Mobile Addict

The Droid X and the EVO 4G are packing some serious heat. Both rock a 4.3-inch display. Both have an applications processor clocked at 1Ghz. And, both have HDMI-out ports that will allow you to stream videos from your phone to an external monitor or TV in full 720p HD resolution (with audio, no less – video demo here). Droid X is a larger phone. It’s thinner, for the most part (camera bulge notwithstanding), than the EVO, but it’s also taller. It’s not too much taller, but it does make a difference when putting an already sizable smartphone slab in your skinny jean pockets. The Droid X also sports physical navigation controls on its front face, whereas the EVO uses capacitive (touch-sensitive) buttons on its front face. Both devices offer a WiFi Hotspot feature as well. For this, though, we have to hand it to Motorola for putting a 3G Mobile Hotspot shortcut right on the homescreen – which makes it all that much more convenient to start up the hotspot feature. It takes a bit more effort to access the hotspot feature on the EVO – not that much more, but enough to make a difference.

Sprint HTC EVO 4G

• Flagrantly large 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen display
• Integrated kickstand. Yes, it has a kickstand
• HTC Sense UI
• HDMI-out port
• 4G for high speed data (where available)
• Mobile Hotspot feature (with additional monthly fee)
• Red-colored design elements/accents
• Multi-touch support
• Best camera of the pair
• Simultaneous voice and data when in 4G markets

Verizon Motorola Droid X

• Large 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen display that isn’t unwieldy
• HDMI-out port
• Three mics for improved sound quality and audio recording
• MotoBlur has been tastefully scaled back
• Easily accessed Mobile Hotspot feature (with additional monthly fee)
• Camera’s not perfect but it’s good enough to replace your point-and-shoot device
• Multi-touch keyboard rocks and Swype’s preloaded
• Thinnest phone of the bunch (camera bulge notwithstanding)

The Samsung I8520 is a high-end smartphone with a large screen, WiFi, GPS, 3.5G support plus one very unusual feature – a built-in projector.At the moment, Samsung are not saying exactly what operating system the I8520 runs, but the rumours are that this is an Android 2.1 handset that has been given the new TouchWiz 3.0 interface, making it look very much like the Bada-based Wave S8500.There’s a large 3.7″ 800 x 480 pixel Super AMOLED display dominating the front of the I8520, which is the same type of new technology that the Wave uses. On the back is an 8 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, and on the top is the projector lens and a small thumbwheel control which is presumably the focus.Samsung say that the camera can also capture HD video, stating that it is capable of 720p resolution at 30 frames per second. One interesting application of the I8520 would therefore be instant video capture and playback via the projector.Inside, the I8520 is packed with features too. It supports 3.5G downloads and uploads, WiFi (including 802.11n), a multimedia player that can cope with all common formats including DivX and Windows Media, an FM radio, 3.5mm audio socket, microSD expandable memory, plus USB and Bluetooth connectivity.

Network:

• GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 +
• UMTS 900 / 1900 / 2100

Data:

• GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSPA + WiFi

Screen:

• 3.7″ 480 x 800 pixels

Camera:

• 8 megapixels

Size:

• PDA-style device
• 123 x 60 x 15mm

Bluetooth:

• Yes

Memory card:

• MicroSD

Infra-red:

• No

Polyphonic:

• Yes

Java:

• Yes

GPS:

• Yes

OS:

• Android 2.1 (unconfirmed)

Battery life:

• 7.8 hours talk / 22 days standby (3G)
• 14.2 hours talk / 26 days standby (GSM)

Samsung Wave 2 handsets sport a 3.2″ 400 x 240 pixel display, a 3 megapixel camera, FM radio, 3.5mm audio socket, GPS and WiFi (including 802.11n), but it doesn’t support 3G or 3.5G connectivity. However, the Wave 2 handsets can operate in a no-SIM mode which presumably means that it can be used as mini Internet tablets if you have a WiFi connection. Of course, there’s also Bluetooth support and USB connectivity as well.

Network:

• GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

Data:

• GPRS + EDGE + WiFi

Screen:

• 3.2″ 240 x 400 pixels, 262k colours

Camera:

• 3 megapixels

Size:

• PDA-style device
• 110 x 55 x 12mm

Bluetooth:

• Yes

Memory card:

• MicroSD

Infra-red:

• No

Polyphonic:

• Yes

Java:

• Not specified

GPS:

• Yes

OS:

• Bada

The LG Optimus One, or to give it it’s full title the LG Optimus One with Google™ isLG Optimus One havs 3.8  touchscreens and an OMAP 3630 processor. Perhaps a bit more interesting is the upcoming LG Optimus Android tablet due. LG say that they hope to launch 10 Android devices by the end of the year, but if they all have the same black slabby looks as these three Optimus phones, then their range is going to look something like a monumental masons exhibition. Apparently LG’s aim in this explosion of devices is to offer consumers a choice: “At LG, we believe in providing the public with many different choices because unlike the users of some of our competitors’ phones, our customers are not all alike.” Clearly a dig at Apple, LG’s comments overlook the fact that Apple is doing very nicely with a limited product range.

It will begin shipping at the end of July.

Rumors have it that a number of iPhone 4 has been recalled from various parts of the globe due to defect, but CEO Steve Jobs continually defend Apple’s latest baby. Apple’s CEO explained that there were no problems with the iPhone 4′s wraparound antenna design. He said, “This is life in the smartphone world. Phones [...]

Sony Ericsson posted its profit for Q2. According to the company, sales mounted by 4% to 1.76 billion euros. Sony Ericsson’s CEO, Chief executive Bert Nordberg said “We are now well positioned for long-term growth.” Series of employee lay-offs was recorded by Sony Ericsson beginning 2008, and by 2009 the employee reduction reached over 7,000. [...]

The Nokia N8 includes GPS and a digital compass. Nokia bundle free navigation software with many of their devices, and the N8 is no exception. If used with a car mount, then the N8 would make a very capable satellite navigation device.The most prominent feature of the N8 is the 3.5″ 360 x 640 pixel capacitive OLED touchscreen display. The display isn’t as high resolution as the 800 pixel wide panels found in some high-end rivals. The 12 megapixel camera on the back has a Xenon flash, Carl Zeiss optics and can capture HD 720p video. Crucially, Nokia say that the N8 comes with a large sensor which rivals those found in compact digital cameras. This is good news because in our view the megapixel count is not as important as the quality of the optics and the sensor. This is a 3.5G device with support for all major UMTS bands. Maximum download speeds on HSDPA are 10.2 Mbps, with maximum upload speeds of 2.0 Mbps. The N8 also supports 802.11 b,g and n WiFi, making it one of only a few handsets that supports the faster 802.11n protocol. Internal memory is a whopping 16GB, which should be enough for most users. There’s also a microSD slot that can support cards up to 32GB, which might be handy if you intend to use the N8 for a lot of video capture or playback. The Nokia N8 also includes GPS and a digital compass. Nokia bundle free navigation software with many of their devices, and the N8 is no exception. If used with a car mount, then the N8 would make a very capable satellite navigation device.

AT&T announced that they will carry Dell’s first smartphone in the US, the Dell Aero is a GSM / UMTS version of the Dell Mini 3 .This is an Android handset with a custom interface co-designed by AT&T and Dell. There’s no word on what version of Android the Aero actually runs though, but there’s a bunch of add-ons including social networking applications included in the package. Specifications are pretty vague at the moment, but the Aero does have a 3.5″ 360 x 640 pixel display, 5 megapixel camera, 3G and WiFi support plus built-in GPS.