Nokia N85 review: Nseries revved up

N85 is the latest Nseries signing and a bulletproof spec sheet sets it right in the thick of all-in-one action. Full-house connectivity and multimedia prowess topped with a massive OLED screen to die for, Nokia N85 gives the lineup a great edge and comes out as the definitive brand-loyal upgrade. No, it will never rule the Nseries but sure has what it takes to make them tick. With the echo of the not so glorious N96 entry still lingering, we are about to see what Nokia N85 can do for the Nseries morale.

Nokia N85

Key features:

• 2.6" 16M-color OLED display of QVGA resolution
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera with dual-LED flash and AF assist light
• Camera lens cover
• Symbian OS 9.3 with S60 3.2 UI
• ARM 11 369 MHz CPU
• 3G with HSDPA support
• Quad-band GSM support
• Wi-Fi with UPnP technology
• Built-in GPS with A-GPS functionality and 3 months of free voice-guided navigation
• FM transmitter
• Dual slide design with dedicated gaming/audio keys
• microSD card slot with microSDHC support
• 8GB memory card included in the retail package
• Built-in accelerometer for UI auto-rotation
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• TV out
• Stereo FM Radio with RDS
• Navi wheel navigation
• VGA video recording at 30fps
• USB and Bluetooth v2.0
• One free N-gage game
• Keylock switch

Main disadvantages:

• No office document editing out of the box
• Not the best sunlight legibility
• Unconvincing camera performance
• Poor Navi wheel performance
• Zooming in on a picture takes bloody ages

With N85 the free slots between N70 and N96 seem to be quickly running up. But that will be a minor issue for Nokia - the much bigger challenge after N85 will be finding some new tricks to upgrade the lineup with.

We've been over and over the Nokia N85 spec sheet and we can hardly find something the phone lacks. The stunning 2.6" OLED screen is of course the first thing to note and, what's more, it brings us directly to pretty much the closest competitor N85 will be dealing with. But more on competition a little later.

All-in-one Symbian devices with a high stake on imaging (5MP and above) are not so many. That, and the N-gage flavor, more or less set the N85 against its own. One thing we need to give Nokia N85 is that on paper it delivers nearly the same as the Nseries top dog, and beats it on looks. The pricing seems less extreme this time, so we may as well call it a nice start.

The best thing about the N85 though is its un

doubted appeal as an upgrader's choice. It seems to be the direct successor of N81 - and does a great job at that - with definitely improved handling and looks, and boosted up specs. Nokia N78 owners might also cheer the N85 for topping pretty much everything there is to top, and keeping the FM transmitter.

Nokia N78 • Nokia N81

AT&T's SGH-i907 Epix Windows Mobile smartphone gets reviewed

While the i907 Epix's name might suggest that this smartphone has more to do with the i907 Omnia that Samsung sells in other markets, the Epix is really just a slightly reworked version of the company's existing i780 that is sold in Europe and Asia. As such, the vast majority of our original i780 review will apply directly to the i907 Epix, and we recommend you read that review once you've taken a few moments to look over what has changed for this AT&T version of the device.

Let's start off with the physical design differences. This are quite minor. The only obvious change that we can see in the i907 Epix version of the device is that it is thicker, which allows the Epix to hold a larger battery. This, of course, also increases its weight. The i907 Epix measures up at 116.5mm x 61.5mm x 15.5mm (4.6" x 2.4" x .6") in size and weighs a solid 136g (4.8oz). That's 2.5mm thicker and 16g heavier. It is still very pocketable, and the 7 hours of talk time or 14 days of standby time are well worth it.

In terms of hardware, there are other changes that are not so obvious from the outside. For starters, the i907 Epix has not only quad-band GSM/EDGE capability, but features 3G HSDPA support for the 850 and 1900MHz UMTS bands in the U.S. as well as the i780's 2100MHz band for Europe and elsewhere in the world. The i907 Epix is powered by a newer version of Microsoft's Windows Mobile Professional OS that the one used by the i780. The new v6.1 version supports threaded SMS and a few other tweaks.

