Sony PlayStation 3

There's general agreement that Sony stumbled out of the gate with the PlayStation 3. Months of intense hype were followed by a late launch (fully a year after the Xbox 360) and a staggering $600 price tag for the deluxe model. Even worse, the PS3 didn't initially have any real must-have exclusive titles, and despite the power of its vaunted Cell processor, multiplatform games from third-party developers didn't look appreciably better than the respective titles on the Xbox 360.

Since then, the company's been modifying the PlayStation product line to better fit the competitive market landscape. As of August 2008, a new "bargain" PS3 is available with a larger, 80GB hard drive, and a "deluxe" model is due in November, doubling the capacity to 160GB. Both, however, lack backward compatibility with PS2 games and do not come with flash card readers. If those features are a must, it might be best to pick up the 80GB Metal Gear Bundle version on eBay while they're still out there.

If you don't want to opt for the new 160GB (that will also ship with Uncharted: Drakes Fortune), the 80GB version reviewed here might short you on space. Now that you can fill up that hard drive more easily with TV shows and movies from the PlayStation Store, it's much easier to do so. Still, for those on a budget, the $400 PS3 ups the hard-drive capacity from the older "budget" model and delivers nearly all the same gaming and home theater features as its more expensive sibling. The PS3's game drought has largely evaporated, with popular titles such as Grand Theft Auto IV, Rock Band, Call of Duty 4, and BioShock all making their way to the console. While these titles are also available on the Xbox 360, the PS3 has exclusive dibs on Metal Gear, Uncharted, and MLB 08: The Show, as well as the hotly anticipated Resistance 2 and Killzone 2 due to hit in upcoming months.

Yes, the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii also have their own handful of exclusive titles (Halo and Gears of War on the former, and all of the Mario, Metroid, and Zelda games on the latter), but the PS3's HD graphics go far beyond those of the low-resolution Wii, and its stable hardware doesn't suffer from the Xbox 360's notorious red ring of death. Plus, now that Blu-ray Discs have become the de facto standard for high-def media, the PS3 is still the only console available to play back that format, and consequently is the best performing and affordable Blu-ray player on the market--a great option if you want to introduce yourself to high-def content.

PlayStation 3 models compared:*

Model	PS3 80GB	PS3 160GB
MSRP	$400	$500
Hard disk size	80GB	160GB
Network compatibility	Ethernet and Wi-Fi	Ethernet and Wi-Fi
Plays PS2 games?	No	No
Flash memory compatibility	None	None
USB ports	2	2
Unique bundled items	None	Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, PAIN, PSN voucher

* Sony has since discontinued the 20GB, 60GB and the August 2007 "Deluxe" 80GB PlayStation 3 models.

Design

Like the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, the PlayStation 3 can stand vertically or lie horizontally in an AV rack, though because of its curved top, it's not meant to have any other components resting on top of it. Early prototypes were shown in white and silver, but currently the PS3 is only available in black. The 20GB version (now discontinued) was all black, but the larger capacity (and all current models) are highlighted with chrome trim--and there's no way to customize its look as you can with the Xbox 360's interchangeable, if overpriced, faceplates. Judging from Sony's recent decision to bring out the PSP in more colors, we don't expect the company to stick to the black-only option for too long, especially since this system, like the PSP, is a fingerprint and smudge-magnet.

As for its dimensions, the PS3 measures 12.8 inches wide by 3.8 inches high by 10.8 inches long, which is roughly in line with the overall volume of the Xbox 360. That said, the PS3 does weigh a bit more--11 pounds to the 360's 9.9 pounds including power supply--so if you're going by heft alone, you're getting almost 10 percent more console. Most impressively, there's no external power supply for the PS3; you just plug the included power cable--it's the same standard three-prong style you'll find on most desktop PCs--into the back of the unit and you're good to go. For those of us who own an Xbox 360, and have had to struggle with its massive brick of a power supply, this seems like a remarkable feat on Sony's part.

Like the Nintendo Wii, the PS3 has a slot-loading disc drive.

One obvious difference between the Xbox 360 and the PS3 is the way you load media. As opposed to the more typical tray loader, the PS3 has a front-slot-loading, Blu-ray Disc drive, which contributes to the unit's slicker appearance. Discs slide in and eject smoothly enough, so chalk one up for the PS3 here.

On the front, you'll find two USB ports for connecting (and charging) controllers and other accessories, including USB keyboards, thumbdrives, and the PSP. Unfortunately if you need more than two ports, you're out of luck as only the older versions of the PS3 came with four. This will certainly become an issue particularly if you want to charge your controllers as well as use an accessory like the PS Eye). The PS3 still doesn't come with USB ports on the back of the unit--something we've desired for a while. Both new versions of the PS3 also now lack multiple flash card readers. While we could see this feature being dropped for a reduced price, even the "deluxe" 160GB model, priced still at $500, will not come with it.

You'll find HDMI--but no USB--on the rear panel.

