Archos G9 series - pictures

Archos G9 series

   Archos has announced a few days back their new G9 tablets series. Archos is a low-cost French consumer electronics company which started with portable media players and portable storage devices. Over the years they have developed a variety of products like audio players, video recorders and recently tablets.

   The G9 series have the same technical specification but in two screen sizes - 8 inches and 10.1 inches:

-- DISPLAY: 8-inch (1024 x 768) or 10.1-inch (1280 x 800) capacitive touch screen

-- CPU:  ARM dual-core CORTEX A9 OMAP4 1.5 GHz processor.

-- GPU: 3D OpenGL (ES 2.0)

-- MEMORY:  512 MB RAM.

-- STORAGE:  16 GB flash or 250 GB Seagate HDD for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  front 5 MP camera, video recording up to 720p, 

-- CONNECTIVITY:  3G, HSDPA, HSUPA only with Archos 3G USB stick, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR, micro-USB, mini-HDMI, 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS.

-- SENSORS:  Accelerometer, G-Sensor, Digital Compass.

-- BATTERY:  up to 10 hours of internet navigation.

-- MULTIMEDIA:  built-in kick stand.

-- OS:  Android 3.1 Honeycomb.

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, social networking.

   I honestly have to mention that this product has drawn my attention with the 250 GB Seagate HDD as I have not seen any other tablet with more than 32 GB internal storage available. Now this is more than enough space for an Android tablet. But there is more than this as the G9 series have a great 3G access through an intelligent USB stick which is plugged on the USB port from back of the tablet and of course it can be used on a normal computer also. The processor is the fastest on market and also the device can run videos in 1080p. 

   This is a great product and the price is a fantastic one. The 8 inches tablet will start from 275 USD and the 10.1 inches version will be available from 349 USD. The main disadvantage of G9 is the fact that is not manufactured by a very well known company like HTC, LG, Samsung, Apple, Acer or Asus and the consumers who will search for a new tablet will not notice the great features of this one. Important is to see it in reality working without errors.

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Sony Ericsson Txt

   Last smartphone announced the other days by Sony Ericsson in Singapore was Txt and is not a Xperia series. This is a low-cost QWERTY keyboard device made for fast messaging through dedicated SMS key and with social networking applications pre-installed.

   The most important technical details are:

-- DISPLAY:  TFT 320 x 240 pixels, 2.6 inches, scratch- resistant surface.

-- STORAGE:  100 MB for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  Primary - 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, HD video recording with 720p.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, micro-USB, 3.5 mm headphone jack.

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 1000 mAh

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, social apps, TrackID, PlayNow.

   This will also be available in Q3 this year.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Active - pictures

Sony Ericsson Xperia Active

   Active is another Xperia smartphone announced by Sony Ericsson two days ago in Singapore. As the name may suggest it to you, the device is made for people who have a passion for sports or have an active live style and do not want to worry about dropping the phone down, in water or if will resist in a construction site environment.

   The most important features are:

-- DISPLAY:  LED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 320 x 480 pixels, 3 inches, scratch- resistant surface.

-- CPU:  Qualcomm Snapdragon 1 GHz processor.

-- STORAGE:  320 MB for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  Primary - 5 MP, 2592x1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, HD video recording with 720p.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  3G HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Bluetooth, micro-USB, HDMI port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS.

-- SENSORS:  Accelerometer, Proximity, Pressure, Barometer, Compass.

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 1200 mAh

-- MULTIMEDIA:  Sony Mobile BRAVIA® Engine and Exmor R™ for mobile

-- OS:  Android Gingerbread (2.3), Timescape UI, Adobe Flash support.

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, social apps, Skype, NeoReader, PlayNow, SenseMe, TrackID, xLoud, iMapMyFitness.

