45 minutes of talk time for the S116 user.

Nokia N95 Forums

2007-07-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

With the Nokia N95 continuing to grow in popularity - the demand from Nokia users for more info, hacks, software updates etc is growing.

We've had quite a few requests for Nokia N95 info here at 'Cell and Mobile Phones' - so we thought we would publish a link to some good decent Nokia N95 fourms.

Please check it out below:

Nokia N95 Forums

Nokia N800, Skype, Software Update

2007-07-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

Nokia has now released a new operation software for the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet model handset. Now Skype Integration is available!. Initial, Nokia didn't bundle this feature into the N800 series, Skype was initially on the list of features when the N800 was released at CES 2007 in January.

Apart from Skype integration on the N800, Nokia's N-series bigcreen phone comes equipped with a top notch features: 800x480 pixel display, full QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 and a built-in webcam.

Are you currently using a Nokia N800 series? We'd love to hear from you

Buying Phone Numbers on eBay

2007-07-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

I learnt a little trick yesterday, it seems you can advertise and buy some of the best phone numbers available on eBay.

So if you want that easy to remember cell phone number, a number featuring 007 for those movie fans or even if you happen to have a catchy cell phone number you wish to sell - you can advertise it on eBay and possibly get big dollars for it.

Not only are phone numbers traded on eBay, but pre-paid SIM cards, phone covers and most areas of mobile and cell phones are handled.

With the wide reach of eBay you can also achieve better prices in buying certain types and models of phones that might be harder to get or more expensive locally.

Youtube feature on LG Phones

2007-07-08T05:54:00.000-07:00

LG Electronics Co announced Tuesday it had signed an agreement with YouTube, the world's biggest video-sharing site, to develop a cell / mobile phone which can operate the YouTube service. The proposed setup will enable LG phone users to upload, view and share video clips or user-created content online freely without using computers to access YouTube.

&lt;a href='http://ads.mobiledia.com/adclick.php?n=af1eff4f' target='_blank'><img src='http://ads.mobiledia.com/adview.php?what=zone:12&amp;n=af1eff4f' border='0' alt=''></a>

For the upcoming YouTube-enabled handsets, LG will setup a new user interface for easily accessing and uploading video content. LG's YouTube-enabled handsets will be available worldwide starting at end of 2007.

LG first announced its new agreement to setup Google's services on its handsets in March 2007. As a first step in this new partnership, LG and Google have already setup the world's first HSDPA smartphone with Google / YouTube services pre-installed, the model mobile /cell LG-KS10, which has Google Search, Gmail Mobile, and Google Maps Mobile already. The LG-KS10 first hit shelves in Italy this past April, 2007.

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Apple iPhone Review Info

2007-07-04T18:53:00.000-07:00

This little phone, capping literally years and years of speculation on the most heavily followed and unconfirmed product reports in Apple's history (and there haven't been any mobile or cell phones in Apples history) -- and that's saying a lot -- the Apple iPhone has been announced recently.

Yes, we said it: "The Apple iPhone," the name itself, the entire world had all but unanimously given the new Apple device from the time it'd been nothing more than a blueprint (the name iPhone which was previously held by Cisco Systems).

The amazing specs of the 11.6 millimeter device (that's very, very thin, by the way) include a 3.5-inch 480 x 320 touchscreen display with multi-touch support and a proximity sensor to turn off the screen, touch and drag and, 2 megapixel cam, optional 4GB or 8 GB of storage, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR and A2DP, inbuilt WiFi that automatically engages itself when in range, and a full featured (Cell) quad-band GSM radio with EDGE. Of course, though, the Apple iPhone runs Max OS X with support for Widgets, Google Maps, and Safari, and iTunes with CoverFlow out of the gate.

An Apple partnership with Yahoo will allow all Apple iPhone customers to hook up with free push IMAP email builds. Apple also quotes 5 hours of battery life for talk , video, with a full 16 hours in iPod music mode .

The 4GB iPhone will sell in the US as a Cingular exclusive for $499 on a two-year contract, 8GB for $599.

Ships Stateside in June, Europe in fourth quarter, Asia in 2008.

Soon we will put the Apple iPhone against the new Nokia n95 and give you the low down on which PDA phone is the outright winner.

Mobile and Cell Phone Insurance

2007-07-02T19:30:00.001-07:00

A lot of mobile and cell phone network carriers offer insurance for the phone handset in the instance of theft or loss.