Around back is where you'll find ports for Ethernet, HDMI output, optical digital audio output (SPDIF), and the proprietary PlayStation AV output for analog audio and video. A composite AV cable ships with the unit, and because it uses the same connector as the PlayStation 2, that system's S-Video and component cables should work with it, as well (to get HD video, you'll need component or HDMI). This, once again, leaves us asking why Sony does not ship the console HD-ready out-of-the-box. Unlike the proprietary snap-on hard drive of the Xbox 360, the PS3's internal hard drive is user replaceable with any off-the-shelf laptop drive. The only caveat: it uses the smaller 2.5-inch drive size, which are twice, or even close to three times as expensive as the larger 3.5-inch hard drive that go into a desktop computer.

The Sixaxis DualShock 3 Controller

When the PS3 was first released in the fall of 2006, gamers gave Sony a lot of grief that the included Sixaxis controller lacked rumble (vibration) support--a feature found on the controllers for the Xbox 360, Wii, and even the older PlayStation 2. Sony has since corrected that with the DualShock 3 controller, which is basically just the Sixaxis with rumble. Starting with the new 80GB core system, all new PS3 versions will include a DualShock 3 controller by default.

With the exception of its included rumble support--and a bit more weight as a result--the Dual Shock 3 is otherwise pretty much identical to the Sixaxis. Fans of the older Sony game consoles will note that it even looks identical to the older PlayStation controllers, but there are some differences. For starters, it's wireless. You can connect as many as seven controllers via the system's built-in Bluetooth, which Sony claims offers a 20-meter range (about 65 feet). Recharging the built-in battery simply requires connecting the included USB cable between the console and the controller. You can continue to play as the battery juices up (Sony pledges 30 hours of gameplay between charges), but the cable's somewhat short 5-foot length will put you right on top of the TV. That said, the controller has a standard mini USB port similar to the one found on many digital cameras and PC peripherals, so swapping in a longer cable--or using a USB extender--shouldn't be a problem. We should also note that we had some success charging the DualShock 3 on a number of PC USB ports and even the port on a cable box. Unfortunately, the battery isn't removable, which means that if it dies--as inevitably it will some day--you'll have to replace the entire controller ($50) if you want to play wirelessly. By comparison, the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii controllers offer user-replaceable batteries: AAs or proprietary rechargeables for the 360, and AAs for the Wii.

The wireless controller recharges by connecting via the included USB cable.

As for the controller's design, Sony has made a few tweaks versus the old PS2 version. The L2 and R2 trigger buttons are a bit bigger, and the increased depth in stroke offers players more subtle game control. Sony has also increased the tilting angle of the analog joysticks to give you more precise control and a wider range of motion. Those analog sticks are more sensitive as well. The PS2's Dual Shock 2 controller had 8-bit sensitivity, while the PS3's controller has 10-bit motion detection. The Sixaxis and DualShock 3 controllers also have a centered Home button, which functions much like its counterpart on the Xbox 360 controller. You use it to return to the console's main menu screen, as well as to sync the controller to the console and start it up or shut it down wirelessly. In game, the Home button will now bring up the cross-media-bar (XMB).

The other big upgrade on the DualShock 3 (and Sixaxis) from its predecessors is its motion sensitivity. As the name indicates, the controller is capable of sensing motion in six directions: up, down, left, right, forward, and backward. Game developers have incorporated this technology in many of the new games in one form or another. For example, in Call of Duty 3, you can arm explosives with a twist of the controller. 2K's NBA 2K8 also makes interesting use of the tilt feature, allowing you shoot free throws by motioning a shot with your controller.

After almost two years of titles, some implementations of the tilt sensitivity are better than others. Some games' use of it are optional and can be switched off, as we can certainly see some folks not wanting to bother with it at all. Clearly, Sony wanted to steal some of Nintendo's interactive thunder, and there's no denying that the Wii's motion-sensitive controllers are more central to that console's DNA. The Wii controllers are also more sophisticated, including the capability to measure actual motion (spatial movement) and acceleration, rather than just tilting. But unlike the Wii, the PS3 doesn't require a motion-sensor bar in front of the TV. (The current Xbox 360 controllers offer no motion sensitivity at all.) It's safe to say we'll see more innovative uses of the tilting sensitivity feature in future games as it definitely adds an extra level of control when flying the eponymous attack vehicle in Warhawk or controlling the trajectory of an arrow in Heavenly Sword. On the other hand, the highly touted Lair, is widely considered unplayable, thanks to a poorly implemented Sixaxis control scheme.

The new DualShock 3 controller comes with the 80GB version of the PS3, another reason to step up from the 40GB.

Familiar interface

If you own a Sony PSP, you'll immediately notice the similarities between the PS3's interface and the PSP's cross media bar-style (XMB) graphical user interface. You navigate horizontally through top-level selection categories such as users, system settings, and media options such as photos, music, videos, games, network, and friends. When you select a top-level category, a vertical list of suboptions appears, and you can navigate down that list until you find the option you want. The interface is polished and generally easy to use, but you do have to drill down a few levels to reach certain features, and getting to some functions isn't quite as intuitive as it should be. Still, the overall design is slick enough to be called Mac-like, and--at least from an aesthetic standpoint--is more appealing than the Xbox 360's Dashboard and Nintendo Wii's Channels interfaces.


