Archive for the ‘Main’ Category
November 30, 2011
Swedish Town Creates “Radiation-Free” Zone
Sweden’s Dalarna County is preparing to create a “radiation-free” zone, after a man complained mobile phones caused his health problems.Dan Bengtsson, 62, said he believes the radiation from cell towers has made him “electro-oversensitive,” and is causing his headaches, back problems and “painful prickles” in his heart. Bengtsson has reportedly taken to wearing a silver-colored suit to lessen the effects.The creation of the coverage-free area would leave roughly half the county without any cell reception, but the government officials in the town say the project is worth it.”There may be a biological effect that we are unaware of,” said municipal environment inspector Niklas Sjdin said to a local publication. “If we can play it safe it may open up for other authorities to do the same.”Other governments around the world have maintained entire areas free of cell phone towers before. Green Bank, W.Va, a small mountain town, is part of the U.S. Radio Quiet Zone, which bans wireless signals across 13,000 square miles to prevent the transmissions from interfering with the numerous large radio telescopes in the area. The town has become a destination spot for dozens who have made claims similar to Bengtsson’s.Several studies have been conducted on radiation from cell phones and their signals, but concrete findings have yet to emerge about effects on human health. Debate rages over whether carriers should be required to post warnings in their stores about possible harmful effects, and cases have landed in U.S. courts over the past year.Bengtsson’s worries may be legitimate, but there doesn’t appear to be any proof that cell phone radiation is the source of his ailments. Government officials have not been able to determine whether his home is a spot that is subject to increased radiation levels, and the money being spent to change the area has cost taxpayers thousands of dollars.More complaints could lead to other towns duplicating the actions of Dalarna County, but until more people come forward alleging similar affects, it may be cheaper to have Bengtsson move to Green Bank, W. Va.Swedish Town Creates “Radiation-Free” Zone originally appeared at Mobiledia on Tue Nov 29, 2011 4:56 pm.
November 25, 2011
Review: Nokia 7230
Not everyone needs a phone with a million apps and a 20MP camera. Sometimes you just want to make calls, text and browse the internet for basic information, with a little style thrown in. Something like the Nokia 7230 slider phone for example.At only 10 x 5.5cm when folded, you’re easily able to slip the Nokia 7230 into your suit or trouser pocket with ease. But it still packs plenty of everyday essentials, including a featured 3.2MP camera, 3G connectivity, a media player with radio and a 2.2-inch screen for viewing everything from messaging and checking your email through to web browsing and fast access to Facebook and MySpace. And there are apps too via Ovi if you want them, with a few demo games and utilities to get you going. All of that in a phone that’s mostly free on contract or at 129 should you opt for pay-as-you-go, which isn’t bad as a stylish-looking 3G phone.Nokia 7230: DesignSmall, functional and with smooth curves the 7230 is classic Nokia design. Sized at 98(h) x 48(w) x 14.75(d) mm and weighing in at 100g, the phone is small and light enough to fit into anyone’s bag or pocket, with curved, chromed edges that contribute to an ergonomic shape for your hand.Within the fairly minimalist design is a mini-USB slot (although the cable for hooking up the phone to a USB slot doesn’t come as standard), a headphone point and those front facing controls for accessing/ending calls, along with an additional three menu-based controls for getting round the 2.2-inch TFT screen. Memory card slot? That’s located inside the handset, with a 2GB microSD down to come as standard.. The rear of the phone is devoted to photography, with a dedicated camera key on the side (or on top if you’re taking pictures in landscape) turning your phone into a reasonable outdoor snapper in seconds.The sliding mechanism is a dream, a ‘glide’ rather than a ‘clunk’, exposing a keyboard that’s spacious enough for error-free typing and sufficiently responsive when you hit the keys. When you close the slide, the phone automatically locks, kicking off that lock when you flick it back open. Running on the Symbian Series 40 platform, the Nokia 7230 has a functional, if unspectacular interface, offering up three ways of accessing the phone’s main functions. With a click of that central menu button, you’ll see icons for all of the basic functions or alternatively, the left-hand selection key brings up the highlights on a scrolling list. The right-hand key offers quick access to your contacts.Finally, opting for the Home Screen mode brings up mini icons for media and networking to scroll through. Which one is best? To be honest, we found ourselves using all three randomly, with none of the menus offering quite what we wanted on first use. But don’t despair, you can change the shortcuts to your own preferences with a bit of time and effort through the menu settings, so if web access on the go is a big thing for you, just stick a quick icon to it on the home screen instead of Facebook.But even allowing for that, the interface does seem a little messy purely by trying to cover too many bases. Granted there isn’t a touchscreen interface to play with, but one well thought-out way of accessing all functions (like on the lower budget Samsung Genio Slide) would certainly be better than the three different solutions currently on offer.When you first log in, you’ll also be offered the option to sign up to Ovi for phone-based email. It’s something Nokia is rightly proud of, but we found the experience slow and not without error messages. We got there in the end, but with the thought that the Nokia 7230 might be used by first-time phone and email users, it is something that needs tightening up.Nokia 7230: Calls and contactsNokia has been making mobile devices for as long as most of us have been alive, so as you would expect, the calling side of the 7230 runs as smoothly as a high-end sports car. Voice calls are clear, with no obvious drops in the network as we were using it.Accessing calls is also a doddle (just a slide and touch of a button), the ringtones, which are both available as presets and MP3, are loud enough to wake the heaviest of sleepers and the keypad is large enough to accommodate the biggest of fingers when fumbling to answer.Setting up contacts