We've heard from a few owners of cell / mobile phones - who have taken up the option and payed somewhere between $3 US and $5 US per month to obtain the insurance.

The problem is, like any insurance - getting payment on a claim can be tricky. The phone and cell phone carriers will do their utmost to get out of claims. Many will only cover for theft, and it can be hard to prove theft in some instances. (As many users will lose or misplace their phone and still try and claim theft)

A more wide ranging cover for your mobile and cell phone - covering damage, theft and loss is probably the best way to go. With this broad coverage you will not have as much trouble trying to prove anything.

It also pays to do the sums. If you're paying a high rate of mobile / cell phone insurance (Say $7 a month) thats something like $84 a year. In under 2 years you could have a new decent phone for that amount, or the insurance could be paying for your call bills.

It also comes down to your lifestyle, if you risk the phone weekly (at work or in risky locations) then certainly it may be worth the coverage.

We'd like to hear about your cell phone insurance stories? Good and Bad - please comment below.

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Nokia N95 Firmware ROM Upgrade

2007-07-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

I got three screenshots yesterday. The first shows that the complete firmware is dated, 6-19-2007, and is numbered v12.0.013.Ok, there’s not *too* many changes in this firmware that I’ve can see. Available N95 RAM after a fresh boot is still the amount of 18MB. I did check for FOTA, and it’s not there . The new version of the N95 Nokia Maps is in there, and you will see from this screenshot. This also adds the N95 ability of Assisted-GPS, which uses mobile cell ID’s and their actual known location to help speed up the mapping process of locking into a location.

With A-GPS turned off / disabled, it took the Nokia N95 a full 74 seconds to finally lock-on. With A-GPS enabled / on (and after a complete power cycle with battery taken out), it was only 57 seconds total. That’s a massive 17 second speed boost, and because its the model A-GPS is a full blown learning system that keeps track of known mobile cell-IDs, it will get better and smoother and also faster. Also, with the A-GPS, we were able to get a location lock INDOORS, which is very rare! I also tested this by walking from one end of the house to the other end, and it followed me completely on the screen.

The product code for this Nokia update is 0536062.

Viedo Call Problems Between 3G Networks

2007-06-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

* ANSWER FOUND: We found out that for Optus and Vodaphone 3G / N95 users - you need to call the network provider and actually enable video calling. Prior to doing this, video calls simply will not be allowed.

A problem we came across this week at Mobile and Cell Phones is inter network video calling on Australian 3G networks.

Using a new Nokia N95 and an older Nokia 6680 - we attempted to video call from the Hutch 3G network to the Optus 3G network and the video call could not be established.

We then tried to call from the Nokia 6680 back to the Nokia N95 - this time from the Vodafone 3G network to the Hutch 3G and the Optus 3G - all video calls failing.

We found this very interesting and severely limiting for the new highly featured phones and the highly powerful 3G networks. Has anyone else found this problem? Or know of what the reasons are?

NOKIA N95 firmware update download

2007-06-26T23:49:00.000-07:00

The team over at Nokia must have been listening to owners of the new Nokia N95 handset. It seems some problems with the maps have been corrected, in the latest firmware released by the giant mobile cell phone co.

Sources suggestNokia took a look at the PalmBlog website and at the list of angry Nokia N95 users and decided they didn't a bad reaction to the N95 handset, so they haved opted to take care of their customers before it got a chance to get out of hand and hit the media. Of course this just an assumption , but it it makes sense.

*Crunch Gear* Owners of the Nokia N95 mobile will soon be treated to the new firmware by the cell phone giant. The new N95 firmware update will include an improved and new version of Nokia Maps as well as the Assisted-GPS feature, this feature uses a data connection to estimate the phone’s actual location and make a GPS location lock-on much quicker. The release date of the new firmware has not yet been confirmed by Nokia.

The N95 firmware upgrade will be carried by us here at mobilecells.blogspot.com - so as soon as its available for download we will provide it -

DOTA Forums

NRL News

Mobile Cell Free Phone Ring Tones Trap!

2007-06-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

After market free ring tones for your mobile or cell phone can be extremely costly and hard to get out of.

Many companies are preying on younger mobile and cell phone users, offering deals such as claimed 'free ringtones' 'cheap ringtones' and 'new ring tones'.

Rarely if ever are any of these deals free. They usually require the mobile phone user to enter credit card details or if your on a post pay service, they will try and debit the invoice to the person that owns that mobile phone.