Because of the AT&T branding on the Epix, there is plenty of AT&T specific software to be found on the device that was not available on the i780. AT&T Navigator, which makes use of the built-in GPS module, is a good example. Users will also find access to the AT&T Mall, AT&T Music, the Video Share service, and a nice IM client that supports AIM, MSN, and Yahoo! messengers.

Sony Ericsson W705 now official - Wi-Fi confirmed, GPS not

Just as expected, today Sony Ericsson announced their new Walkman phone - the Sony Ericsson W705. The high-end slider is the first music-dedicated feature phone by the company to feature Wi-Fi. Unluckily the rumored GPS connectivity seems to have been dropped out but at least the rest of the specs sheet seems pretty decent.
The Sony Ericsson W705 comes with a 2.4" QVGA display capable of showing up to 256K colors. Some of its more important features include a 3.2 MP fixed-focus snapper, FM radio with RDS quad-band GSM and dual-band (900/2100 MHz) 3G support.

Sony Ericsson W705

The typical for the Walkman family niceties - Shake control and SensMe are also available in the W705. The phone will come with 120 MB of internal memory that can be expanded through the M2 card slot for storing your favorite tracks. In addition there will be a 4GB memory card included in the retail package to grant generous storage capacity straight out of the box.

Sony Ericsson W705

Sony Ericsson W705 will hit the shelves in two different flavors - W705 and W705u (exclusive to Orange). It will become available in Luxury Silver and Passionate Red color versions starting from Q1 of 2009.
Sony Ericsson made also another announcement - the wireless 2.1 speaker system MBS-900. It has integrated FM radio receiver and a 3.5mm standard audio jack. The unit has monochrome OLED display and Bluetooth functionality with A2DP support. Packing the impressive power output of 2x10W plus a 20W subwoofer the MBS-900 seems quite up to the task of sound-screening your next picnic.

HTC Touch HD arrives to O2 Germany, yours for only 290 euro

O2 Germany announced that the HTC Touch HD multimedia powerhouse will arrive on the carrier's shop windows rather soon. The handset will be sold exclusively by O2 in Germany for four weeks starting from mid-November.
Having seen a similar thing happen in UK, the short-term exclusivity deal in Germany hardly comes as a surprise to us. What somewhat surprises though is the fact that the phones will be sold without a SIM-lock.

HTC Touch HD

The O2 states that it will charge 290 euro for the HTC Touch HD combined with one of their subscription plans. However there is no information if the deal is valid with any plan or only with the ones on a heftier monthly tax. We remind you that the HD retails at about 80 GBP in UK with a 40 GBP/month plan on an 18-month contract.
According to O2 the strongest selling points of the HTC Touch HD are the large 3.8" WVGA touchscreen and the TouchFLO 3D UI. In addition the phone comes with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and an enormous set of connectivity options but unless you lived in a cave for the past few months you already knew that.

HTC Touch HD hits Asia too, America still on the waiting list

We have received word on the next wave of countries to get the Windows Mobile uber device - HTC Touch HD. Only a few days after its European premiere HTC brought joyful news to all its fans in Asia by announcing that the HD will be available on the World's most populated continent as soon as the beginning of next month. Unfortunately for our American friends, there is still no word of when will the phone become available there.
The first two countries from the Asian tour of the HTC Touch HD will be Malaysia and Singapore. The prices of the multimedia powerhouse in those countries will be respectively 730 euro (930 US dollars) and 750 euro (950 US dollars). The twenty euro difference can easily be explained by the 8GB microSD card that will be included in the retail package in Singapore.
Equipped with a large 3.8" WVGA screen the HTC Touch HD is surely one of the most interesting devices to hit the market this year. Even though multimedia isn't normally one of Windows Mobile devices' elements the Touch HD has a specs sheet that can put much of the competition to shame. The large display, the 5 MP snapper and the 3.5mm audio jack are just some of the niceties it brings.
The connectivity includes all contemporary means of data transfers - 3G, Wi-Fi and of course the microSD card slot. There is also a built-in GPS to make the specs sheet on the HD almost as complete as it can be.
You can check out our preview of HTC Touch HD here for a bunch of live photos of the hot device.