is just a matter of entering details in a few fields, although you can augment your entries with personalised images and sounds, as well as web and email details. Accessing is just as easy, simply press the right hand soft key and you’re flung into the contacts list. There’s a big, bold font for typing out and reading those texts and an equally large message when a call is incoming. No video calling, but we suspect you’ve already guessed that one on a handset for this price. Once upon a time, mobile phones were all about calling and texting. These days, some sort of email access is pretty much an added necessity for communication and you’ll certainly find enough options for email here. Whether it’s sufficient for your needs is another matter.As we mentioned earlier, the SMS functionality is simple, straightforward and pretty much faultless. With the added option of multimedia (MMS) messaging, bold message notifications and an easy-to-use keyboard, firing out and receiving random thoughts and images was a breeze. If texting or sharing your latest photos is your thing, you’ll find much to love here. Email, on the other hand, is something that just might frustrate. As we alluded to earlier, signing up for Ovi wasn’t without its problems, despite a fairly solid network reception at the time. But once there, we were able to send an email from that account without any further problems. If Ovi isn’t for you, there’s also the option of logging into Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo or just about any other email service. But slowly. Very slowly.The logging in process to all the services was time-consuming and once in, the wait to get anything but the mail headers was so slow, you wondered if it would be quicker to have sent or received a letter via Royal Mail. Over a 3G connection, there’s really no reason why email messages shouldn’t load from a webmail service in a matter of seconds, no matter how much the phone costs.If that’s a disappointment, the added bonus here should be instant messaging via Ovi. Don’t worry if you haven’t got any Ovi mates, the service also allows access to friends on the likes of Windows and Yahoo Messenger, along with Google Talk. If you’ve already signed up for the Ovi account earlier, just login with those details and you should get taken to the chat interface. Sadly for us, all our attempts to ‘set up chat’ after successfully logging in were greeted with a blank screen. Does this mean there’s some sort of incompatibility somewhere? We don’t know. We’ve just marked it down as a big, fat fail.Not one, but two email browsers are offered with the Nokia 7230, the Opera Mini browser and a separate on-board browser from Nokia.Opera is always a solid web solution and that’s certainly the case here. A good zoom function works well with the relatively small screen, pages of our favourites sites render in a decent web-like manner and sites that give thought to mobile access (TechRadar and the BBC for example) come out particularly well. Indeed, connectivity was brisk for most of the sites we loaded, even when the connection dropped from full 3G. Obviously you can bookmark your favourite feeds and sites, making the browser here a definite plus.But if Opera isn’t your bag, there’s always the Nokia browser. It renders just as well, but nowhere near as fast and with far less options than Opera. It also renders in ‘full size’, so you’ll need to do a bit of scrolling around the page too to find what you want. But essentially it’s horses for courses. Try them both out, you’ll certainly prefer one just stick to that one in future.Alternatively, if your web use is pretty much confined to using Facebook and MySpace, just load up the on-board apps for both services. Yes, you can access the full selection of apps at the Ovi Store, which is just a click of an icon away, but Nokia knows its audience and offers the two social networks apps as standard. No Twitter? Sadly not, but two out of three isn’t bad – although we’re not sure if anyone really uses MySpace any more.The Facebook app in particular is fairly strong, offering pretty much everything you get on the web-based service messages, photos, networking, friend-finding it’s all here on the go, possibly even beating the inbuilt options on phones like the HTC Legend. Likewise, MySpace offers up all the information and editing options, even if the layout of a little more functional.To use a footballing analogy, the 3.2MP camera on the Nokia 7230 is very much a ‘game of two halves’.In general terms, the camera is incredibly simple to use, just hit the camera icon and you’ll be able to capture stills in landscape or portrait format, with extras like a self-timer, white balance and effects (greyscale, sepia, solarise etc) giving your average low-end compact a run for its money. Indeed, we were quite impressed with the detail of the snaps we took out and about compared to what we expected.OUT AND ABOUT: A country walk captured with a good amount of detailREDUCED LIGHT: Even in the woods, the amount of detail captured by the Nokia 7230 is impressiveBut there’s no flash on the Nokia 7230, making the camera here a reliable outdoor friend on a bright day, but less than able in a pub, club or simply around the house. INDOOR PHOTO: A typical bright spring day outside, but the 7230 struggles to offer any kind of clarity on a room shotINDOOR DETAIL: Quality improves indoors for detail rather than a wide shot, but still struggles for clarityEFFECTS: A similar photo is much improved with the addition of the sepia effect for a follow-up shotVideo is a bonus, but don’t expect to be the next Spielberg with it. Quality is shaky and colours a little off, nice for a quirky little clip of the dog in the garden, not great for recording a special birthday.