Source : cnet.com

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Nintendo Wii

It isn't, however, anywhere near long enough for those using projectors. Thankfully, there are a number of solutions available to solve this problem. Since it's not an especially complicated piece of kit – it's just two LED's that emit infrared beams – you can make your own sensor bar; for which there are many guides. Alternatively, you can splice the cable to extend it, use a couple of standard media remotes and even two candles – though please don't for obvious reasons. The simplest solution, however, is an inexpensive third party wireless version that runs off a battery and is available via www.wirelesssensorbar.com. We've yet to test one ourselves but reports suggest it does the job admirably, though it's rather more conspicuous than the official version

Once you have the console up and running there are a few quick and simple settings such as language, sensor bar placement and date and time to deal with but once completed you're free, should you choose, to dive straight into the fun and start playing games.






There's a good chance, however, that you'll want to setup the Internet connection first and this process is just as painless. Rather like the DS, Wii can hold up to three different wireless settings and like any wireless device will automatically detect any network. Unlike the DS, however, Wii supports all the more recent wireless security protocols such as WPA2 making it compatible with any standard network configuration. Once your Wii has detected the connection, it's a simple process of entering your password and you're ready to go.

Wireless performance it pretty solid too. Nintendo has been wise enough to include two internal antennas; with one mounted vertically and one horizontally. This means you should get equal performance whether you have the console mounted vertically or sitting horizontally.

If you don't have a wireless network then things get a little more complicated, and currently your only option is to buy a Nintendo Wi-FI USB Connector. This will allow you to use your PC's Internet connection wirelessly - provided it's hooked up to your broadband - with your Wii. Nintendo is promising to release a LAN Adapter sometime in January, though a quick google reveals that, as of now, it's not widely listed with only a handful of retailers offering pre-orders on the item.

These considerations accepted, setting up your Wii couldn't be easier and if you do have any problems the documentation provided is excellent with clear uncluttered presentation and plenty of illustrations to boot.

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BlackBerry Bold review

This might be a shocker out there to many, but we do actually, you know, not leak things from time to time. What’s important here, is that we’ve been rockin’ a BlackBerry Bold for around a month now, and we’ve got a great handle on the unit. From hardware to software, this is going to be the most complete BlackBerry Bold review, period. If you’re really ready, hit the jump. You might need a couple cigarettes and a cup of coffee — it’s long!




RIM’s BlackBerry Bold 9000, huh? We knew it was coming since October of last year ever since we broke the news, and since then, this has been the BlackBerry communities iPhone. Sorry for an iPhone reference so early on in the review, but it’s true. This is the device every single BlackBerry user has been waiting for. Finally a BlackBerry that “has it all.” 3G, GPS, Wi-Fi, QWERTY keyboard, camera, great screen, clean styling, and more. Since this has been our day to day BlackBerry exclusively, we’ve been through a lot of ups and downs with the Bold. Here’s a recap on our first day with the Bold, followed by our full review…

Remember all that talk about overheating and battery drain? It definitely wasn’t crap — we’ll tell you that! Even still, the device gets a little warm, but nothing to get too concerned about. RIM has made strides in regards to updated software builds for the Bold. Let’s bring you back to when we first got the device, ok? We thanked our very friendly FedEx Sameday delivery man (or delivery person since there’s this cute female that sometimes brings us goodies… anyway) and proceeded immediately to remove the SIM card and microSD card from our BGR edition BlackBerry Curve 8310. After that, we took a bat to it, Office Space style. Once the battery was installed in the Bold, we patiently waited for the unit to turn on.

One minute went by. Then two. Then three. What in the heck? Isn’t this supposed to be at least double the speed of the older models? When the unit finally powered up, we were greeted by the usual Setup Wizard. After canceling out of that (I can remove languages manually, athankyou) it was time to explore the device. At first glance, the first thing you’ll see is obviously the gorgeous screen on the 9000. We can safely say that this is the best screen we’ve ever seen on a mobile device. Hands down. So, yeah, after messing around with a couple applications and exploring, it was time to turn on wireless and connect to AT&T’s mothership. 5 bars of service showed up with the GSM indicator. Then EDGE. Oh boy, we’re so close! Finally 3G appeared. We were in business! But not so fast. No sooner than the 3G indicator showed up, the device for some reason restarted. All ‘Berry lovers will know this all too well. Red LED, black screen. After waiting for another three or four minutes for the device to power up again, the same thing happened! Everything was ok until we tried to turn wireless on. Oh bother. What now? The Bold did this in an endless loop for a good two hours. The battery was only at 40% so we figured we’d let it keep passing out until it was fully charged. Bad plan because that didn’t help. After managing to sneak in right at start-up and turn off wireless mode, the device was stable again. Great. What good is a BlackBerry as a PDA? Don’t answer that. By now we practically had a gun pointed to our heads. We messed with a Bold before, but we can’t even use our first unit? After a quick call to one of our BlackBerry ninjas, we were promptly sent an updated software build. Now it was time to update the OS.

We opened up Desktop Manager 4.5 and proceeded to update the device. This part totally blew us away! Gone are the days of a 30-45 minute backup and update. It probably took no more than 6 minutes to backup the device, erase the applications, load the system software and what not. The only part that took a little bit was waiting for the device to initialize after everything was done. As soon as we booted up with the new OS, we were good! The Bold connected to the network just fine and we did our enterprise activation. First thing we did? Check out BlackBerry Messenger! God knows if there’s one thing making us keep out BlackBerrys… The new client isn’t drastically different but has some semi-cool additions. For instance, the layout is the same but graphics for online, away, and unavailable have changed. You can set an alert so you are notified when a buddy comes back online, and you can broadcast a message to everyone you have an open conversation with. Digging a little deeper into Messenger, we found that you can enable an option to change your status when you are on the phone, and even change your status automatically to reflect whatever MP3 you are playing on the device. Totally iChatish, but not that bad.