T-Mobile releases Samsung Behold and Gravity

Today, T-Mobile officially released the rumored Samsung Behold and Samsung Gravity. The Behold has a large touchscreen display while the Gravity has a sliding QWERTY keyboard.
Touchscreen Samsung T919 Behold looks like the Samsung F480 but on steroids. On top of the touchscreen TouchWiz interface, 5 megapixel autofocus camera, 3G support, full HTML browser the new Behold scores higher with its built-in GPS. Unfortunately, even the Behold does not feature the highly desirable Wi-Fi feature.

Samsung Behold
Samsung Behold can be yours starting from November 10 for $149.99 on a 2 year contract in light rose color.

The Samsung Gravity is actually the first phone by Samsung with such form factor. In its essence the Samsung Gravity is pretty much like some other phones as HTC S730 and S710. Only those run on Windows Mobile, while the Samsung Behold doesn't.

Samsung Gravity
Leaving aside the design, Samsung Gravity, so far known as Samsung T459/T450, is a quad-band phone with GPRS/EDGE but no 3G support. Its display is relatively small measuring 2.1" 256K colors and 176 x 220 pixels resolution. Other features include microSD card slot, Bluetooth with A2DP profile, a modest fixed-focus 1.3 MP camera. Its processor and built-in memory is still unknown.
Samsung Gravity will be released on November 17 for $49.99 on a 2 year contract in lime and aqua colors.

Samsung U900 Soul Mobile Phone Review - Sleek Spirit

Typical for Samsung, we've found another slider phone in the Soul U900. Classic design and modern technology included - is it as boring as it sounds? Let's find out!
Design
At first glance, this phone didn't look very appealing and there was no need for excitement; however, after we busted it out of its shell, we got rather intrigued. This phone packs a metal casing and has a perfectly positioned and sized keypad and screen. Although some people might say the phone is too big, we beg to differ.
While LG's attempt at dual screens was pretty unimpressive, the Soul actually puts it to use! With enough vibrating feedback and a very responsive touchscreen, we were happy to see this phone pop out at us.
The experience when using the Soul is actually greatly enhanced compared to previous Samsung phones. For example, you no longer delete an entire text message by accidentally brushing the touch-sensitive cancel key. That being said, all the most used keys are mechanical.
It is like Samsung reviewed their own phones, thought it over, and made revisions - good work! Another thing that adds to the overall enjoyment was how the 5-megapixel camera has a slide mechanism that protects it. It is only a small detail, but also a detail that is useful.
Features
Huh, A touchscreen that has adjustable sensitivity? Who would have thought we'd see this in the mobile phone world anytime soon? Although it is extremely responsive in the beginning, unlike the LG KF600, you can later adjust the sensitivity if you need to. As well as, the navigation touchscreen is a great feature, although it seemed rather pointless in the beginning. For example, the camera app includes a series of camera keys that make it easier to chance setting.
HSPDA gives you the opportunity to browse the web at high speed. Throw in Opera Mini and you are able to view web pages in full just like on your desktop computer. Although in the daylight the Soul takes rather descent pictures, it is not equipped with a xenon flash which means you may want to avoid the camera in low-lit places.
Is it a music player that you're after? Well... the Soul's music player supports a package of formats including MP3 and AAC, however requires the use of its stock headphones. One word... BORING! There is no 3.5mm headphone jack included which is disappointing.
Performance
Like any phone, using HSDPA or the music player for an extended amount of time will drain your battery much faster; however, the typical battery life for the Soul lasts about 2 days if you use the phone moderately. The ear-speaker was rather soft for our liking and may not hit your standards as far as call quality, but that is all personal preference and it is advised that you look into it to see if it works for you.
Performance
While it is not a feature-filled phone, no GPS or Wi-Fi to name only a few, it is actually impressive due to its simplicity. The Soul is user friendly and provides a rather nice experience but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is the phone you need.