Once you've been trapped by these claimed free ring tone scams, they can be very hard to get out of. You may have to make many phonecalls, sign paperwork and basically jump through hoops to get out of contracts.

These billing cycles start sometimes weekly and continue to recur every single week until you cancel. Some may offer new ring tones every week, but some just give you one maybe 2 ringtones then just start billing weekly! Very scary.

Many parents have had to bail their kids of trouble with mobile and cell phone bills alone, and then things like these custom 'free' ring tones can be the straw that breaks the back!

Whats your horror story with mobile / cell phone bills or free ring tones? (Please comment on the post below)

NRL News
DOTA Forums

Samsung SGH-A701 Review

2007-06-21T03:33:00.000-07:00

One of the very first mobile cell handsets to support the all new Telstra - Next-G HSDPA multi network, the Samsung model A701 is very impressive cell phone device. New Highlights of the Samsung A701 are the new 2mp digital camera, block of 24MB internal memory and new microSD card slot support, an extra large 2.3" LCD display, and full Bluetooth support along with A2DP profile support.

This Samsung mobile / cell phone is compatible with the ranged 850MHz HSDPA network, the Samsung A701 also offers great call quality (due to the larger amount of bandwidth available), The Samsung A701 is capable of data speeds up to 1.8Mbps. The Samsung handset is also capable of making and receiving full video calls with dedicated forward-facing built in VGA camera.

That very large 2.3" LCD display has a full 240 x 320 pixel resolution quality, and can also display 262,144 colours. The Samsung clam shell form factor means there's an additional 65k colour display on the front of the handset, at 96 x 96 pixels.

One drawback being of the A701 is the lack of microSD memory card in the original sales package. Many Samsung users will find that 24MB simply just isn't enough, considering the many users downloading music files, videos, and other large files via the HSDPA network.

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Nokia 6680 battery life low

2007-06-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

I've found with my 3G Nokia 6680 that the battery life isn't great. The Nokia 6680 uses the Nokia BL-5C battery, but with general use - I really only get 1 day of talk time out of this model.

It seems, while this is an issue with the older Nokia 6680 - the Nokia N95 also suffers the same problem.

When compared with the Nokia 6233 - which has great talk time, these two PDA blend Nokias really struggle.

Has anyone else had the same experience with the Nokia 6680? Feel free to comment on the article. The Nokia 6680 also suffers from a little tad of slowness due to the Symbian OS.

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Custom Ringtones and Phone Covers

2007-06-19T04:35:00.000-07:00

Most phones these days, covering most brands - Nokia, LG, Sony, Samsung and others - have plenty of ring tones, covers and stuff allowing complete customization of phones.

While many new mobile cell phones allow for MP3 and totally non brand specific ring tones - meaning any PC can give you the songs, and mobile mods you need - there is also dial up services such as 1902 numbers as such which also sell mobile ring tones, backgrounds and mods.

The only draw back for mobile cell phone mods is the risk of warranty being voided on the mobile phones. If you swap the cover on your Nokia, or add a non recommended memory card - you run the risk of losing warranty all together.

Be sure and check with your mobile cell phone manufacturer before adding memory cards. A reader of ours recently bought the Nokia N95 - and wanted to add a 2gig+ memory card. When he rang Nokia they said 'it might work' but is unsupported and they could not endorse the trial. They were helpful, but basically said this does void the warranty. It turns out the 2gig card *did* work - but obviously the original memory card would be swapped back in should any service work be needed on the mobile.

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Nokia 6680 Features

2007-06-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

The 3G based handset from Nokia, while older in terms of release model now - has plenty of features and options that still make this unit a good handset.

Video calling, twin cameras (albeit 1.3 megapixels only) - large screen, slide back camera cover and easy circular navigation button - make this cell phone very usable and durable.

While slightly heavy and a little bulky for todays standards, the phone - using the symbian operating system has a tonne of features, such as office applications, diary (with PC / MS Outlook / and contacts sync) and of course the 3G features and personalised web browsing.

The 3G content system is detailed and always updated, this proving very handy for users who want info - but dont want to have to use the web browser to get into detailed browsing.

This phone is locked the 3G network and can only be used on pre and post pay setups with Hutchison networks.

Good deals can be had for the second hand units of these phones, pricing being around the 200 AUD mark.

