DOREGAMA

Hands-On Toshiba Portege G910 Review
Toshiba Portege G910 Overview
The Toshiba Portege G910 is a smartphone that Toshiba would like you to think of as a mini-laptop. It looks good, with a kind of dull silver and faux-leather exterior, and it's extremely light (just 183g). Lighter, in fact, than the Nokia E90, which I'll be using as a reference point throughout this review. It's also smaller than the E90, but as you'll see later, this isn't necessarily a good thing.

The Toshiba Portege G910's main features
We used to call smartphones PDAs, but since they've added the ability to make calls, they've suddenly become smartphones. Given that the Toshiba G910 has tri-band GMS, HSDPA, Bluetooth 2.0, USB and Infra-Red connectivity, I think we can definitely make the case that it's a smartphone, as it should connect to virtually anything!

Also included with the G910 is the following:
internal GPS receiver,
2 megapixel camera with auto-focus,
MP3 player,
video recorder and player,
Windows Pocket Office
800 x 480 pixels (Wide-VGA), 65k colour TFT screen
Biometric fingerprint scanner.
In short, this is one meaty smartphone that should - in theory - be capable of doing pretty much anything. Question is, can it live up to its specification?
Toshiba Portege G910 Review - Exterior
The Portege G910's Keyboard
First up is the keyboard. Open the device, and the QWERTY keys are revealed, together with the large WVGA screen. The keys on the keyboard are big enough, and typing messages is nice and straightforward. However, it does take a bit of getting used to, particularly after using the E90's keyboard. With the E90, each key is smaller, but that provides more space for adding extra keys, such as those for numbers, space, cap-lock and tab - in other words, just like you'd expect from a normal keyboard.

With the G910, though, you only get the QWERTY keys and one or two extras - numbers, colons, semi-colons, dashes, etc., must all be accessed by holding down the function key at the bottom left of the keyboard. I'm sure you'd get used to this after time, but I found it almost claustrophobic.

I had a brief conversation on Instant Messenger, where colons and brackets are rather necessary for emoticons, but having to first of all hunt for the colon key (it's on the D key) and then remember to press the function key while hitting it, did rather make me lose the flow of the conversation somewhat!

Worse, the exclamation mark and question mark are so close to the function key that needs to be pressed to use them, you need fingers as long and as dextrous as a concert-pianist's (or a 12-year old PlayStation-playing yoof!) in order to use them as speedily as you like. Not so bad for emails, perhaps, but annoyingly inconvenient for Instant Messaging.

Eventually I gave up and carried on the conversation on my PC. Like I say, this could be just because I'm not used to the G910's keyboard yet, but even after this limited use, I do find the E90's keyboard to be much easier to use.
The G910's Screen
The G910 comes with a large WVGA tft screen capable of displaying 65,000 colours on its 800 x 480 pixel display. This is a good resolution for a smartphone, as it means that ext can be rendered in pin-sharp detail, even if it's relatively small. It's not quite the average width of a Web page (1,024 pixels wide), which can be a problem when using the Web browser (see below), but for all purposes, it's more than good enough.

Early Motorola Canary and Capri review
Motorola will soon be releasing replacements for the RAZR and SLVR. Currently known as the Motorola Canary and Capri respectively, the new mobile phones are still under development, and haven't even been announced by Motorola yet. That hasn't stopped BengalBoy, though, who not only managed to get his hands on this pair of phones, he's even reviewed them! Way to go BengalBoy!!

More details and pictures of the Motorola Canary and Capri after the jump.


