Iphone Revue

The Nokia N8 is a genuine GSM global smartphone. It operates on all GSM network all over the world, in both 2G and 3G. Using both Class 33 GPRS and EDGE, the phone has 3G connectivity with HSDPA at a speed of 10.2 Mbps as well as HSUPA with 2.0 Mbps speed for fast internet access. It has Wi-Fi with UPnP technology for use in internet hotspots. You can find a range of cheap mobile deals online for all new phones, the Nokia N8 included. For data transfers, the phone comes with wireless Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and wired microUSB v2.0 and USB On-the-go support.

The phone comes with a Li-Ion 1200 mAh (BL-4D) standard battery which can last for as long as 12 hours in talk time on 2G connection and almost 6 hours on 3G. On a single battery charge, the phone can provide 50 hours of music play, 7 hours of video on the phone’s screen, 6 hours of video playback on HD TV through its HDMI output port, 3 hours of video recording, and more than 3 hours local and WebTV access. Not exactly a power-hoover as expected by most pundits.

The 3.5-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen is protected by scratch-resistant Gorilla glass and has an impressive 16 million colours running at 360 x 640 pixels resolution. The multi-touch input method instantaneously responds to every swipe and finger gesture.

The Nokia N8 runs the new and beefed-up Symbian ^3 OS with an ARM 11 680 MHz mobile processor at the core as well as a 3D Graphics hardware accelerator which makes this smartphone a must-have multimedia powerhouse.

Droid vs iphone — the Droid is somewhat newer, and the Android applications are not controlled by the manufacturer, or service provider. Many good applications have been pulled because they had a “problem”. I had a problem for a long time about Google’s power as a search engine, but it appears that they have really put their heads together to come up with this operating system.

I think a full-blown iPhone vs Droid debate would be akin to these decades long debates:

• Ford vs Chevy
• Coke vs Pepsi
• Canon vs Nikon

Search iPhone vs (insert Android phone of the month here) and you’ll have hours of reading. Although there are certainly technical/objective differences, in the end choices are made because of personal preferences (highly subjective). eg) a larger screen (bulkier phone) may be “better”
for me and not for you.

The HTC Desire is one of the hottest phones currently on the market and its popularity has led to shortages in stock levels. If you are planning to pick up a Desire with the intention of taking it abroad, then its roaming abilities should not disappoint. The Desire is compatible with the majority of international networking standards and its quad band compatibility means that it will operate well in both Europe and the USA. Selecting a network by hand or allowing the Desire to choose an appropriate foreign provider is open to preference and its simple, intuitive menu system with touch sensitive interactions should further simplify things.

The Samsung Tocco Lite is a popular entry-level smartphone that lacks the high end hardware of its more expensive peers, but still has the necessary software and connectivity tools to make it well equipped for use overseas. You will not have to alter any of its core settings for use when roaming, because by default it is set to seek out an appropriate foreign carrier when it is taken overseas. However, you can use its touch screen interface to make your own manual selection of a network, which may be useful if you know that your domestic provider has a roaming deal with a specific partner in your destination.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is not only an excellent smartphone powered by the Android platform, but it is also a suitably versatile travelling companion thanks to its quad band network connectivity and its ability to download at high speeds via HSDPA and 3G networks. The Xperia X10 has received critical appreciation for its roaming capabilities and you can set the phone to automatically choose a suitable alternative to your standard network provider if service is unavailable or you are out of the country with your phone. Alternatively you can use the wireless controls menu to manually select from a list of available providers.

The BlackBerry 8520 Curve is a smartphone specifically designed for the business user with fairly serious messaging requirements. Its full QWERTY keypad simplifies typing longer messages and it is optimised for email. Because the target audience will be expected to travel to different regions, the 8520 is a quad band compatible handset, which means that most international destinations will offer networks to which it can connect. The 8520 also boasts integrated wireless connectivity, which uses the universal Wi-Fi b and g standards, so internet connectivity for messaging, web browsing and email access is also possible no matter where you go.

The Nokia X6 is one of the Finnish manufacturer’s flagship smartphones and its generous 16GB of on-board memory means that it is a traveller’s dream. You can fill it with hours of music and video, allowing it to act as a multimedia hub for your time away. The X6’s touch screen display and intuitive menu system are coupled with the powerful Symbian operating system. As with all good smartphones, it is compatible with multiple network types, including 3G. It should be easy to automatically search for a partner network associated with your provider and to access most of the services that you can enjoy whilst at home.