Samsung Galaxy SL I9003 Mobile phone

The Samsung Galaxy SL I9003 is a large 4-inch Super Clear LCD touch-screen display Android Smart-Phone. It is powered by a 1GHz processor and features high speed connectivity 3G.Its 4-inch super clear LCD display enhance the visibility more crisp and clear for Galaxy users. External Memory Up to 32GB using Micro SD, Micro SDHC card It also supports Wireless Tethering with which you can access Internet on your laptop using your mobile phone network. For more details please visit website www.samsung.com.

How to Unlock Samsung Mobile Phones

You have just purchased one of the many models of Samsung Mobile phones. When you get it home, you try to use it with another network provider, and you find out that you can not. It could be that you haven’t unlocked your mobile phone yet. Why is your phone locked to begin with? the answer to this is simple. the company you bought your phone from wants you to use only their network so they have placed special types of locks on your phone that stop you from using other networks.

Although cell phones frequently have these locks, it is not illegal for someone who purchases the phone to remove the lock. Doing so will allow you to use other networks and possibly extend your calling area. It also increases the resell value of the phone.

Let us begin the procedure of unlocking your mobile phone. here are the things you will need to know before hand. What is your handset’s model number? What is your IMEI number? What network operator is your mobile phone locked to? does your particular model phone require any software or hardware like NS Pro, NS Pro Dongle, or NSPro? If so, where can you acquire the required items? You may need just a SIM card in order for mobile phone unlocking.

In some cases, a dongle might be needed in order to unlock the phone. A dongle began as slang for a hardware key. now is used to describe a small adapter with a short cable that has connectors on both sides. the dongle used to unlock Samsung Mobile Phones is used in conjunction with the NS Pro software.

If your mobile phone does not require the NS Pro or dongle it will need a SIM card. It is a small rectangular card that is in all GSM phones. the card is your phone’s ID card. without it your phone won’t work. It is located behind your phone’s battery, storing up to 250 contacts, which makes it easy to transfer your phone book when switching phones. this is just one of the many advantages of the SIM card.

Another advantage is that you can change your phone by switching the SIM card to another phone as long as they use the same carrier. the swap is quick and easy. Once your mobile phone is unlocked you can buy prepaid SIM cards, so if you are on a trip your phone can have a local number wherever you are located. Unlocking your phone can also be done wirelessly if you have the right codes, and if your network doesn’t have that many locks on the phone. there are several sites that can give you the codes for unlocking mobile phones. It is just a matter of finding the right site that has your particular model phone on its list of unlocking codes. You will then simply need to enter the codes as instructed and enjoy your increased calling ability.

T-mobile Sim Card | Samsung Milky Way S II Review: Stunning And Speedy

When you initial got our hands on the Samsung Milky Way S II back in February at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, you were worried to obtain it in to the office so you could assessment it fully. The Milky Way S II builds on Samsung’s successful line of Milky Way Android phones with new manifestation technology, a dual-core processor, and 4G speeds. The Milky Way S II is existing in Europe and Asia, but Samsung has not nonetheless voiced a U.S. conduit nor sum about pricing and availability. How does the Milky Way S II smoke-stack up against the other 4G dual-core beasts we’ve seen this year? Read on to find out.

Superthin Design

The initial thing I beheld when I picked up the Milky Way S II was how gaunt and light it is. It felt flattering great in hand, too–less plasticky than a few of the previous-generation Milky Way S phones. Overall, the phone has an attractive, minimalist look, but it doesn’t feel as well-constructed as the HTC Thunderbolt 4G or the arriving HTC Sensation on T-Mobile. One nice underline is that the face is done of Gorilla Glass, that is the same scratch-resistant potion that the Apple iPhone 4 . Glossy black cosmetic covers the edges of the phone, whilst the battery casing is a rather groundless textured plastic.

Measuring 4.9 inches high by 2.6 inches far-reaching by 0.3 in. thick, the Milky Way S II is in few instances svelte. But since that it has a 4.3-inch display, it still takes up a lot of space in your slot or handbag. Nevertheless, at 4 ounces, it’s cozy to grip for long durations of time.

The symbol plan is a bit unusual on the Milky Way S II. Right away, I beheld that the Google Search symbol was missing. Touch-sensitive Menu and Back buttons side a earthy Home button. I do not comprehend the role of the considerable earthy Home key, but I didn’t find myself omitted the absent Search key much. You’ll find the volume rocker on the left spinal column of the phone and the Power symbol on the right. The micro-USB dock sits at the bottom of the phone whilst a 3.5mm headphone jack is at the top.

Noticeably absent are an HDMI dock (for joining your phone to your HDTV) and a earthy camera shiver symbol (which I’ll confer in more item later).

Super AMOLED Plus Display

The Milky Way S II’s manifestation is gorgeous–one of the most appropriate we’ve ever seen. It uses Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus manifestation technology, that you initial saw at CES. According to Samsung, Super AMOLED Plus displays have 50 percent more subpixels than the first-generation Super AMOLED displays and perform even improved that their predecessors in splendid light. With a 4.3-inch display, the newest Galaxy’s shade is 0.3 in. longer diagonally than the screens on the older-gen phones.

Colors looked bright, sum were crisp, and the observation angles were really good. Blacks were low and colors were richly jam-packed without being overdone. Even when held in send sunlight, the Milky Way S II’s manifestation remained incredibly visible.