Motorola Canary and Capri review

So what can we expect from the new Motorola phones? Well, a new form factor, case materials and a camera flash, and er...that's about it! Both come with a 2 megapixel camera and video capture at 352×288, and the Capri comes with a real camera flash. The Canary comes with a clamshell form factor whilst the Capri is a new slider design from Motorola.
Disappointingly, all the hardware and internal gubbins are identical to the current generation RAZR and SLVR. This makes reviewing these phones surprisingly easy: simply read a review for a current RAZR or SLVR, and there you have it! Apparently the Capri is 'beefy' and has the better looking keypad, whilst the Canary looks the biz from the outside but its screen is prone to fingerprints.
Rather than seeing these phones as the 'next' RAZR and SLVR, we should really see them as an updated version of the existing models. Motorola have been talking up next year's Motorola SCPL as the real RAZR2, so even Motorola is perhaps seeing the Canary as RAZR 1.5. Disappointing, as the RAZR's really showing its age now; at least a new form factor is better than simply repainting the existing RAZR, I guess, but it does show a chronic lack of imagination from Motorola.

No news on when the Motorola Canary and Capri will be released (or even announced), but it should be later in 2006 (at least it should if Motorola want to sell any of these phones!)

Labels: mobile phones

Why the MOTOZINE ZN5 will not save Motorola

After over a year of rumours, leaked pictures and speculation, Motorola have finally announced the 5 megapixel camera phone they've been working on with Kodak. Called the Motorola MOTOZINE ZN5, the new camera phone was seen as a key element in Motorola's fight-back against its competitors, which have been eating up its market share for over a year now.

Is it too little too late, though? Given that most of the other manufacturers have had 5 megapixel camera phones on the market for over a year now, and Sony Ericsson are about to launch an 8 megapixel camera phone, can Motorola's first 5 megapixel camera phone really help the company stem its losses and help it regain the technological lead it once held?

Read on after the jump to find out.


Me and Motoroa

I used to be a fan of Motorola phones. I nearly bought a Motorola RAZR way back in 2004 when it came out, simply because it looked about 100 years ahead of the competition. I even had a Motorola Accompli 008 back in 2001, one of the first smartphones with a touchscreen (albeit stylus-based). The reason I didn't buy the RAZR? Its features. At the time, it had an awful VGA camera, whereas the phone I did buy, the Sony Ericsson S700i, had a top of the range (for the time!) 1.3 megapixel camera that actually took decent photos.

I decided that looks alone weren't enough and that I wanted a phone whose features actually worked, rather than being tacked on as a marketing gimmick because every other phone had them. Is this still the case with the new MOTOZINE ZN5? Is it yet another Motorola phone that flatters to deceive, with a 5 megapixel camera built-in, simply because every other camera phone is now boasting at least 5 megapixels?

Motorola MOTOZINE ZN5 - technological marvel, or also-ran?

I've never regretted buying the S700i over the RAZR. Indeed, I still use my S700i, when going out to places where I might lose it, or it might get damaged (I'm thinking nightclubs and pubs here). It doesn't matter if I get drunk and leave it behind, or if I drop it and it breaks. The phone has no value now, other than the contact numbers within it, and even they are backed up. It really is a disposable phone.

Despite this, I still have it. I've never lost it, and even after dropping it countless times, and spilling nearly a brewery worth of beer over it, it still works perfectly. In the four years that I've had it, my friends have got through countless RAZRs, each of which has died within a couple of years at most.

But it wasn't the reliability of the S700i that made me choose it over the RAZR. It was the fact that its features were rock-solid. They weren't just there simply to add to a list of near-meaningless acronyms that every phone manufacturer had to add in order to compete, irrespective of whether the features listed actually worked or not. Sony Ericsson meant business, and all the features on its phones really did work.

Long before the CyberShot phone, a Sony Ericsson camera phone could take proper pictures, whereas all a Motorola could offer was VGA, which was simply not good enough.

That was four years ago. After years of technical stagnation leading to dwindling profits and an ever-decreasing market-share, has the new MOTOZINE ZN5 got what it takes to bring Motorola back up to speed with its competitors? Or is it too just another Motorola phone with a list of "me too" features that tries to emulate the technological prowess of its competitors, but ultimately disappoints?