After Messenger, it was on to the browser. At first, nothing looked different at all. That was until we brought up BGR on it. The BlackBerry web browser has indeed been redone to act more like a web browser and not a piece of garbage 1990’s WAP browser. Pages render awfully quick over 3G, and even on EDGE. They are formatted 90% of the time correctly and images look sharp and crisp. You’ve now got new controls with the trackball. Instead of just a mouse cursor like before, the default setting is a zoom key. Just scroll over what you’d like to zoom into, press the trackball and zoom. This can also be achieved by pressing “i” and “o” for zoom in and zoom out respectively on the keyboard.

We fired off some emails on the keyboard, made some phone calls, and started to sit back, relax, and have fun with our new BlackBerry Bold. Battery life improved 10 fold when the new OS was installed, and the overheating we noticed quickly dissipated. It still gets a little warm when you’re freakin’ it, but oh well. Here’s the full review on the device and the most recent software build. We’re not basing the review on the extremely crappy builds before this.



Design:

Some might say it looks awfully like an iPhone. But not Mr. Lazaridis. According to him, every BlackBerry device is “three years in the making.” They couldn’t possibly have made the device around the iPhone since they started it three years ago, right? In all seriousness, it has a couple similar design features like a chrome border around the unit and black front, but it really stops there. We don’t think they said to themselves, “let’s copy the iPhone.” The chrome you see on the Bold is nothing more than cheap plastic that scratches very easily, though.

Screen:

We said this before, but this really is the screen to beat. It might be a little too “contrasty” at times, if you know what we mean, but overall, it steals the show. It is the most vibrant, color-rich, sharp screen we’ve ever seen on a mobile device. It can be extremely bright if that’s how you like it, or subtlety lower. The auto-dim features on BlackBerry devices let the screen adjust to your surrounding so it doesn’t disrupt you. One major problem with the screen, though? It, like the chrome border around the device, is made of cheap plastic and scratches incredibly easily. We kept the Bold in either pants pockets with nothing else in there or a BlackBerry leather holster. After only a day or so, scratches started to appear out of no where on the gorgeous display. They better ship this thing with free scratch protectors!



Keyboard:

If you know us, you know we don’t let keyboards off easy! And if there is anyone who understands keyboards, it’s usually RIM. Think of the 9000’s keyboard as a cross between the 8800 and the Pearl. The keys are pretty large in size, a little squishy, but still firm. They are not plasticky-feeling like the Curves. After only around 10-15 minutes we found ourselves typing almost as fast as were on our 8310. The layout of the keyboard is exactly the same as you’d find on other BlackBerrys. Even all symbols and other markings are in the same spot. This makes it easy to jump right into the device. The send, BlackBerry, back, and end keys are abnormally large, though. It’s not bad. It’s just awkward for some reason. They all work fine, but we can’t figure why RIM decided to make them so big. Possibly a design situation where they had an overall device size ready, couldn’t make it any smaller, and ended up filling the dead space with larger keys. Keyboard back-lighting is great, too. Just the accents, letters, and symbols light up white. Not the entire key like the Curve.

Connectivity:

Every BlackBerry users’ dream lies in the Bold. 3G data, GPS, and Wi-Fi make this a hit. Unless you’re really trying not to be found, there’s a good chance the Bold is going to help you stay connected no matter where you are. A-GPS in the Bold works wonderfully, always getting a fast and accurate lock on location whenever requested. The included BlackBerry Maps works well, but since TeleNav hooked us up, we’re using that for the moment without a hitch. Er, AT&T Navigator. If you’ve ever used a BlackBerry with Wi-Fi, it’s pretty much the same concept. Select a Wi-Fi network and off you go. This is especially useful when you’re in a low or no coverage area yet have access to a Wi-Fi hotspot. We found no issues while using the 3G cell network and Wi-Fi at the same time, though it was actually using Wi-Fi for data. You can’t use Wi-Fi if you turn the cell radio off, but you can use Wi-Fi when you have no cell signal. Food for thought? We’ve noticed that sometimes while using Wi-Fi, the device will lose connection to the BlackBerrt network on the cell network. Possibly a battery-saving enhancement?

OS:



We said this from the start… the 4.6 OS is 99% the same as your current BlackBerry. Assuming you’re not using an 8700 or something like that. Little things have been tweaked to make using the device a little easier and quicker, but for the most part, you’re basically looking at a skin on the top level. That’s not to say there haven’t been some changes beneath the surface, but for the average BlackBerry user, you’re not going to really notice anything besides the semi-pretty UI enhancements. It’s now July 15th, and even running the latest 4.6.0.93 build, we’re still pulling the battery out a good 10 times a day. Why? Between the constant java errors, and the BlackBerry completely losing service and informing us it’s “Searching for Network…”. That’s why. What’s sad is that even with this bad-ass 624MHz CPU, we still get slow downs and we still get freezes. Don’t get it mixed up, it is 100% faster than any other BlackBerry. We just can’t understand why this thing isn’t really optimized like it should be. Ah! Because the OS is from 1999. That’s it.