(Video: video0001.3gp)IN THE PARK: Bright outside, but that’s not easy to see with this grainy video footage(Video: video0000.3gp)IN THE WOODS: A lack of light makes the detailing of the video clip even harder to viewOn the plus side, Nokia makes it nice and easy to share your moments. The previously-mentioned picture messaging is your obvious way of doing this, but you can also directly upload to Flickr (via the built-in app) or go for Nokia’s own Share on Ovi, again pre-loaded onto the handset and all easy to use once you’ve signed up. There’s also a fourth option with Bluetooth built-in, you can fire over to another device wirelessly. All a bonus, but you do wish there was some kind of flash too, because the camera could and should be a real selling point.If we use the humble iPod as a benchmark for portable audio, it’s safe to say that the media player on-board the Nokia 7230 isn’t anywhere near that level.Getting your music on the handset is a case of drag and drop (or transfer via Bluetooth). Note that a cable for connecting to your PC doesn’t come as standard, which is slightly frustrating. Once music is on the phone comes another disappointment, the sound quality. Playback via either the external speakers or the included headphones has a distinct echo and even at moderate volume, the audio starts to break up slightly. On the plus side, if your MP3 or AAC files are tagged, Nokia’s player does a neat job of subdividing your tunes, as well as allowing you to create your own playlists and making it easy to send (as a message), upload or transfer your tracks wirelessly. In summary, the functionality is good, but the audio quality is distinctly average.Video playback tends to suffer from the small screen. If you like the idea of squinting at a 2.2-inch screen for entertainment, it might be for you. It’s also good for checking those mini movies you’ve just shot, but for us we would prefer our video on a larger screen, like the HTC Tattoo, as a minimum.If transferring tunes sounds or squinting at video sounds like a chore, the Nokia 7230 also comes with an FM radio. We’re not usually impressed with such things on a mobile, but this one is a bit of a gem. Autotune comes at a touch of a button, reception is good, as is the sound quality in relation to your average home FM radio. The only slight annoyance is the radio being a few clicks away from the media interface, really it should be operating in the same zone. Note also that the radio only works with the headset, so no blasting Chris Moyles all over the morning bus commute – although you can switch to speaker mode if you’re that way inclined.The one plus of having less multimedia options on a phone is less wear and tear on your battery. We’ve been hammering the camera, the video recorder, the music player and the web access and the battery has stood up to it very well.Talk time is over four hours, with standby at a healthy 14+ days and even with using all those added features, we found the battery didn’t need to be charged for three to four days of heavy use. If you like your phone in your hand rather than in a socket, you’ll like the Nokia 7230.Nokia 7230: Organiser If you find life drifting away from you, the on-board organiser might offer just the helping hand you need. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a calendar with the option to add notes and view appointments by day, week or month and little audio reminders of what’s coming up. Simple and effective, but no syncing with any online calendars if you are looking for that – that’s par for the course at this price, with others like the INQ Mini 3G missing out on the synchronisation game too.Other added tools include a calculator, alarm clock, a ‘to-do’ list, timer and stopwatch, as you would expect, along with a conversion tool for weights and currency, as well as a size convertor, should you be shopping in a foreign land. You know, the kinds of things you don’t know you need until you actually need them.ConnectivityConnectivity on the Nokia 7230 has been steady, if unspectacular. Basic connection never died completely, but for a 3G phone, we haven’t seen that 3G symbol nearly enough. Ok, that might be down to the local network, but having used other handsets in the same area, this particular phone is certainly no better and occasionally, seems worse. No Wi-Fi on board the Nokia 7230 as you have probably guessed, so when it comes to web browsing and accessing email, the variable 3G might be a problem. We have certainly found it frustrating.The phone does come with Bluetooth and it’s very easy to use. Testing it with a Mac, it’s just a matter of turning it on, pairing and you’re away. Transfer speeds were very brisk, with an MP3 transferring in less than a minute.Just as well really. The lack of a cable to hook up to a PC in the box means Bluetooth is pretty much your only way of transferring data to and from a PC/Mac when you get the phone. If you do plan on picking up a 7230, make sure you grab the additional cable off the shelf too.Nokia 7230: OtherThere’s a welcome bonus in Nokia’s Maps being pre-installed on the phone, which offers up both mapping basics and directions to your chosen UK location. No GPS here, but if you just want directions, the app is very nippy and as a helping hand round an unfamiliar town, Maps offers a very useful (and free) bonus.Games are always included and the 7230 is no exception. Take your pick between trial titles and free favourites, specifically Asphalt 4 Elite, Bounce Tales, Brian Challenge, Midnight Pool 2 and Rally Stars, plus Snake 3 and Sudoku. The trial games are slightly frustrating in that you can only get so far, but to be honest, none of them made us want to go out and buy.Finally, a voice recorder can record all those moments of inspiration you have on the move. Decent sound, easy to use, a nice thing to have.Nokia 7230: ComparisonComparisons are tough because the 7230 falls between the budget market and higher-end sliders, but you might also want to check out the Sony Ericsson Aino , which adds more bulk and a bigger price tag, but does come with GPS, a far better media player and BBC iPlayer out of the box.Alternatively, messaging and networking on a budget is available via the INQ Chat 3G coming in at under 100.Finally, if you want your slider to multi-task, do media to a high standard and offer up a touchscreen interface too, check out the Palm Pre.To compare the Nokia 7230 with the cutting-edge touchscreens of the day is unfair. After all, it’s a moderately-priced handset that comes without any claims of being a world beater. We likedIt’s small, it’s fairly stylish and it offers up just about all the basics you could ask of a mobile phone, even if some of those functions are more successful than others. There’s also 3G connectivity, a big plus for the price point.It also comes with a range of apps and extras you might not expect for a phone in its price bracket, a good quality outdoor camera and decent web interaction for example, not to mention solid apps for social networking.We dislikedBut in the end, the Nokia 7230 is simply punching above its weight. Scratch the surface and many of those features just don’t cut it against the big boys. There’s no denying that the Nokia 7230 is an attractive handset offering a budget-friendly 3G experience, good calling and messaging functionality, a strong battery life and some decent tools for both web use and social networking. But intermittent problems with Ovi, a flash-free camera, poor quality media player and disappointing email highlight just why the handset sells in this price bracket.Related LinksTechRadar’s Reviews GuaranteeMore mobile phone reviewsRelated StoriesReview: LG Chocolate BL20Review: Acer Liquid S100Review: Nokia E72Review: HTC HD MiniReview: Nokia 5230