The Motorola MOTOZINE ZN5 key features

Looking at the list of features of the MOTOZINE ZN5, there aren't many that catch the eye. It's a 5 megapixel camera phone with auto-focus, a Xenon flash, 4GB of optional external memory and optimized settings for low-light environments. Great, but every other camera phone on the market also offer these features these days, even mid-range phones. More worryingly, the ZN5 is intended to be a high-end phone from Motorola, with the "MOTOZINE" brand being a new range of high-end phones from the company.

Admittedly, there's the tie-up with Kodak, but they're hardly in the same league as Sony's CyberShot, or Nokia's partnership with Carl Zeiss.

The ZN5 offers a few neat features, such as Kodak's PERFECT TOUCH Technology, which makes images become brighter and more vivid, and a panorama mode that automatically stitches together continuous shots taken on the horizon line into a single, extended image. But then it completely lets itself down by not supporting 3G, let alone HSDPA.

Yes, that's right. In this "new" world of high-speed mobile networks that's been with us for well over a year now, but which Motorola seems oblivious to, the company has decided to release a phone that supports Wi-Fi and EDGE (Class 12), but not HSDPA or even 3G. EDGE is at best a 2.75G network, capable of theoretical download speeds of up to 474kbps. Compare this with HSDPA, with which the latest Samsung and Sony Ericsson-equipped phones manage to squeeze 7.2 Mbps out of.

As soon as I read this, I thought "they can't be serious?!", but they are. A new, much talked about camera phone, yet with features that at best replicate those of phones that have been on the market for over a year, and at worst can offer data transfer speeds from the last century.

So I've decided to give up writing any more about the ZN5! It's a 5 megapixel camera phone that's at least a year too late from a dying company that might just be around longer than the phone itself will last, but don't bet on it. As if to highlight the expectations of the company with the ZN5, it's being sold first in China, which speaks volumes for the lack of confidence Motorola has in the ZN5's ability to compete in more mature markets.

If you must, you can read exhaustive reviews of the ZN5 over at mobile-review or the oddly-named Snape.com, and you can also read the press release below. But as for words from me on the ZN5, there's only one more I'll add...Meh!

The Motorola MOTOZINE ZN5 in detail

From the press release:

Motorola (NYSE: MOT), a leader in wireless communications, and Kodak (NYSE: EK), the world’s foremost imaging innovator, today announced MOTOZINE™ ZN5, the first product combining world-class innovation from both companies. The MOTOZINE ZN5 combines a high-quality phone and camera experience to help content-craving consumers seize inspiration and share the content they create and love with the world.

Unveiled today in Beijing at a gallery-inspired event, ZINE ZN5 delivers an easy and immersive mobile imaging experience. ZN5 is the first mobile phone to combine Motorola’s ModeShift Technology and KODAK Imaging Technology. Together, they redefine the quality, convenience and connectivity of mobile imaging devices. With KODAK EASYSHARE Software and easy access to KODAK Gallery1 or other web sharing sites,2 pictures are easily moved off the device, allowing consumers to print, share and enjoy their favorite photos whenever they want.

“Today’s creative consumers not only want to be the photographer, but also the retoucher, the exhibitor and the critic,” said Jeremy Dale, corporate vice president, mobile devices marketing, Motorola, Inc. “The MOTOZINE ZN5 lets them be all the things they want to be.”

Built to Shoot

ZN5 puts image capture first, with a high-resolution landscape screen and one of the fastest click-to-click times available. To launch the camera, simply slide open the Kodak lens cover to transform the phone into an ultra-fast 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus, a Xenon flash, 4GB of optional external memory3 and optimized settings for low-light environments.

Built-in KODAK Imaging Technology ensures that every picture taken with ZN5 looks its best. When KODAK Imaging Technology is combined with KODAK PERFECT TOUCH Technology, images become brighter and more vivid on the spot. Multiple capture modes, like multi-shot and panorama, which automatically stitches together continuous shots taken on the horizon line into a single, extended image1, makes taking photos fun.