Applications:

Again, mostly top level stuff, but there have been a couple added applications. These include WordToGo, PowerPointToGo, WordMole, and a couple other games that have been around for a while. There’s something beneath the surface called BlackBerry Game Service, and what this does is allows true multi-player games over either the cell network or Wi-Fi. We beat the crap out of our friend in WordMole who was half way across the country. Sorry, buddy. One of our favorite applications, if not the favorite, is BlackBerry Messenger like we said before. In the updated BlackBerry Messenger, you’ll find added functionality such as being able to broadcast a message to all open conversations, letting your status change automatically when you’re on the phone, and also changing your status to reflect whatever song is playing on the media player. HTML email is obviously a go assuming you’re on a BIS 2.5 carrier or your company has hacked HTML email back into BES 4.1.5. Totally awesome feature, though? If you’re downloading an attachment and highlight that email, it will show you a status bar indicated how far along the download is. Welcome to 2008, RIM. Now could you please stop being pansies and show us a progress bar for outgoing messages please? You know, some of us actually like to send videos and pictures and what not. Oh yeah! Video over BlackBerry Messenger too, while we’re at it. Kthnkz.



Browser:

The web browser was actually one of the last things ready on the Bold as we were told. The earlier versions had a browser nowhere near what we’ve been using, and we have to say… it’s pretty darn good! It’s no iPhone, but it definitely does the job. Any BlackBerrry user whether corporate or consumer will definitely appreciate the new browser’s improved rendering, speed, and controls. It actually shows web pages how they are supposed to be shown, but the navigation can get a little tiring. Instead of the regular mouse pointer that we’ve been used to lately, the pointer is now by default a zoom in pointer. A couple clicks of the trackball, and you’ve zoomed into the web page. Sometimes the page will reformat to the screen, sometimes it won’t. Forget about Flash or anything sexy, but the browser has definitely been upgraded pretty nicely.



Battery life:

Another concern possible Bold buyers have is battery life. There’s been so much information floating around, what’s the real story? Up until around 3-4 weeks ago, every build of the OS we tried had major battery problems. Random restarts, device totally dead within a couple hours, etc. With the latest software version, we can safely say we’re getting as good or better battery life than we did with our Curve. Yes. Isn’t that awesome? Thanks to 1500mAh battery and a crap load of engineering on RIM’s part, they’ve finally got it nailed down. To give y’all a little usage detail: 300-500 emails a day, one hour of web surfing over 3G, Wi-Fi usually turned on, Bluetooth turned off, JiveTalk connected, and around one hour of phone calling (we don’t really use the BlackBerry as a phone) lasted us from 9AM until 4:30AM.

Sound quality:

RIM is trying to step it up in the sound department, and it shows. Instead of a covered speaker like the Curve, there are speaker grills on both sides of the device, and also on the top as well. Sound quality from playing back music sounds decent. Not great, not terrible. It could be a little louder, but even as it stands, music is still distorting on the loudest volume setting. Also, the speakerphone volume could definitely be louder as we found it lower than our Curve.

Call quality:

We’ve found call quality to be fantastic. It’s definitely the most phone-like BlackBerry to date. People we spoke to sounded crystal clear and they said we sounded great. The earpiece volume was also sufficiently loud, so there should be no problems there. That 3G network is also probably helping a lot with call quality as well, no?



Build quality:

This one is a tricky one. We have a production hardware unit, and the trackball can get a little shady. Then again, don’t all BlackBerrys? There are no creaks with the device, and it seems sturdy as heck. The screen could possible be an issue as it looks like it’s a cheap plastic, and the “chrome” border around the body is also a lower-grade plastic. At least it seems that way to us. Expect for the screen to be scratched to all hell, and for nicks, scrapes, and dents to show up on the device body. On our unit, the back battery cover is a little loose towards where the release button is and kind of moves in and out when you press it. We’re not sure if that will be resolved when the device is released, but it can definitely get kind of annoying. We wouldn’t call the Bold fragile but we don’t think its built as well as the Curve.

So what do you guys think? Happy with our review? Want a Bold even more now… even less? Sound off. And look for some more posts on the Bold coming shortly.

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Nokia 6120 Unlocked Cell Phone with 2 MP Camera, International 3G, Media Player, MicroSD Slot--International Version with No Warranty (Black)

Nokia's 6120 Classic is a slim, light, 3G mobile phone running a full Smartphone operating system. The advanced features on offer are hampered a little by the phone's small size and shape, but if you are looking for an opportunity to try an S60 Smartphone yet also want something pocket-friendly, light and unobtrusive, it could be ideal.

At 89g and 105 x 46 x 15mm, the 6120 Classic should fit in most pockets, but its screen is the feature that compromises its ability to function perfectly as a Smartphone. It delivers 320 x 240 pixels and manages 16 million colours, both of which are top-notch specifications. But at two inches corner-to-corner it is just too small to display some information well enough.

The Web browser is one example. Retrieving information at 3G data speeds is fine, and the browser itself can be switched into widescreen view. Thumbnail views of Web pages are available and these are marked up with numbers identifying different areas of a page. Hit a number and you go to that area. This is all pretty nice stuff, but still, reading text on the small screen is less than comfortable.