   Active can be kept under 1m water up to 30 minutes, has wet finger tracking multi-touch display and is dust proof resistant. More than that, it comes with pre-loaded sports applications making for users to easily track their fitness program and monitor the heart rate and pulse in real time through a ANT+ wireless technology. Although it has only a 3 inches screen I see this phone in direct competition with Motorola Defy which will receive Gingerbread update soon and has a spot  in same dust proof and water resistant category.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray - design and inspiration video

Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray

   Sony Ericsson has announced yesterday two new Xperia models. One of them is the Xperia Ray which appears to be a smaller and compact version of Xperia Arc. As you will see, the device has some important technical specification combined in a premium material design:

-- DISPLAY:  LED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 480 x 854 pixels, 3.3  inches, scratch- resistant surface.

-- CPU:  Qualcomm Snapdragon 1 GHz processor.

-- STORAGE:  300 MB for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  Primary - 8.1 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, HD video recording with 720p,  Secondary - VGA, video chat, video calling.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  3G HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Bluetooth, micro-USB, HDMI port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS.

-- SENSORS:  Accelerometer, Proximity

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 1500 mAh

-- MULTIMEDIA:  Sony Mobile BRAVIA® Engine and Exmor R™ for mobile

-- OS:  Android Gingerbread (2.3), Timescape UI, Adobe Flash support.

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, social apps, NeoReader, PlayNow, SenseMe, TrackID, xLoud.

   So even with the smaller screen the Ray can do about everything you like in terms of multimedia. The stylish aluminium frame and and the Reality display with Mobile Bravia engine are making it slim, elegant and desirable.  The phone will be available on markets starting with Q3 2011.

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Nokia C2-03 - Dual SIM meets touch and type video

Nokia C2-03 - pictures

Nokia C2-03

   Another device announced by Nokia the other days was the low-cost C2-03 under different versions like C2-02 and C2-06. Basically is the same phone but one version is dual-sim, one is a single-sim and one comes in different colors. In terms of design this is looking good and I am sure will have a large number of buyers with a below 100 EUR price.

   The most important technical details are:

-- DISPLAY: 2.6 inches TFT resistive touch 240 x 320 pixels screen, 65K colors.

-- STORAGE:  10 MB for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  2MP camera.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  Bluetooth 2.1, micro-USB port.

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 1020 mAh

-- OS:  Symbian Series 40

-- APPLICATIONS:  OVI Maps, Flash Lite. 

   As you noticed the features are indicating why this will cost below 100 EUR. This is one of those touch and type models - the third of this kind - and the dual-sim version has the Easy Swap function which will let you insert a new SIM on the side of the phone without any reboot required.

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Nokia N9 - The big introduction video

Nokia N9 - pictures

Nokia N9

   I am pleased to tell you that Nokia has announced at Singapore the first button-less smartphone in the world - N9. This appears to be a great device with the latest technology on board and wonderful design making it attractive, modern, elegant. You are probably wondering how the phone can be unlocked if there are no front-facing buttons? The answer is to double tap the screen and you can enter in the menu. All menu structure is made around gestures and swipe of fingers providing and intuitive way to access and use features and functions.

   The most important technical details are:

-- DISPLAY: 3.9 inches AMOLED capacitive touch 480 x 854 pixels screen, 16M colors, Gorilla glass.

-- CPU:  ARM Cortex A8 1 GHz.

-- GPU:  PowerVR SGX530.

-- MEMORY:  1 GB RAM.

-- STORAGE:  16/64GB for internal.

-- CAMERA:  Primary - 8MP dual-led flash camera (Carl Zeiss optics with auto-focus), video recording up to 720p.

Secondary - VGA, video calls

-- CONNECTIVITY:  3G, HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, micro-USB port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS, NFC.

-- SENSORS:  Accelerometer, Proximity, Digital Compass.

-- BATTERY:  1450 mAh.

-- OS:  MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan, HTML 5.

-- APPLICATIONS:  OVI apps, social networking, OVI Maps, Angry Birds Magic, Galaxy on Fire 2, Real Golf 2011.