November 9, 2011
HTC Edge Boasts Quad-Core Speeds
HTC’s Edge may be the world’s first ever quad-core smartphone, setting a new standard in the smartphone market.The Taiwanese phone maker’s rumored device will reportedly feature a 1.5-gigahertz NVIDIA quad core processor, a 4.7-inch 720p HD S-LCD 2 display with optical lamination, and an 8-megapixel camera capable of 1080p video capture.The Edge is also expected to come with a 720p front-facing camera, Beats Audio, 32-gigabytes of built-in storage and NFC technology.HTC has not confirmed reports about the Edge, and no information on price, release date or potential carriers has been announced.No one knows what other quad-core devices manufacturers have in the works or what their planned release dates are, but reports about the Edge have been the first to surface regarding potential next-generation smartphones.In addition to the quad-core processor, the optical lamination technology in the device’s display would likely give the nearly five-inch screen the same clarity as the one in the iPhone 4S.HTC has been surging of late, passing Apple on the list of world’s largest smartphone makers and posting impressive sales figures. Being the first manufacturer to offer a quad-core device would likely help the company further its status as a major player in the smartphone market, and possibly even give it a shot at becoming the number-one seller of Android-based handsets.A quad-core device would make a big splash for HTC, but despite leaked spec lists, there is little reason to believe the release of the device is imminent. Dual-core processors are only now beginning to become more prevalent, featured in devices like the Samsung Galaxy S2 and iPhone 4S, both enjoying strong success with consumers.More powerful devices would lead to faster speeds and more powerful mobile apps, but the Edge likely won’t launch to the public until mid-to-late 2012. Still, reports about HTC’s device show the future of smartphones is a lot closer than many may think.HTC Edge Boasts Quad-Core Speeds originally appeared at Mobiledia on Tue Nov 08, 2011 4:44 pm.
October 29, 2011
Nokia Considers Windows 8, Tablets
Nokia is mulling over Windows 8 and a foray into tablets as the company continues its quest to reassert itself in the mobile market, though its recent Lumia phone launch faces delays in the U.S.The Finnish phone maker recently unveiled its first official Windows Phone device, seeking to regain its former prominence in a field it ceded to rivals like Apple and Android OS phone makers.The Lumia line is set to hit key Nokia markets in Europe and Asia later this year, but the company’s global renewal may face a late launch in the U.S., where the phones may not debut until early 2012. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop noted in an interview with website This Is My Next that the Lumia series was just part of a larger portfolio of devices and launches for next year.Carrier negotiations have held up the U.S. launch, according to Elop. Other factors, such shoring up factories and supply lines, as well as boosting technologies and services required by U.S. consumers, have also delayed the release of the Lumia line.Despite delays, Nokia is forging ahead, seeking to make its mark by delivering a premium user experience. Nokia’s previous strengths in hardware innovation may garner its new devices some attention, but the company is looking down the road at software partner Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 OS as a strong opportunity to create a distinctive, connected mobile experience for consumers and possibly expand into tablets.Microsoft’s Windows 8 OS is set to operate on Nokia’s PCs and tablets, promising tight integration between both desktop and mobile devices. Elop hinted at the platform’s possibilities for Nokia, noting the opportunities it presents to expand beyond smartphones.”There is a broader opportunity here,” said Elop. “The user experience of Windows 8 is essentially a supercharged version of the Nokia Lumia experience that you saw on stage today. And you see the parallels and opportunity for commonality from a user perspective.”Elop also notes Microsoft’s bet on HTML5 “is another big clue” to how the platforms may interrelate over time.HTML5 allows Internet-based programs and apps to run regardless of platform or device. Nokia may therefore begin developing apps that can operate on tablets, mobile devices and PCs, which may make it easier for developers to build for Nokia’s OS.Elop’s vision of tight hardware integration with Windows 8 contrasts with Google Android chief Andy Rubin’s recent assertion that Windows Phone may be “very dangerous for Microsoft.”Windows Phones’ hardware partners like Nokia are in danger of creating a bland “beige box” product, according to Rubin, contrasting Windows with Android’s ability to let manufacturers customize interfaces and features on the platform.But Elop countered that Android’s fragmentation and lack of cohesion across phone makers creates a dissatisfying experience for Android phone users.”I would suggest that one of the biggest challenges facing that particular ecosystem is the fact that there is more and more of that going on,” said Elop. “And when I go into the store and look at what that brand was supposed to stand for, I’m not quite seeing it — it’s just unclear what the standard is for the user experience.”The idea of a strong, unified user experience across devices begs the question of whether Nokia will eventually make a definitive foray into the tablet market, much like its rival Apple, which also created a seamless experience across iOS devices. Elop sidestepped the question, but seemed to leave an opening, saying Nokia joined an “ecosystem” that extends well beyond phones.Nokia is forging ahead in its larger strategy to regain ground, but still faces many challenges as rivals like Apple and Samsung unveil their popular flagship devices in time for the holiday retail season. The Lumia’s delay in the U.S. may be a short-term blow for Nokia, but the company is pursuing an evolving, long-term strategy and eyeing its future accordingly.Nokia Considers Windows 8, Tablets originally appeared at Mobiledia on Fri Oct 28, 2011 3:35 pm.