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At least Nokia has managed to design a well sized number-pad, so using the phone for voice calls is no problem.

There is 35MB of built-in memory and a microSD card slot on the back, left-hand edge of the casing. The music player delivers well, and there's an FM radio too. Battery life is good: we got a little less than nine hours of non-stop music from a full battery charge.

The only downside to the music capability of this mobile is that you have to use the provided headset. It is required for the radio as it contains the FM antenna, and its 2.5mm connector to the phone means you'll need a converter to 3.5mm to use your own earphones for music.

There is a front-facing camera for video calling and a back-facing, 2-megapixel one for shooting stills and video. This proved quite disappointing. Images are heavily compressed and as a result they tend to be dull and lacking in definition.

Among the huge number of applications pre-installed are a calendar, to-do list manager, mobile e-mail, note taker, calculator, clock with alarms, voice control, voice recorder, unit converter and IM. For e-mail attachments you get the Adobe PDF reader and QuickOffice for Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint viewing.

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T-Mobile G1 : The Google Mobile Phone

I will keep this review short and straight to the point, folks. You know how Google likes to keep things in Beta for years and years? Well, Android is no different. Like many of you I was excited at the prospect of a new OS to muscle it’s way in and take down the iPhone, but I’m afraid Android is not it – at least not yet. The OS actually isn’t that bad, but it does have its issues and those cannot be overlooked. Unfortunately it’s the hardware that will be Android’s folly this go around until the other manufacturers can churn out some better goods.

Let’s start with the hardware.

The Good

The variety of input mechanisms is superb. The keyboard is quite responsive and laid out very well. It’s almost on par with the Sidekick keyboards and we all know those are the gold standard. The trackball has a nice tactile feel to it and I especially like that it’s dark grey, so it won’t show dirt and grime over time. But it remains to be seen whether dust, dirt and anything else that can get into it will affect its performance. The touch-screen is nice and bright and quite responsive. It’s not as big as the iPhone screen, but it gets the job done.

The camera works great and takes decent photos when there’s enough light, but in low light situations it stinks and that’s to be expected. It fires up rather quickly when you tap the hard key firmly, but a quick tap won’t do anything for you, so make sure you give it a good push.

I wasn’t keen on the placement of the speaker when I first saw the G1, but it’s a heck of a lot better than being placed along the bottom of the phone like the iPhone. Being super loud isn’t always a good thing but audio quality on the G1 doesn’t deteriorate when it’s at full volume. It’s still just a speaker on a phone, but it’s loud and crisp. Even when it’s placed speaker side down on a table the audio doesn’t get muffled. I’m actually listening to Bob Marley’s Legend while writing this review and it sounds great (speaker side down).

Call quality is relatively clear on both ends and does pretty well out on the streets. It’s par for the course. Nothing great but not terribly bad.

The screen’s hinge is rather strange, but it works. Greg and I are both heavy users of the Helio Ocean, so we know a good hinge when we see one and HTC did very well with this. It slides open and out and does not “fold” like most smartphones. It’s much more similar to the TK than anything else.

The Bad

My biggest gripe with the G1 is that the GPS does not work. I thought maybe it was because I lived in Manhattan, but my iPhone never has a problem finding me within seconds and neither does my T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve (no GPS but at least I’m within a few hundred yards based on cell tower triangulation). Regardless of whether or not I enable the GPS satellites, I’m never where I’m supposed to be. And if it does manage to find me, it immediately drops me off two or three blocks away. Even on my way to JFK earlier in the week, I thought there would be enough exposed sky for it to accurately locate me. No dice. It stinks and turning on the GPS satellites drain the battery like nobody’s business, which brings me to my next point.

If you thought the battery life on the iPhone 3G was bad then you haven’t had to deal with a G1. The first day I had it I managed to kill it within six hours and I was just cruising the Web (medium heavy), sending/receiving e-mails and getting used to the device. I figured it needed a drain and a full charge overnight to cure itself, but I woke up the next day and did some light Web browsing, checked a few e-mails and attempted to locate myself via GPS for 10-15 minutes and the battery drained down to 7x percent within an hour. I can’t imagine what it would be like if I used it as much as I do my BlackBerry or iP3G. The battery life is atrocious. It drops 5-10 percent after 30 minutes of unplugging it and not even doing anything.

While the keyboard rocks that hip with the hard buttons makes it extremely awkward on your right hand and I still haven’t found a comfortable way to hold the device and type on it. I’m sure with time it’s something I could get used to, but I shouldn’t have to. Seriously, who gave this design the green light? It reminds of the Wing and Tilt, but a fugly mishmash of the two. It’s huge and that section with the hard keys is angled up making it uncomfortable to put in the front pocket of my jeans. And I’m no hipster wearing skinny jeans. I see the Touch series and wonder why something like that wasn’t used for the G1.

And last but not least, no 3.5mm jack. That’s right, you’re forced to use the headphones that come with the G1 and connect via USB. Weak sauce.

Now on to Android.

The overall UI is clean and easy to figure out. I hate making comparisons to the iPhone, but Android does a good job in this area. The layout is similar, but with smaller icons, which could look a lot better. I can’t really say that Android is good or bad, but my initial reaction was that it seemed to be slapped together last second and held together by duct tape. It’s not as buggy as the iPhone first was but it looks and feels archaic.

