Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 review: first look

Friday, November 13th, 2009

There are lots of smartphones vying for our attention right now, but despite the underwhelming nature of its improvements, Windows Phone is generating some interesting handsets. The latest is Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X2 – the follow up to the distinctly average X1 we reviewed last year – and we had our first chance to play with one at the launch event last night.

As you can see from the picture, it’s a very similar handset to the X1, boasting a sliding hardware Qwerty keyboard, and an ingenious mechanism that kicks the screen up at an angle so it’s more comfortable to view while typing. It does so with a satisfying snap, too.

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BlackBerry Bold 9700 review: first look

Monday, October 26th, 2009

The Storm 2 might be attracting all the headlines right now, but it’s not the only phone RIM is championing right now. As we reported last week, its BlackBerry Bold 9700 (pictured left) has also just been announced, and we’ve had the chance for a brief hands on.

Those familiar with the BlackBerry range will instantly notice that the Bold 9700 is a lot smaller than the original Bold (pictured right). It measures 60 x 14.1 x 109mm and weighs in at a mere 122g. So small, in fact that it looks a bit like a Curve.

Those statistics might make the Bold 9700 more pocketable than its predecessor. But, worryingly, it also means the keyboard is smaller too. Given that the Bold’s amazing keyboard was its key selling point, this has the potential to ground the new phone before it’s had the chance to take off.

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BlackBerry Storm 2 review: first look

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

So RIM has dumped the mechanical click screen of the original Storm completely and has replaced it with a brand new system. And having spent nearly an hour in the company of its successor – the BlackBerry Storm 2 – I can confirm that it’s a huge improvement.

The Storm 2 uses a system of four software-controlled electro-mechanical actuators (which sit behind the screen), to give a sort of localised haptic feedback. Press the screen anywhere on its surface and it gives feedback in response – but this is like no other feedback vibration I’ve experienced before. Incredibly, pressing the screen feels just like clicking a button, and it’s very responsive too.

Coupled with the BlackBerry OS’s effective auto correction, I managed to get up to a rapid typing speed instantly, and because it’s multitouch, you don’t have to wait to finish one key press before beginning another.

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Why is Windows Mobile Marketplace so thin?

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

I’ve been reviewing Windows Mobile phones for years now, and against all odds, I have to admit to having a soft spot for Microsoft’s Mobile OS.

But at the same time, I do wonder how on earth it manages to score so many own goals. The Windows Mobile Marketplace is just the latest example.

This is Microsoft’s answer to the iPhone App Store and the Android Marketplace, and it forms the cornerstone of Microsoft’s strategy for its consumer smartphone OS – the newly-launched Windows Phone (aka Windows Mobile 6.5), (click to read the full review).

Or rather, it should.

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The wonderful world of d3o orange goo

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

On a recent edition of Dragons’ Den, Jason Roberts, founder and CEO of a company called Tech21, managed to convince Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis to part with £150,000 (in return for a 40% stake in his business) for what is effectively a range of laptop bags, MP3 player and mobile phone cases.

Doesn’t sound that exciting, does it? But there is something rather special that lies at the heart of his apparently mundane products – a fabric called called d3o. This is an impact-absorbing material, that’s becoming increasingly popular in the world of protective clothing – it’s been used by the military, the US downhill ski team, and motorcycle clothing manufacturers to provide impact protection in the event of a crash.

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Why OpenStreetMap is brilliant

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

We all know about Google Maps and how brilliant it is. It’s gone from simple online mapping website, to an essential tool for mobile phones, complete with satellite photography, your friend’s location (Latitude) and, of course, the extremely groovy Street View.

But it’s not the only free mapping tool around, and not even the best, as I’ve been finding out over the past few months. The OpenStreetmap is a venture, started in 2004 by Steve Coast, similar to Wikipedia, only with maps.

His idea was that rather than rely on corporations with big budgets and teams of cartographers, or national institutions to generation mapping data, he would get the internet community to build up its own using GPS traces and donated satellite imagery.

I remember looking at it three years ago and being distinctly unimpressed at the level of detail. But, it’s improved beyond recognition, with maps of London, in particular, that are just as detailed, if not more so, than Google maps. And as time goes on, its accuracy and usefulness can only increase.

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Acer’s new laptops and netbooks – first look

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Once upon a time, manufacturers would launch one product at a time, allowing you to soak up the details pass comment and have time for reflection. Some, however, insist on the scatter gun approach.

And Acer, having just announced a new netbook, six new laptops, two nettops, and several all-in-one PCs, including a Windows 7-equipped touchscreen model (which a spokesman said would be on the shelves on October 23) fall firmly into the latter category. (more…)

Hands on with the HTC Magic, the second Android phone

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

I’ve just come back from the launch of the second Google Android phone to be released, and I must say I’m impressed. Its sleek profile and solid build quality are a world away from the dumpy and disappointing T-Mobile G1, which we reviewed at the back end of last year.

UPDATE: Read the full review here

It’s been manufactured by the same company as the G1 – HTC – the firm also behind the Touch Diamond2 we reviewed last week, and it’s available for free on a £35 per month tariff, which gets you 600 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited data.

And while I’m none too keen on the fact that it’s only going to be available in white, I did warm immediately to the solid and sleek feel of this new Android phone. It weighs 118.5g and its dimensions  - 55mm wide, 113mm tall and just 13.65mm thick – make it extremely pocket friendly. The gloss finish, sculpted lines and oversized trackball all contribute to a sophisticated look that the G1 could only dream of.

Apart from the looks, though, the key difference is the on-screen touch keyboard and I was keen to try this out…

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HTC’s Diamond2 touches down

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

When HTC launched the Touch Diamond (pictured on the right), just before the iPhone 3G, it was clear that the software was far from polished. The new TouchFlo 3D interface was intended to offer Windows Mobile fans (and Apple haters) the chance to benefit from touch-related delights similar to that of Apple’s iPhone, without having to go out and line Steve Jobs’ pockets.

But, as with so many Windows Mobile-based handsets, while the front end looked nice and the hardware impressed, it just didn’t come together as a coherent whole. The software was sluggish and frustrating to use and, more importantly, just didn’t mask Windows Mobile effectively enough.

It’s good to see, then, that with its latest phones – the Touch HD and now the second generation Touch Diamond2 (on the left in the photo above) – it’s started to focus more on the software than the hardware. So, while the core hardware and specifications remain the same (with just a few cosmetic and practical improvements) TouchFlo 3D has undergone a dramatic overhaul.

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Lenovo’s ThinkPad W700ds has us seeing double

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Laptops, I have no doubt you’re tired of hearing, are taking over the world. Slowly but surely over the past decade or so, sales of portable computers have caught up and overtaken sales of desktops to the point at which most ordinary folk wouldn’t even contemplate buying a hulking great desktop machine.

But you still wouldn’t replace a graphics workstation machine with a laptop, would you? Well, if first impressions are anything to go by, you might if you had the chance to swap it for one of Lenovo’s W700ds workstation laptops.

You may have seen it before on various blogs and news websites, including perhaps our very own – it’s the one with two screens (the DS bit stands for dual screen), and understandably we were very keen to get one in.

But nothing quite prepared us for our first meeting with it…

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