“KODAK Imaging Technology combines Kodak’s unparalleled experience in imaging science with easy connectivity to the company’s vast portfolio of products and services,” said John Blake, general manager digital capture and imaging devices group, vice president Eastman Kodak Company. “We have redefined the quality, convenience and connectivity of mobile imaging devices. We have worked closely with Motorola to create a device that not only delivers Kodak-quality pictures, but allows consumers to explore a wide range of options for sharing their photos with friends and family around the world.”

Built to Share

With one touch, photos can be viewed right from the home screen; no menus, no searching. This multimedia device provides a fun, quick and easy way to share favorite photos. Pictures can be uploaded via Gallery Link in one simple click and instantly shared to the KODAK Gallery (www.kodakgallery.com)1 to be viewed, stored and shared with friends and family. ShoZu can be used to upload photos to a variety of social networking sites1. ZN5 comes with KODAK EASYSHARE Software, the world’s most used photo software, making it easy to organize, edit, share, store and find mobile pictures1. Consumers can transfer pictures to a computer via USB, Wi-Fi1 or Bluetooth® wireless technology4 and print wirelessly on Bluetooth-compatible KODAK All-in-One Printers and at KODAK Picture Kiosks.

Built to Talk
In phone mode, ZN5 features Motorola’s patented CrystalTalkTM technology to help callers hear and be heard, even in noisy environments. With dual compatibility for GSM and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), users can connect in more areas around the world2 and enjoy high-speed wireless connections to surf the Web via a full HTML browser2. To complete the communications experience, ZN5 also supports SMS, MMS, IM and personal e-mail2.

The MOTOZINE Multimedia Experience
MOTOZINE ZN5 is the first device to carry the MOTOZINE franchise name, Motorola’s new label for its multimedia-optimized devices. For the consumer who thrives on content consumption and creation, products in the ZINE portfolio give them the freedom to shape pop culture, on their terms.

The Motorola MOTOZINE ZN5 release date will be first available in China in July 2008 and is expected to roll out around the globe throughout the remainder of the year.

Labels: mobile phones

Motorola have also announced the Motorola RIZR today.

After the RAZR, the KRZR, and now the RIZR, Motorola's gone mad with its mobile phone launches, and will soon be running out of letters to wrap around the original RAZR!

The RIZR is a step up from the KRZR, offering a 2 megapixel camera, quad-band, MP3 player and Bluetooth with A2DP-stereo compatibility, all in a slider form factor.

Still not exactly setting world alight though. Originally known as the Capri, the RIZR is set to replace the SLVR.

More details and pictures of the Motorola RIZR after the jump.





Motorola RIZR mobile phone

From the press release:

Merging an innovative slider design with an impressive feature set, the MOTORIZR delivers a dynamic mobile package for those socially active, on-the-go consumers who demand style, fun and adventure.

Uniquely crafted, the MOTORIZR features a thin, narrow slider form factor with familiar finishes, rich housing materials and a multi-modal design for using the phone in both the open and closed positions.


Appealing to the senses, this sleek new device boasts exceptional imaging, vivid color screen, enhanced music features and global connectivity.

By offering the desired functionality in a familiar, easy to use design, the MOTORIZR is the companion for effortless style and entertainment on-the-go.

Smooth Operator
The MOTORIZR features an ultra smooth slider that easily glides open with a subtle push to the elevated lens treatment.
Once opened, the MOTORIZR will delight you with the clean look and feel to its large, easy-to-use keypad.

Paying attention to even the tiniest of details, the MOTORIZR slides open to reveal an abstract tattoo for an element of pleasant surprise.

To take full advantage of the slider and make your life easier, you can do most anything in both the open and closed positions—no need to constantly ‘open’ the phone.