Before I go on a rampage I will point out the few little gems that Android has to offer. The notifications bar is a nice touch and keeps me up to date on what’s going on and it’s easy enough to access by swiping from the top of the screen down. The variety of inputs can be confusing at times and I barely remembered that the menu hard key was there, but it’s something you just have to get used to. It gets much easier and you can whip through the device rather quickly once that happens.

The ability to add things to the home screen was also a nice touch like shortcuts. Having folders that I can dump certain apps like games into is convenient and takes up less real estate.

A minute detail that many might overlook that I found quite useful was the status menu for the device to see vitals like battery level and signal strength. I just wish I could make a shortcut for it to put on my home screen.

Now here’s the bad (and good)

Gmail
-Inability to have more than one Gmail account linked to the device. I know it would throw off everything else linked to it like the calendar and contacts, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask to have the option of switching back and forth.
-Surprisingly not as polished as the BlackBerry Gmail app, but everything is more streamlined. Depends on the user, I suppose.
-Digging through menus isn’t fun when you just want to spam an email. Not being able to trash your entire spam folder is also a negative.
-Despite the aforementioned quibbles Gmail on Android works and it works well.

Google Maps

-If the GPS would actually work I might shower Maps with flowers, puppies and praise, but it doesn’t so I won’t.
-Street View is phenomenal, but it shows me locations that are nowhere near where I am or where I want to go. Maybe it’s because the GPS doesn’t work, I don’t know.
-The compass (you have to download the app Spare Parts to even get it) in Maps that I thought would kick ass was underwhelming and it’s hard to tell which direction it’s pointing you.
-The entire app is underwhelming due to the non-working GPS and when it is able to locate me it’s slow to update.

Google Calendar
-It works, but it takes a while for things to sync.
-The home screen icon should reflect the actual day.
-I’d like to see the calendar on the notification bar but when the keyboard is closed that wouldn’t leave too much for notification icons. It does show up when you pull the notification bar down though.

Google Search
-It works. No problems here.

Browser
-After using the iPhone’s Safari browser I’m spoiled, but the Android browser can firmly rest in second place among mobile browsers.
-Zooming in and out is a smidge painful when you’re having to tap the + and – icons, but like I said, it’s way better than every other browser on the market except for the iPhone.
-Eight separate browsers should be enough for anyone.

YouTube
-It’s not as polished as the iPhone’s YouTube app, which is appalling, but it works.
-You can also comment on each video’s direct page, but do we really care about that?
-No dedicated video player other than this. That’s rough.

MP3 Player
-No equalizer.
-Longpressing on an album, song title or artist will bring up links to search the Amazon MP3 store, Google and YouTube.

The Market
-I cannot give this a fair review because the apps that are currently available are not very good. But Namco’s Pac Man is FREE! Rejoice!
-The whole barcode scanner app is lame. Comparing the price of items doesn’t locate local pricing for me and I don’t care how much a bottle of Jack costs online. Maybe it’s because my GPS wasn’t working. Who knows?
-Deleting applications is far more difficult than it needs to be. When you hold down on an icon from the home screen the tab at the bottom displays a trash can which you would think is actually a trash can, but it’s not. It’s a receptacle where all your apps are stored. You must delete apps from inside the Market. Fail.
-I’m sure with time the Market will get better, but right now it’s nothing to swoon over.

The Network
T-Mobile’s 3G network is strong in the markets that it is currently deployed in. I’ve had great coverage in NYC, SF and Chicago thus far and have had less switching between EDGE and 3G than on the iPhone 3G. Download speeds are comparable to that of AT&T’s network and I didn’t drop any calls. Oh, and the actual phone works great.

Other gripes
Did they choose black as a background just because the iPhone uses white (grey/blue)? From the home page everything looks vibrant but once you jump into settings or IM or anything then it turns dark and dreary. At least let us change the themes or something. Beyond the home page it’s an ugly and unpleasant experience.

Conclusion
If you’ve been waiting for Android then I suggest you keep waiting. The overall OS seems to be held together by duct tape and needs a lot of work. Apple focuses on the minute details to enrich the overall experience for iPhone users and Android could learn a lesson or ten from it. The hardware design is dated and while the touch-screen and keyboard are great you can’t just forget about the wretched battery life, horrible GPS and the overall ergonomics of it. I wish the G1 were better in every respect because I don’t think the iPhone is that great, but I find myself wishing it were more like it. It’s the best alternative to the iPhone, but it’s just not there yet.

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HP Pavilion DV6-1030US 16.0-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium)

Offering an eye-catching modern look, the entertainment-focused HP Pavilion dv6-1030us notebook PC makes it easy to enjoy your favorite music and videos while on the go, as well as keep you productive with a speedy dual-core processor and 64-bit Windows Home Vista Premium operating system. Enjoy full screen viewing with the 16-inch screen's 16:9 aspect ratio--perfect for full-screen viewing of HDTV and other HD content. And the BrightView display looks good even in direct sunlight. You'll also enjoy movies or music in seconds with the external DVD or music buttons to launch HP QuickPlay (which bypasses the boot process). Control playback settings from up to 10 feet away with the included HP remote, then store it conveniently in the Express card slot. Turn your next instant message into a live video chat with the integrated webcam and omni-directional microphone. Optimized for low-light environments, it's great for capturing short videos to share on your favorite social networking site.