   The screen is a curved one with scratch resistant surface, no air gap and anti-glare polarizer, included in a unibody one-piece case. The innovative laminated display technology are making the application look like are really floating on top of the screen. The case is made of polycarbonate material offering a superior antenna performance.

   The user interface was build around three most used features by people - applications, events (including notifications, missed calls, text, calendar and others), open applications for switching between the most used ones providing the best multitasking experience. Important features also delivered with this device are the free maps and the turn-by-turn navigation, the Dolby Digital Plus sound support and NFC techmology for information exchange. I really would like to see this smartphone in my hands soon. The only questions that come in my mind now are the MeeGo operating system as I am not sure about the future of it and also the limited number of applications and why there is no micro-SD card support. I believe that the price will have an important role to play for a smartphone with MeeGo (a recently developed OS) and top hardware specifications in the same time.

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Get to know the HP TouchPad - video

Motorola Triumph

   The Triumph is another smartphone announced the other days by Motorola. This has a super slim design at less than 0.4 inches thick but in the rest looks like a brick and does not have a special message for the users. More than that Triumph arrives with Android 2.2 Froyo as you will see below:

-- DISPLAY: 4.1-inch capacitive touch WVGA 800 x 480 pixels screen

-- CPU:  Qualcomm Scorpion 1 GHz processor.

-- GPU: Adreno 205

-- MEMORY:  512 MB RAM.

-- STORAGE:  2 GB for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  5 MP camera, video recording up to 720p.

Secondary - VGA, video chat, video calling.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  3G/4G, HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, micro-USB, HDMI, 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS.

-- SENSORS:  Accelerometer, Proximity, Ambient Light Sensor, Gyro Sensor, G-Sensor, Digital Compass.

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 1400 mAh

-- MULTIMEDIA:  touch sensitive buttons.

-- OS:  Android 2.2 Froyo.

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, social networking, Virgin Mobile Live 2.0.

   As I mentioned earlier this does not look very good in design and I do not understand why will nor arrive with Android 2.3 Gingerbread on board. For now, will be sold exclusively by Virgin Mobile USA and there is no information regarding the European version. I am not sure why but I do not find this device interesting.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 - It`s time to tab video

Motorola Photon 4G - video

Motorola Photon 4G

   Motorola has announced yesterday their latest and most advanced phone so far. This is the Photon 4G and it`s the first Motorola device with qHD display and built-in kickstand for hands-free viewing. The specifications are making it a main competitor for top smartphones made by HTC, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and LG. Most important technical details are below:

-- DISPLAY: 4.3-inch capacitive touch qHD 960 x 540 pixels screen

-- CPU:  Dual-core nVidia Tegra 2 1 GHz processor.

-- MEMORY:  1 GB DDR2 RAM.

-- STORAGE:  16 GB for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  Primary - 8MP dual-led flash camera, video recording up to 720p.

Secondary - VGA, video chat, video calling.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  3G/4G, HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, micro-USB, HDMI, 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS.

-- SENSORS:  Accelerometer, Proximity, Ambient Light Sensor, Gyro Sensor, G-Sensor, Digital Compass.

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 1700 mAh

-- MULTIMEDIA:  touch sensitive buttons.

-- OS:  Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, social networking, Mozilla Firefox, Motorola webtop.

   I noticed that battery is a powerful one so the stand-by time should be a great one or above other top smartphones. But this also depends of display type as in the announcement is not specified to be S-LCD or S-AMOLED. The same as ATRIX this smartphone can be used with a Motorola dock and has enterprise security included. It will be available only for Sprint in US this summer but I hope to see the European version as well. Some details are missing so this is the only thing I can criticize for the moment (except that does not record videos at 1080p). 