October 29, 2011
ACLU Sues Patriot Act Over Controversial Data Collection
Two civil liberties groups filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Justice over its collection of phone and computer data under the Patriot Act, joining a growing chorus of concern over the legislation’s reach.The Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit, asking the DoJ and Federal Bureau of Investigation to turn over information related to their requests for “any tangible things” covered by a section of the Patriot Act, which turns 10 years old today.”Any tangible things,” in section 215 of the counter-terrorism measure, includes books, records, papers, and documents related to a terrorism investigation, a list the EFF characterized as “seemingly endless,” with the potential to extend to Internet browsing and other digital data. The EFF filed suit in California after the DoJ declined to turn over information targeting the data-collection program that the agency submitted under the Freedom of Information Act.The information requested could be “conceivably anything, and that’s the big problem — we don’t know how the FBI, DOJ, or the (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court) have interpreted the provision,” said Mark Rumold, EFF’s open government legal fellow.During the first three months of 2011, about 80 percent of the Section 215 requests were for Internet records, the Washington Post reported Tuesday, shining some light on the volume of activity.In addition, Google Thursday reported an increase in U.S. government requests for user data, revealing in its Transparency Report that government inquiries shot up by one-third from January to June of this year.The Patriot Act has been modified and renewed several times since it passed in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. During this summer’s most recent debate on the renewal, two senators received classified briefings that the Justice Department is following a “secret” interpretation of the legislation, but they couldn’t reveal details because the information is classified. Despite these complaints, Congress voted to extend the law into 2014.EFF wants information on the Section 215 requests and a change in the Patriot Act, Rumold said.”To our knowledge, no one receiving a 215 order has ever attempted to challenge it, and 215 orders are accompanied by gag orders, so their existence can never be revealed,” he said. “So those two factors severely limit our ability to directly challenge the government’s use.”The civil liberties groups’ opposition may also be fueled by other governmental proposals in the offing, which they believe would operate in a similar fashion, without disclosing information to the public.Last week, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators and the Obama administration announced a push for quick cyber-security legislation to address threats to industrial and government networks.The government officials met to discuss “the need for prompt legislative action to ensure the U.S. government has the authorities it needs to keep the nation safe,” according to White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden.”The White House’s cyber-security proposal right now makes the Patriot Act look quaint,” said Michelle Richardson, who works for the ACLU in Washington. “And really, the collection that it would allow would really outpace anything that’s probably being done under the Patriot Act.”The EFF, ACLU, lawmakers and other who have spoken out requesting more information about the legislation will likely continue to question the extent of its powers, especially as the government seeks to build upon them.ACLU Sues Patriot Act Over Controversial Data Collection originally appeared at Mobiledia on Fri Oct 28, 2011 11:27 am.