It's powered by the 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 processor, which boosts speed, reduces power requirements, and saves on battery life. It also offers a fast 800 MHz front-side bus speed and 2 MB L2 cache. HP's ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection locks your 320 GB hard drive into place when it senses abrupt motion to help prevent data loss. The built-in eSATA/USB combo port enables fast backup to an external hard drive. Other features include 4 GB of installed RAM (8 GB maximum), Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics with up to 1759 MB of available memory, dual-layer Lightscribe DVD±RW drive (which also burns CDs), ExpressCard 54 slot, quad-mode Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth connectivity, and 5-in-1 memory card reader.

High Style
Expanding on the sophisticated elegance of HP's notebook design from the past few years, the new DV series is defined by fluid, modern lines and metalized finishes. The HP Mesh Imprint finish in onyx and chrome encases all surfaces visible during normal use for greater durability. And the Mesh Imprint features a grid-like pattern for subtle contrast to the liquid appearance of the metallic finish. The streamlined look is enhanced with a color-matched keyboard and touchpad. And touch media controls light up and become visible only when the system is
Spec Check
16-inch LCD screen
2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 processor
320 GB hard drive
4 GB RAM (8 GB maximum)
Dual-layer Lightscribe DVD±R drive
Draft-N Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) and Bluetooth
Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics (up to 1759 MB total)
Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit, SP1)
Weighs 6.34 pounds

Screen, Video & Audio
You'll enjoy razor-sharp graphics and widescreen movies with the 16-inch WXGA high-definition screen, which has a widescreen resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels--a perfect 16:9 aspect ratio for watching DVD movies the way they were meant to be seen. Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, which uses shared video memory (up to 1759 MB allocated from the system memory). This graphics card is built with Intel Clear Video technology, which delivers clearer, more detailed images by eliminating many of the jagged edges and video artifacts seen when viewing interlaced content and features powerful color control to ensure videos are not too dark, overly bright, or washed out.

The Altec Lansing speakers provide exceptional sound, and it also includes SRS Premium Sound. You'll be able to privately share enjoyment of multimedia with a friend via the dual headphone jacks.

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
Be ready for the next platform in wireless connectivity with the integrated quad-mode Wi-Fi chip. Based on the draft 802.11n Wi-Fi specification, it offers up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range as existing 802.11g wireless. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found in home routers and Wi-Fi hotspots) as well as 802.11a networks (which has a higher throughput, but more limited range--great for closed office environments). With the integrated Bluetooth connectivity, you can communicate and synchronize with Bluetooth-enabled peripherals such as PDAs and cell phones.

It also includes a next-generation ExpressCard 34 card slot (replacing the PCMCIA slot), which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. It comes with the following external connectors:
4 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players (with 1 eSATA + USB 2.0 combo port)
1 HDMI output (for connecting to a compatible HDTV or home theater receiver for uncompressed digital audio and video via a single cable)
Analog video output: 1 VGA
1 ExpressCard/54 slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)
2 headphone jacks
1 microphone jack
1 Expansion Port 3 connector (for use with the HP xb3000 Expansion Base or the HP Notebook QuickDock)
1 IR receiver
5-in-1 memory card reader (Secure Digital, MultiMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD Picture Card)
10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet networking
56K modem (V.90)

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Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 3G SmartPhone Overview

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 is an amazing looking 3G Smartphone which a Windows Mobile® operating system & a large touch screen. The Windows Mobile® operating system allows the user to enjoy all their favourite entertainment on their Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 which works perfectly on this mobile Smartphone. The handset comes in a premium metal body casing with a 3 Inch TFT touch screen which dominates the front of this amazing handset. The screen has a huge screen resolution of 800 pixels by 480 pixels which provides a high quality viewing experience for the user. The handset is compact & has a solid feel to it due to the total weight being 145 grams. Its dimensions are 17mm deep by 53mm wide by 110mm tall which are considerable compact when considering what this Smartphone can do. The handset is compact & has a solid feel to it due to the total weight being 145 grams. Its dimensions are 17mm deep by 53mm wide by 110mm tall which are considerable compact when considering what this Smartphone can do. The XPERIA X1 is a competitor to other Smartphone's which high technologies & features including the Apple iPhone & the Nokia E90 Communicator.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 comes with four navigation options which include the touch screen controls, a four way control key, optical joystick navigation or the slide out to reveal a wide QWERTY keyboard. The user can slide the QWERTY keyboard out my simply pushing the screen upwards when the Smartphone is its widescreen position. The arced design of the XPERIA X1 makes the screen & QWERTY keyboard a pleasure to use. The Smartphone comes with a highly useable panel interface which allows the user to set the displayed panels on the screen to show the user favourite features. The user can use the XPERIA panel interface by simply selecting to appropriate panel on the touch screen to access the camera, multimedia, messaging, web & many more applications. The phone comes with 400 megabytes of internal user memory which can be extended by adding a memory card to suit the user's storage requirements. The XPERIA X1 supports MicroSD™ type memory cards which are fitted into the allocated memory card slot easily.

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