Imaging Icon
Hidden behind the MOTORIZR’s eye-catching design lays a powerful digital camera. Capture images with the integrated 2 megapixel digital camera and high-intensity camera light. With a dedicated side camera key and landscape viewfinder, you can hold it and use it like a digital camera. What could be easier! To really show off the large, colourful display, there MOTORIZR features a full screen viewfinder for both photographs and videos.
Sophisticated Sound
Adding a touch of entertainment to its youthful style, the MOTORIZR is a music-lover’s paradise. Experience the ultimate in music portability with the MOTORIZR’s built-in music player that supports a variety of music formats.
Transfer your digital music collections via USB connection–with up to 1GB of MicroSD available, you can store all your favorites with room for more! To make the experience even better, an optional Bluetooth stereo headset accessory is available for wire-free listening.

Global Mobile
Crossing foreign territory, the MOTORIZR’s quad-band technology allows users to roam seamlessly across countries and continents.
With multiple messaging capabilities including MMS and IM, share a picture, file or expression with friends, family or loved ones.

Keeping in touch has never been more fun! And with flight-mode, you can now relax with your favorite tunes for hours, making the MOTORIZR your ideal travel companion.

SUMMARY OF FEATURES:
Thin, narrow slider with a multi-modal design and rich colors, materials and finish
2.0 MP camera with a fixed lens, full screen viewfinder with high intensity camera light, frame center and status icons
Supported audio formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, and AAC+ Enhanced
20 MB of on-board user memory and MicroSD memory slot for up to 1 GB of extra storage for music, pictures and other media
USB 2.0 connectivity for file transfers and data access
Video capture and playback
Quad-Band (GPRS/EDGE) functionality**
Display: 1.9 inches, 176 × 220 TFT (262k colors)
Messaging via MMS, SMS, EMS, Email, IM***
Mobile Phone Tools support for PC synch of phonebook, contacts, and media
Integrated Bluetooth wireless technology* (A2DP- Stereo) for hands-free connectivity with compatible stereo Bluetooth-enabled devices
Motorola RIZR release date is the second half of 2006

Labels: mobile phones

CES 2008: Motorola ROKR E8 follows in Apple’s footsteps

As well as the Motorola Z10, CES 2008 also saw the announcement of the Motorola ROKR E8. Now, Motorola have released a number of ROKR music phones before, generally to underwhelming reviews. However, with the new ROKR E8, Motorola might just have got things right this time, and might even start to compete with Sony Ericsson's Walkman phones.

More details and pictures of the Motorola ROKR E8 after the jump.


Motorola ROKR E8

So why is the ROKR E8 so much better than previous ROKRs? Well, taking its cue from the iPhone, the ROKR E8 offers a touchscreen interface, with a different user interface presented to the user when the phone is in phone mode or music mode (Motorola calls this ModeShift technology).

It's not just a touchscreen, either - it also features a haptic interface, vibrating slightly whenever the user's finger passes over a key.

Also taking its cue from an Apple product, the ROKR E8 offers a FastScroll navigation wheel that lets users easily scroll through their music collection. iPod users may find this feature more than a little familiar!

Storage capacity of the E8 is up to 4GB via an external microSD card.

Altogether, the ROKR E8 is a much better ROKR than previous attempts. However, as Gizmodo puts it, "As with all Motorola phones, the new Z10 and Rokr E8 are innovative but not so much to be considered breakthrough technologies

Labels: mobile phones

This is the new Motorola Z8, the media monster that Motorola CEO Ed Zander mentioned last week during his keynote speech at Software 2007.

And for once, it seems that Motorola has delivered. Rather than simply taking their existing phones and "reinventing" them by basically painting them a different colour, Motorola have finally woken up and pimped the Z8 to extreme levels.

So extreme, in fact, it may actually compete with other manufacturers' handsets!

How extreme? Well how does mobile TV, HSDPA, 16 million colour screen and 4GB of on-board storage sound? And that's just for starters!

Read more on the Motorola Z8 after the jump.


Motorola Z8 Media Monster phone

The Motorola Z8 is designed from the outset to support video playback.

Indeed, such is its feature-set, it can be thought of as a Personal Media Player in the guise of a mobile phone.