Samsung Blackjack Info

2007-06-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

The Samsung BlackJack (aka i600N series on back) is the first type 3G PDA-phone we've seen from the Samsung house, its a successor to the GSM-only i320N model from early last year.

Samsung Blackjack Design
When compared to PDA-based phones such as the extra-big Dopod 808 Pro, the Samsung BlackJack weighs in lightly at only 105 grams with the battery inc., and only measures a thin 11.8mm. Its got a bright 2.3-inch screen has a VGA resolution (320x240 total pixels) and is a landscape-oriented screen. The Samsung BlackJack doesn't have a touch-sensitive user screen or a stylus; it has a 4-way directional / nav button, softkeys and a thumb wheel to take care of the navigation.

Under the Samsung BlackJack's screen is a full QWERTY keypad with dedicated button for each key, in contrast to some dual-key QWERTY setups we've seen like on the BlackBerry Pearl and Sony Ericsson M600i. The Samsung BlackJack keyboard will be too small for those with big thumbs and we found ourselves occasionally hitting the wrong key by accident cuz there close together

The Samsung BlackJack, as its name suggests, is entirely black coloured, except for the silver nav-key and camera mirror on back. Samsung also has changed the number keys on the BlackJack's keypad with grey buttons rather than black. With special characters sharing the small button space, it's a cluttered-looking but usable keypad.

Samsung Blackjack Features
The Samsung BlackJack runs the smartphone v. of Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, which enables push to e-mail -- the instant sending of your e-mail to your mobile device -- and synch of Outlook contacts, Outlook calendar and tasks with all things Outlook or even Entourage. You need to have a e-mail account on Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 (with SP2) at your work place or home office to get this setup working.

Unfortunately the Samsung BlackJack doesn't let you edit MS Office docs; but you can view other formats like MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint and Adobe PDF. That's not to say there's a shortfall of apps on the Samsung BlackJack. You'll find Internet Explorer for Internet browsing, an RSS reader for online news feeds, Solitaire the classic game and new Bubble Breaker games and a good range of organisation apps like simple notepad, counter stopwatch, cash convertor, full voice recorder and round the world clock.

Like the recent Palm Treo 750, the Samsung BlackJack does support high-speed downloads up to 1.8Mbps over 3G networkds, subject to network said limitations, but it's not all about business with the Samsung BlackJack. Windows Media Player 10 Mobile is included to provide some nice entertainment during downtime. Other Supported music and video file formats are limited, but still include standard MP3, WMA and WMV. Third-party applications can be installed for other formats.

A basic 1.3-megapixel camera takes stills and up to one hour of sound-enabled motion video at a time. There's a microSD card on the side which supports sized cards up to 512MB; otherwise there's a base of 35MB to 42MB of user accessible internal memory and 128MB of flash ROM.

Samsung Blackjack Performance
As a mobile messaging device -- the screen when you turn the Samsung BlackJack on says "The Utra Messaging" -- the only drawback here is the squashed keypad. We then found we often hit two buttons by accident and couldn't then type as fast as we'd have liked. But, Practice helps here and those with smallish fingers or long fingernails shouldn't have as much of problem.

For around $899 USD outright, the Samsung Blackjack has a customised BlackJack^t, BlackJack^o^v for Telstra, Optus and Vodafone, respectively. The Vodafone and Optus versions have the dual cameras and support Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), whereas the limited Telstra Next G version has a single camera on the back and no Wi-Fi. and BlackJack

All Samsung Blackjack versions support high-speed downloads up to 1.8Mbps, but this is subject to network availability and of course capability (Optus hasn't rolled out HSDPA 1.8 yet, for instance).

We were sent the basic Wi-Fi-less Samsung BlackJack^t for review so we can't actually vouch for the battery performance over wireless LAN. We then managed three to four days between charges with occasional use of email, SMS, voice calls and all organiser features. Samsung provides an additional long life battery in the Telstra pack and an additional standard battery with the other sales packs. (Battery life though, was pretty good)

As a total mobile device aimed at business users looking for a balance of work and play, the Samsung BlackJack delivers the goods to some extent. Provided you get used to the keypad, it performs well as a phone, PDA and good messaging device with just a handful of little things that deviate from an otherwise solid package.

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Sony Ericsson Z550i

2007-06-10T07:19:00.000-07:00

Today we got our hands on the Sony Ericsson z550i flip handset.

We first noticed the sleek and light design of this phone, it fits very snuggly in the hand and the flip mechanism feels strong and durable.