October 18, 2011
Review: Nokia 5230
One of the great truths about smartphones is that you should always match a phone to your actual needs. The Nokia 5230, despite falling short of expectations, is an intelligent device that offers a wealth of unique features. Whether these features match your needs is the real question. Before covering the failings, let’s cover the basic advantages of using this phone. The Nokia 5230 is the bargain-bin version of the flagship phone, the Nokia N97. We say ‘flagship’ as a somewhat slippery term, because the N97 is by no means as powerful as, say, the Google Nexus One and is actually second-rate compared to the much faster Nokia N900. Yet, the N97 is the touchscreen phone set to compete with the Apple iPhone and just about every Android, Palm and Windows Phone device. As the entry-level version of the N97, the Nokia 5230 is about 118, or about half the cost of competing smartphones that run well over 200. That’s an attractive price point one that provides all the functionality of a touchscreen device, apps galore, GPS, media playback, a 2MP camera with advanced options such as setting ISO level, and 4GB of storage (on an included microSD card). No, the Nokia 5230 is not an iPhone or HTC Desire competitor, but does have some powerful features.What you don’t get is Wi-Fi, and that is one of the major problems with this device. Wi-Fi is useful because it means you can continue using the device inside when your carrier service goes AWOL or when you want to download huge files. The Nokia 5230 also lacks a full hardware keyboard, runs a bit slow at times, has a confusing turn-by-turn voice nav for GPS routing (although the phone supports many languages), low camera quality at just 2 megapixels, and a few minor glitches. In the box Nokia has included the typical charger, manual, and a pair of earbuds with a 3.5mm connector that you will likely discard for a much more adequate set. Our test unit included a 4GB card already inserted into a side compartment, which is included with every Nokia 5230.It’s no secret that the Symbian S60v5 OS is an acquired taste. Yet, millions have acquired it, and swear by it, so we won’t debate all of the merits and demerits here. Suffice to say, the OS does not work at all like an iPhone or Android phone. In some ways, it is akin to the Windows versus Linux debate, and Symbian is definitely more like Linux, where you can perform some functions that are not possible or difficult with other phones. For example, when you install an app, it is easy to see how much memory it will use and the version number. While this is a perk for an advanced user willing to pay more for the Nokia N97, it is a problem on the Nokia 5230 intended for new smartphone users or at least those who do not want to pay big bucks for a phone that has every bell and whistle.The Nokia 5230 interface does require a learning period. For starters, there are three hardware buttons along the bottom of the phone: a green Call button, a Menu button that shows you the installed apps and an End Call button. At times, you might wonder if you should press the End Call button to back out of an app (in most cases, you should) or press the Exit or OK button on screen. It’s fairly inconsistent you have to pay attention to what’s on the screen a bit more than with other phones.You also can’t move apps around on the screen, hold down on one to see an option to delete it, or add widgets for, say, adjusting screen brightness quickly. What this means initially is some fumbling around to find basic options. The Nokia 5230 is also not a tremendously speedy phone, at 434MHz, so there are times when you might press a button and the Nokia 5230 fails to register the click. This can seem like a touchscreen quality problem, but the touch sensitivity is quite adequate it is just that the phone is too slow to keep up with simple finger presses at times.Navigating on the phone is a bit tough, but you quickly get used to basic operations. It’s easy to fire up the GPS app (Ovi Maps 3.0) or press the green Call button to access the phone dialler. There are a few cool tricks to using the phone. For example, there’s a dedicated camera button you can use to start the camera app (which shoots photos and video). This button is positioned on the lower right side of the phone (when in a vertical orientation) to encourage horizontal use.Another perk is that the Nokia 5230 happens to have a well-implemented lock button on the right side of the phone. You just slide the button down. This makes it hard to accidentally power up the phone when it is in a laptop bag or in your pocket, which saves on battery power. It also avoids the ‘press this on-screen button to unlock’ annoyance.Anyone who is used to an iPhone or Android device knows you can easily flick on the screen to move down to see additional apps or more content on a website. However, on the Nokia 5230, you have to drag a slider down to see more of the screen. You might find yourself swiping on the screen, only to realise you have started an app. And, adding insult to injury, because the phone tends to run slow, this induces some frustration as you wait for the app to start and then close it. This is one of the 5230′s most annoying quirks.Call quality on the Nokia 5230 is outstanding for a bargain-level phone. With T-Mobile service, we never had any problems with dropped calls, faulty connections, or distortion either on the phone (what we heard) or the other end of the line (what our caller heard). Adding contacts for dialling is also slick and easy, although the Nokia 5230 does not aggregate contacts from multiple social networks (like the Motorola Milestone or Palm Pre, or the upcoming Windows Phone 7 devices).Nokia does offer a Facebook app for the Nokia 5230 and, really, social networking apps tend to pop up on the phone in unexpected places. For example, when you snap a photo, you can upload it to your Vox.com blog account.MessagingMessaging lives or dies by how well the soft keyboard works on phones without a real QWERTY keyboard, and the Nokia 5230 is definitely alive and kicking by this standard. The keyboard is responsive and accurate. In fact, we had more problems with accuracy on an HTC Hero than on this phone. The accelerometer that senses whether you are in horizontal or vertical orientation also worked well it’s important in those times when you really need to type a message in landscape mode with the full soft QWERTY keyboard. There were a few times when the Nokia 5230 flipped back to horizontal when we nudged it in the wrong direction, something the Nexus One and iPhone rarely do but a problem that plagues models by HTC.For the most part, the messaging apps for texting and email worked well, but we did notice a slight lag on this phone for basic operations, such as composing a new message. Once again, the slower-than-average processor