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Sony Ericsson Mix Walkman & Txt Pro

   Sony Ericsson has announced Today a new Walkman phone and a new messenger phone. Basically this is one device but in two versions - one include a physical QWERTY keyboard. The main specifications for both devices are below:

-- DISPLAY: 3 inches TFT capacitive multi-touch 400 x 240 pixels screen, scratch resistant.

-- STORAGE:  100 MB for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  3.2 MP camera, video recording.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  2G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with AD2P, micro-USB port, 3.5 mm headphone jack.

-- MULTIMEDIA:  PlayNow, TrackID, Walkman Player (Mix Walkman), SenseMe (Mix Walkman), Clear stereo (Txt Pro), Music Player (Txt Pro).

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 1000 mAh

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, Obigo Q7, social apps.

   My guess is that both devices will have a very low price given the fact that are 2G only. There are no specifications regarding the OS - just the four corner home screen style - but from pictures and applications included it may be an Android version. The Mix Walkman and Txt Pro will be released sometimes in Q3 this year.

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Motorola WILDER Sizzle Promo - video

Motorola WILDER - pictures

Motorola WILDER

   Motorola has announced Today a new interesting phone - WILDER. It appears that this was designed for users who want to not worry about what happens with their phone no matter what they are doing. This is why Wilder has a splash and dust-resistant touch screen and is a resistive touch 2.8 inches display. The different part is the little secondary OLED 0.7 screen showing most important notifications regarding missed calls, messages, music playback information and others.

   The most important specifications are targeting a low-cost device with 2 MP camera, only 5 MB internal storage expandable up to 32 GB through a micro-SD card, FM radio and music playback, social networking integration, HTML web browsing, Bluetooth 2.0, micro-USB charger and 3.5 mm headphone jack. The battery should last up to 255 hours of stand-by time.

   Intriguing is that there are no details regarding the mobile operating system. Certainly from pictures does not appear to arrive with Android or Windows Phone so I wonder cant it be Brew? I guess we will see in July when this will be released in UK for only 49.95 GBP.

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Apple iOS 5

Apple has announced yesterday the new version of mobile operating system iOS 5 with many new features, and when I say new, these are new only for the apple platform. As you will see below most of the iOS 5 capabilities are already implemented for some time in Android, Blackberry, Symbian and others.First is the Notification Center which shows all available alerts regarding messages, emails, friends and others. You need to swipe down from the top of the screen and you will open the notifications. Now speaking in a fair way, this looks like was copied exactly from Android and also notifications are shown even if the screen is locked - which again is the same as per Google`s mobile OS.

Next we have the iMessage that offers the possibility to send unlimited texts through Wi-Fi or 3G from iPhone, iPad or iPod and between any of these. But you can also share photos, videos, locations and contacts. It`s great that they have implemented this but I do not see revolution in the messaging system or is not very different than other mobile OS.

Newsstand is the new magazine, newspaper and books reader for iOS. With this you can read and organize your favorite articles, titles, stories etc. I wonder if anyone present at Steve`s Jobs event remembered about Google Books and other book reader applications in Android Market. 

Reminders is another application in iOS 5 which works as a To-Do list integrated with the calendar and synchronized with the online server. In Android the Google calendar and Facebook calendar are synchronized in one device and of course this is cloud.

Twitter was integrated finally in iOS with location and contacts features. If you would like to take a picture with the iPhone camera now you can upload it in iCloud. In Android you can upload photos on Facebook, Twitter and others for some time now. Safari is now a tabbed browser, kind of late after the Android, but better late than never.

In conclusion I would like to make a few things clear. The iCloud is the only feature in iOS which brings attention for experienced smartphone users. But again this is not new - it`s just that they have done it better than Google and is extended across all multimedia iOS platform. However iCloud will not beat the already very well known Dropbox cloud service, especially because this works across all platforms like Windows, Android, iOS, Mac, Linux, Blackberry. In the end I am not defending Google`s Android as they have some work to do (like providing a working task manager and others), but I am not going to be surprised about iOS 5 and it`s 'new' features.

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