The screen size, while slightly below standard these days still has bright vivid colours and still fits a tonne of info on the screen at one time.

The screen display is uncluttered and I found the menu system to be easily understandable.

Battery life is only average, with a day of many calls certainly pushing the phone to the limit.

The Sony z550 has the carl zeiss 1.3 megapixel camera, which is basic, but does a good enough job.

The z550i also has a mini display screen on the front of the flip, which is bright and while it isn't colour, the basic LCD does the quick job nicely.

Overall I would rate the Sony z550i a 6.8 out of 10 - and the price of this handset is around $145 AUD - so it's certainly great value at that rate and ideal for basic mobile phone GSM usage.

LG u8180 Review

2007-06-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

The LG u8180 is an older video calling phone used by several worldwide 3G networks.

Aftermarket ringtones are available with this phone, but buying them can be a little expensive. The quality of video calls is not bad, the phone is lightweight and battery life is fairly decent.

The covers can't be interchanged and the second hand market or aftermarket parts for the LG u8180 isn't huge.

The other minor drawback with this handset, is the antenna is external and the small antenna slightly raises up and can be easily broken or annoying.

This handset is a good basic 3G introductory set and is slowly being phased out. This model handset can be picked up cheaply on ebay and is worth it as a second phone or for younger family members.

LG u8180

O2 Xda II Mini Mobile Phone

2007-06-06T07:15:00.000-07:00

O2 Xda II Mini is the no1 best selling mobile cell phone for the month of April, 2007.

See below for a full review of the O2 XDA 2 Mini, it's feature packed and is a tiny cell phone to boot.

O2 XDA 2 Mini - Cell Phone Design This phone IS small. Because You can't call a phone a "Mini" if it aint that small, and indeed at 58 by 108 by 18.1 millimetres, the XDA II Mini is a small smart phone, although of course it's still only moderately sized from the phone side of the equation. In visual terms it's not a great departure from the XDA II itself; you've got a directional button at the bottom of the phone, surrounded by four selection buttons (including the two call buttons), and a 2.8-inch display with a total resolution of 240 by 320 pixels. At around 150 grams, it's much lighter than the XDA II or XDA IIs, but you'd expect that from a smaller smart phone.

O2 XDA 2 Mini Cell Phone Features
The actual software the XDA II Mini runs is Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition for Pocket PC Phone Edition -- a tounge twister! -- this runs on an Intel PXA 272 processor clocking at 416MHz. With a total of 64MB of Flash ROM and the same quantity of RAM, it's a heavy hitter on the storage side for a phone, but if you're looking for serious PDA usage, you may want to get yourself of the SD/MMC card slot that sits atop the phone.

Running a variant of the Pocket PC OS means it's pre-installed with the most common PDA applications from the Pocket PC side of the fence -- Word, Excel, PowerPoint Viewer and so on -- as well as some custom O2 applications. Like the other XDA units, the Mini sports an integrated digital camera, and in keeping with the best that we're seeing in mobile phone cameras at the time of writing, it's a 1.3 megapixel unit, which should put it just into the acceptable and printable category.

As a phone, the XDA II Mini is tri-band GSM and GPRS capable, and as it's a smart phone with visual keyboard facilities, creating and sending SMS and MMS messages is a snap. It's also Bluetooth capable, although that's not the only way to synchronise it with a suitable PC; a USB cable is also provided.

O2 XDA 2 Mini Cell Phone Performance
The very first thing that gets noticed about the XDA II Mini is certainly a common damn fault with most smart phones lacking an integrated qwerty keyboard; the actual screen does smudge very quickly and very often; I suggest you start carrying a cleaning cloth around everywhere with you if you're someone who is keen to show this o2 xda off to your friends. Apart from that, the display is clear and bright, with the usual adjustments for maximising battery life by dipping screen brightness depending on your situation. As a phone we had few complaints about its performance, aside from one situation where it for some reason it incorrectly grabbed contact details for somebody phoning us -- although to be fair to O2, it does note on the splash screen of our review unit that it's a test unit, so some bugs are probably inevitable.

As an actual PDA, the XDA II Mini cell phone sits well in an overall competitive category, because there's not too much that really catapults it ahead of the competition per se, and the fact that the rocker on the side of the unit doesn't perform scrolling functions -- it's a volume control for the PDA and phone capabilities -- this threw us for a while.