is just not fast enough to keep pace with a fast-fingered messaging aficionado. We decided to test this theory and did a side-by-side comparison between the Nokia 5230 and a Nokia N900 with its speedy operating system and 600MHz processor. Sure enough, composing an email was much faster on the N900 smartphone.One complaint here is that the Google Mail client for Symbian did not work correctly on the Nokia 5230 it seems to assume you have a hardware keyboard and does not bring up the software version correctly. The simple workaround is to access Gmail from the browser or configure the built-in email client to access your Gmail account.The lack of Wi-Fi means email attachments take a while to download to your phone, but once they do, we had no problems opening Word documents and viewing photos on the Nokia 5230 even if we had to wait a few seconds.There were no huge surprises for internet browsing, other than a nicely configured home screen when you start the browser initially.It shows links to several popular services, including Yahoo Mail, Facebook, news channels and Mapquest. Large icons for making bookmarks, typing in a URL and accessing browser settings make it easy to surf. The only real gripe here is that the phone screen, at 640 x 360 pixels (about the size of two fingers side by side), is a bit small for reading text on a web page.The screen quality while bright and clear does not match the sheer crispness and quality of the Google Nexus One, which uses OLED technology. Of course, the lack of Wi-Fi rears its ugly visage here as well. Sites loaded slowly over a typical 3G connection, and not nearly as fast as they do over Wi-Fi. And, while web page rendering worked fine for sites like ESPN.com and Gmail, there is a long lag on rich sites like IGN.com as they load in the background. Combined with the slow processor, lack of Wi-Fi makes the Nokia 5230 a poor choice as a web device.If the slow speed and lack of Wi-Fi keep coming up as problems on the Nokia 5230, one saving grace is the exceptional camera. The quality is actually no better than an iPhone at two megapixels, you won’t be submitting your stunning images to a glossy photo magazine any time soon. Yet, the Nokia 5230 provides some slick camera features beyond just setting the white balance (which helps you adjust lighting options so that subjects appear the correct colour).For example, this is one of the only phones that lets you set exposure level (amount of light allowed in through the lens) and ISO speed (how quickly the shutter opens and closes). The Nokia 5230 also has settings for a self-timer, multiple shots in sequence, colour and contrast level options, and sharpness level.All of these settings do lead to better photos. In a scene with some ducks on a river, the exposure settings provided a slick way to brighten up a photo before ever using Photoshop. With the self-timer, it was possible to take a family portrait without having to relegate one family member to being the photographer.Unfortunately, like every other cameraphone except the beefier N900 and maybe the Motorola Milestone, the Nokia 5230 is just too light for serious photography. It’s too easy to set up a nice shot, then nudge the camera a bit and take a blurry photo. For video, this lighter-than-air problem is a bigger problem. It is difficult to hold the phone steady enough for any real video clips unless you rest it on a table or chair. Even then, it’s hard to record a video that isn’t jerky and unwatchable.The Nokia 5230 is an entry-level smartphone, and this becomes readily apparent with media playback. It’s just too difficult to find music and movies, and the Ovi store is still a work in progress (at times, the Ovi apps even failed to open the store at all). Lacking the Apple iTunes store or a robust partnership with Amazon for buying songs, the Nokia 5230 is just an average media phone. Playback quality for music was fine, but videos tended to stutter a bit due to the slower processor.The phone has a 3.5mm headphone jack and comes with a 4GB microSD card which is expandable up to 16GB. If you do load up a bunch of songs, the music player is just adequate it lacks any useful album cover viewer (you can view album cover art but you can’t flip through them like you can on the iPhone). There is an FM radio on the Nokia 5230, and it worked well for several news and sports channels, but the music quality, even on earbuds, was just passable. You can record voice memos to yourself, but the Nokia 5230 lacks the advanced features of, say, the Nexus One in terms of easily sharing these memos when you connect to your PC.A light smartphone usually has one drawback: the battery is just not big enough to hold a charge. Fortunately, the Nokia 5230 lasted all day (about 8 hours) playing music and video occasionally, making frequent calls but otherwise having the device on standby without seeing the battery die. The Nokia 5230 battery life benefits from the slide lock button that prevent accidental power-ups, which can even occur on an iPhone.Nokia says the Nokia 5230 will last for several days if you just use it for music and disable all of the other connections, such as 3G and Bluetooth.Battery time over GSM is much longer a rated 7 hours compared to WCDMA, which lasts about four hours. The tricky trade-off here is that it depends greatly on how many calls you make, whether you have music and video playing on the device, and if you use Bluetooth. On the plus side, since there is no Wi-Fi, you won’t drain the battery that way.OrganiserThe Nokia 5230 falls short when it comes to keeping you organised, for several reasons. One is just the phone speed there is often a delay when you pull up a contact or view your Google Calendar as the phone struggles to keep pixels moving on the screen. There were times when it was easier to pop open a laptop and look up a web contact or check a task list on Plaxo than to try to visit these sites on the phone. And, there are precious few apps available for business users who are serious about staying in contact, on schedule, and on task at all times. The Nokia 5230 is an ideal calling phone, has good media options, and lasts all day on one charge, but lacks business features.There is an alarm clock that enables you to set up multiple alarms through the day, and an app for recording memos to yourself, but not the wealth of built-in apps for jotting down notes or managing voice mail like there is on other phones.ConnectivityThe Nokia Nokia 5230 connects to 3G and Bluetooth devices as expected. We were impressed with how the device connected easily to both Mac and PC laptops to upload and download files over a Bluetooth connection, a feature that the iPhone lacks. We tested the Nokia 5230 with multiple Bluetooth adaptors and even in a car with Ford Sync technology and the Nokia 5230 paired quickly and efficiently.The lack of Wi-Fi