To support these claims, Motorola have fitted the Z8 out with the ability to watch or record VGA video at a full 30 frames per second on a 2.2" QVGA screen capable of displaying 16 million colours.

Although the screen isn't the biggest in class (and 2.2" isn't exactly optimum for watching full-length movies on), the ability to play VGA video at 30fps, and the full 16 million colours that the screen can display, certainly puts the Z8 right up there with the best of its multimedia competitors.

Indeed, the whole point of the Z8 is for users to watch mobile TV or full length videos on. To this end, the Z8 supports streaming video over its super-fast HSDPA connection (running at 3.6Mbsp) as well the ability to play feature-length movies that come loaded on 4GB microSD cards.

Motorola are even bundling the Z8 with a complete copy of The Bourne Identity for you to watch, so you can see how good it is at playing movies (and hoping that you like the experience so much, you'll buy more movies on other microSD cards).

In addition, the Z8 will let you watch mobile content services from BSkyB directly from the handset, such as Sky’s on-demand library of updating news, entertainment and sports. Sky’s ‘Anytime’ application provides an access point to a range of live mobile TV services that include over 30 TV channels. It'll even allow you to use your mobile phone to program your Sky+ set-top boxes remotely to record programs and place bets through SkyBet (although it has to be said that this is a service offered by BSkyB, and is not exclusive to the Motorola Z8).

As well as movies, the Z8 also comes with a 2 megapixel camera, and is also pretty good at playing music. Not only does it come with an MP3 player, it also has storage for over 1,000 tunes, supports Bluetooth 2.0 streaming via A2DP, and even comes with a pair of MOTOROKR S9 Bluetooth stereo headphones.

All this in what Motorola are calling a 'kick-slide' form factor that's just 15mm thin.

Although none of these features are innovative in their own right, they represent a quantum leap from previous Motorola phones, and shows that Motorola are serious in trying to turn around the company from the loss it posted recently. Let's just hope it works, as if there's one thing that's good for mobile phone lovers, it's healthy competition!

The Motorola Z8 release date is the beginning of June 2007.

Labels: mobile phones

Sony Ericsson C905 Review: October Launch
The Sony Ericsson C905 is set to become the new standard for camera phones when it's released in October (just in time for Christmas!). Forget the 5 megapixel camera phones of last year - the C905 comes with a huge 8 megapixel camera, some serious camera wizardry to get the best out of all those pixels, and a huge range of other features, such as HSDPA, WiFi and aGPS, as well.
The question is - how well does it work? Only one way to find out - read on after the jump for our Sony Ericsson C905 review.
Sony Ericsson C905 overview
First of all, an overview of the C905. It is, as you can see, a slider phone, with a keypad that's apparently extremely easy to use, and a simple sliding design that actually looks rather good.
It's not the smallest of phones, but then it wouldn't be, given the amount of features that Sony Ericsson's managed to cram into the thing!
Ah yes, the features - let me remind you of just some of them:
GPS and aGPS
Bluetooth™ technology
Modem
USB support
Wi-Fi™
DLNA™ support, letting you share your pics and vids wirelessly across hundreds of other devices
Video streaming, recording and playback
Bluetooth 2.0
MP3 player
FM radio
GeoTagging and mobile blogging features
TV-Out
Did I mention the 8 megapixel camera?! Yes? Well what about the following camera-specific magic:
8.1 megapixel camera
Xenon flash
Auto focus Face detection
Smart contrast
Image stabilizer
Red-eye reduction
BestPic™
Digital zoom – up to 16x
Photo fix
Photo flash
Photo light
Video light
Video recording
Video stabilizer
What all this means is that the Sony Ericsson C905 isn't just a camera phone - it's actually more camera than phone, and is set raise the bar for camera phone when it launches in October

Labels: mobile phones

Labels: wallpapers

Labels: wallpapers

Labels: wallpapers

Labels: wallpapers

Labels: wallpapers