The actual XDA II Mini's built in camera is one of the best implementations of a mobile phone camera i've seen for quite a while; it's then undoubtedly helped by having a rather larger than life or larger than usual LCD for you to frame the shots with, and smartly, there's a major focus on funtime shots -- including a number of silly shot templates to frame with -- rather than serious photography. Predictably, without a flash, you'll end up with a number of rather dingy looking photos at night, but daytime shots perform well.

O2 claims a battery life of around 180 hours standby and 4-5 hours talk time with the XDA II Mini's 1,200 mAh Lithium Ion battery, although in our testing we'd suggest it's capable of less if you're using the PDA functionality much -- we averaged around 2-3 days before needing to recharge the battery with only moderate usage, and predictably much less if the integrated Bluetooth was switched on.

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Motorola Razor Hacks

2007-06-05T22:46:00.000-07:00

With mobile phone popularity getting huge around the world, hacks are popping up for many phones as users want to modify their GSM handset and get the most from it.

One of the most popular phones in the past year has been the Motorola V3 Razor.

The Razor is skinny, sleek and looks hot - if you have a Motorola V3 Razor and wish to start hacking the razor or employing some cool V3 hacks then we have a great in depth website link, that gives you heaps of tips tricks and hacks for the Motorola V3 razor. You will only need this one site, and nothing else as the owner has written tonnes about the Motorola V3.

Click the link below:
Motorola V3 Razor Handset Hacks and Info

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Nokia 6288 Slider Review

2007-06-05T01:20:00.000-07:00

The Nokia 6288 handset is a stylish slider handset - with 3G functions and a 2mp camera. The well built Nokia handset also has features to boot, calendar, bluetooth, mini SD memory storage and a large colour screen. The only draw back on the Nokia 6288 is it's size and weight. It is slightly heavy to hold and it's large screen takes up a lot of real estate, making this a bulky dimensioned cell phone handset. Other features such as voice recorder and audio player are handy and round out the value for money handset. It's aimed at the mid market, with a touch of youth - the inexpensive handset sits just above the basic entry level range and is good value at approx. $300 AUD brand new. You can use eBay and similar trading sites to pick up a Nokia 6288 handset slightly cheaper, say $200 AUD used. Ensure the IEMI is safe and the phone is not locked to a network such as some are.

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Nokia N95 Handset Cell Phone

2007-06-04T08:23:00.001-07:00

The new Nokia N95 handset has hit the world market with a bang. The Finnish experts of Mobile Cell Phones Nokia - have released a masterpiece with the N95.

MobileCellPhones - has their hands on one of these models, recently purchased in Australia for approximately $900 AUD inc Tax.

The Nokia N95 is feature packed, however it's a small handset and very lightweight.

Screen size is large, and the 5.0mp camera is included featuring Carl Zeiss Optics. The only concern is the phone feels very 'breakable' - certainly one single drop or mismanagement would see the lovely Nokia N95 shatter into a million bits.

Support for Wi-fi is available on the Nokia N95 - however we did have trouble reading wireless networks once connected. The N95 found the networks ok but struggled to read them.

Mapping via Satellite and GPS is simply awesome. Picking up the satellites quite quickly and gaining navigation tools is very handy on the run. Bad weather or indoor access can sometimes throw the satellite tracking out- but high speed car movement was OK with us.

MiniSD is included with the Nokia N95 and the Nokia software suite is very well put together. All the usual features are there.

The handset slides both ways, with one direction for Quad band voice calling, and the other slide direction for the media centre. Lovely speakers (stereo) pump the sound out for the N95 and a standard 3.5mm stereo jack is available on top of the N95 for easy access to any third party headphones.

Also via bluetooth Nokia have some lovely wireless headsets for sound and voice - try them!

All in all- we give the Nokia N95 handset a 8.5 out fo 10- we WANT one and don't want to give this test unit or demo unit N95 back to Nokia.

Thanks to Nokia for loaning the N95 to us for trial.

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Cell and Mobile Phone Welcome

2007-06-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

This new website will be dedicated to Mobile and Cell Phone handset reviews.

Reviewing handsets such as: The Nokia N95, The Motorola V3 and above Razor and other handsets around the world.

The review of cell phones and handsets will also extend to mobile and cell networks around the world. Providers such as Vodafone, Verizon, Cingular, Telstra, Optus / Singtel and Hutchison.

We look forward to reviews and feedback on mobile phones from all our readers.

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