is an important issue, though, for those who need a speedier connection to download larger files, send images to an online photo service, grab large file attachments or stream audio with an app such as Pandora.One of the great strengths of the Nokia 5230, however, is that it supports GPS navigation (with turn-by-turn spoken instructions) and Ovi maps. Nokia calls this “lifetime GPS” because you never have to pay for the turn-by-turn instructions. The Nokia 5230 also has a free TeleNav app with voice nav, but only as a 30-day trial.OtherIt is also worth mentioning that the Nokia 5230 is a capable, if underpowered, gaming device. Our model included several commercial titles, including Guitar Hero 5 for mobile and Need for Speed Shift.These games are colourful, control well, and have some entertaining gameplay features, but tend to run a bit slow on the Nokia 5230 compared to the N97 and other Nokia models.A smartphone is a trusted gadget you rely on every day. It is not just an accessory you might need occasionally as you type away on a laptop. As such, a phone must be capable of doing much more than just a simple calling device: it must be expandable (both with apps and with more memory) and easy to use.We likedAs an entry-level model at an affordable price, the Nokia 5230 is a good choice for those who can live without some of the latest perks of more modern smartphones, such as Wi-Fi and a full-size hardware keyboard. We dislikedWe question some of the interface challenges on this device menus you have to wade through to find the option you want. And, slow processing speed meant running even simple apps such as the contact manager caused some frustration. While this will be a major issue for more advanced smartphone users, it will only become a minor annoyance for those who primarily just need to access email and text messages, make calls, and browse the web a few times per day. VerdictThe most important realisation with the Nokia 5230 is that it is not intended as a power user device and just does the smartphone basics. However, in our final analysis, we found the Nokia 5230 to be an intelligent device that we would use if the iPhone, Nexus One, and other models were just a figment of our imagination. Basically the Nokia 5230 would be an outstanding touchscreen phone about four years ago. Today, it is just an average buy for the price.Related LinksMore mobile phone reviewsTechRadar’s Reviews GuaranteeRelated StoriesReview: HTC LegendReview: LG Chocolate BL20Review: Acer Liquid S100Review: Nokia E72Review: HTC HD Mini
October 17, 2011
Virtual WiFi Router For Windows
Say you have a desktop PC with a wired connection to the Internet. Your router only supports wired connections for that matter, which is the main reason for that. You do have a mobile computer as well, for instance a laptop, tablet PC or smartphone that supports WiFi. You want to use WiFi when at [...]
October 13, 2011
Huawei Aims for Top 5 in U.S. Smartphone Market
Huawei plans to become one of the top five players in the U.S. cell-phone market over the next three years, as part of an ambitious, long-term strategy to increase sales and presence.The Shenzen, China-based company announced at this year’s CTIA convention in San Diego it will focus on offering more affordable Android smartphones and sell LTE phones next year.Bill Plummer, vice president of external affairs for Huawei, said this strategy will make upgrades more accessible for consumers who’ve been stuck with feature phones because they couldn’t afford smartphones. It also benefits carriers, letting them “capitalize on their network investments by tapping a new consumer segment,” according to Plummer, who calls it “a win-win for everyone.”Affordability appears to be a theme at the 2011 CTIA, with companies like Samsung and Pantech also announcing less expensive, entry-level smartphones. Both globally and domestically, such devices may be a major draw for consumers who previously thought a smartphone was out of their financial reach, opening up a new market for makers and carriers.According to James Jiang, Huawei executive vice president of product marketing, the company also plans to advertise its own brands more heavily in the U.S. market. Huawei is currently among the top 10 phone makers in the U.S., but the majority of their devices are sold under other brand names, like AT&T and T-Mobile. Globally, however, 80 percent of Huawei’s devices carry their own brand name, and Huawei may be looking to balance that number out in the U.S.Huawei may be emulating the strategy of Taiwanese maker HTC, which gradually became a major player by building partnerships in the market through infrastructure before mass-marketing devices with its own brand name. For now, Huawei will continue creating tablets and phones for major carriers while attempting to increase visibility and demand for its own name brand, allowing it to build trust among top-tier companies while gaining valuable insight into the U.S. market.Following this announcement, big players in the mobile world will surely be watching Huawei over the next few years to see if its multilayered strategy works to fulfill its goals. Globally, the impact may be considerable, with smartphones becoming available to a much wider range of people.Huawei Aims for Top 5 in U.S. Smartphone Market originally appeared at Mobiledia on Wed Oct 12, 2011 11:50 am.
October 3, 2011
10 of the best Android smartphones of 2011 so far
Read the original article on MobileMentalism.com at 10 of the best Android smartphones of 2011 so farWe’re over half way through the year, so what better time to take stock and have a look at the best Android smartphones that have been released this year. It’s an impressive range of phones from nearly all manufacturers, with…Read the original article on MobileMentalism.com at 10 of the best Android smartphones of 2011 so farRelated posts:5 new Sony Ericsson Android phones to launch after JuneSony Ericsson Xperia Arc now on sale at a surprising priceThe 5 biggest winners from MWC 2011Dual-core Sony Ericsson Android smartphones on their way
September 27, 2011
The most momentous month in mobile and how it will change the future
Read the original article on MobileMentalism.com at The most momentous month in mobile and how it will change the futureRegular readers will have noticed things have been a bit quiet around here lately due to a variety of changing circumstances. Happily, I’m back now, though. So, did I miss anything?! Seriously, of all the months for me to be…Read the original article on MobileMentalism.com at The most momentous month in mobile and how it will change the futureRelated posts:Japanese phones reveal the future of mobile techThe future of Android revealed by Google (and it’s not what you think)Get the Samsung Galaxy S for 15 a month – for one week onlyPrice Drop: Nokia N8 for just 20 a month