Revamped TouchWiz 4.0 With Gingerbread

Finally you got to examination a phone with the ultimate chronicle of Android–version 2.3 (aka Gingerbread ). Though the Milky Way S II moreover runs a Samsung-built overlay, TouchWiz 4.0, most of the new features in Gingerbread are untouched.

The Milky Way S II’s set of keys isn’t the local Android one, but it retains the multitouch key-chording underline (you can concurrently press Shift and a e-mail to obtain a symbol or number–no must be switch between modes) and the skill to use your voice to scold difference as you type. The copy-and-paste underline behaves more-or-less the same as in the typical Android setup, but it looks slightly different. You can rapidly choose content only by dire and keeping a word. Then you can arrange the lump of content that you wish to choose by boring the arrows that show up around the text. The Samsung’s set of keys keys are slightly longer and more at large spaced than the batch Gingerbread set of keys keys, and the rise is a bit incomparable on the keys. The Samsung set of keys replaces the emoticon key on the Android set of keys with a lapse key, that is a more utilitarian function, in my opinion. And Swype fanatics can rejoice: The Milky Way S II comes with everybody’s preferred set of keys app preinstalled.

The user interface is to cameras differs from the batch Gingerbread version, but you can still switch between the front-facing camera and the back-facing one around a conform to icon at the tip of the camera viewer. Google introduced this tiny but utilitarian underline in Gingerbread in expectation of an attack of smartphones with front-facing cameras due out this year.

TouchWiz 4.0 isn’t sufficient not similar from the formerly version, but there are a few cultured and organic enhancements here and there. I’m not the greatest air blower of TouchWiz, simply because I pick a more candid Android experience. With TouchWiz 4.0 you obtain 7 homescreens that you can customize with all the widgets and shortcuts your heart desires.

Taking a page from (or right away ripping off) HTC Sense, TouchWiz lets you splash your homescreen to see thumbnail-size versions of all of your screens. Samsung borrowed other underline from HTC Sense, too: When the phone is toll or personification music, you can overpower it by flipping it face-down on a surface.

Contacts gets a few cold new gesture-based functions. Swipe right on your friend’s name, and you’ll beginning a call with them; swipe left on their name, and you’ll burst to the SMS composer, where you can send them a content message. Each of your contact’s cards comes with your information history–for example, when you final called, texted, or e-mailed the person.

One humorous new underline is the skill to reject a call by sending a content message.Let’s say that your hermit is mission to inquire when you’re going to pay him back for cooking the other night. A menu will advance up giving you the choice to answer the call, cling to up, or reject it with a content that says “I’ll pay you back tomorrow!”

Samsung throws a few other gesture-based controls in to the blend that seem more similar to gimmicks than similar to something most people would obviously use. For example, you can wizz in and out of images in your art studio or in the browser by sloping the phone. It looks neat, I guess, but it feels type of awkward.

Multimedia: Hubs Abound

The new chronicle of TouchWiz comes with new Music, Game, and Readers Hubs that come together the Social and Media Hubs. Powered by 7Digital, the Music Hub is basically an Amazon MP3 alternative. You can moreover use the Music Hub to coordinate your own library of music. I preferred using the built-in TouchWiz song player, that gets a nice facelift in this chronicle of the software.

The Game Hub, powered by Gameloft, organizes games for buy by amicable games and HD games. The Readers Hub is damaged in to 3 services: Kobo (for Books), Zinio (for Magazines), and Press Display (for News).

Like all Milky Way phones, the S II provides the Media Hub for your film and TV-watching pleasure. Video looked wonderful on the handset’s manifestation and played back smoothly. Even if you do not similar to Samsung’s Media Hub, you’re going to wish to watch a lot of cinema and TV shows on this phone.

Superb 8-Megapixel Camera

Like many other new high-end phones, the Milky Way S II has an 8-megapixel camera in addition to a front-facing camera for video calls. I was really tender with the picture high quality of my photos, both indoor shots and outside ones. The shiver speed on the camera was swift enough to takeover photos of sports, kids, and other quick-moving subjects.

One unfavorable pattern direction that I’ve beheld assorted device makers embracing is the insufficient of a earthy camera shiver button. But superthin, long phones similar to the Milky Way S II need a earthy shiver button. Trying to grip a phone, solid it on your subject, and then daub the manifestation without jolt it a bit is incredibly awkward. A earthy shiver key solves this complaint by permitting you to grip the phone, keep your solid grip, and take the picture. I do not comprehend because manufacturers have stopped putting them on phones–even even though the cameras themselves keep getting improved and better! Okay, I’m off my soapbox.

Performance

The Samsung Milky Way S II is branded as a 4G phone and Samsung sent it to us with a T-Mobile SIM card. According to Samsung, the Milky Way S II can accomplish HSPA+ download speeds of 21 megabits per second and HSUPA upload speeds of 5.76 mbps.

We do not obtain really great T-Mobile HSPA+ connectors at PCWorld’s office in San Francisco. In fact, I couldn’t obtain the Milky Way S II to link up to the HSPA+ network here at all; instead, it kept me on EDGE. I’m going to try contrast the Milky Way S II in a few other locations, and then I’ll refurbish this examination with the speed assessment results.

We take all such speeds with a pellet of salt, however. In our five-city 4G head-to-head testing, T-Mobile’s phones completed respectable, 4G-like speeds. The Milky Way S 4G averaged 3.38 mbps for downloads and 1.13 mbps for uploads. Though it couldn’t grip a candle to the on fire speeds you saw on Verizon’s LTE network (18.30 mbps and 7.39 mbps), it did outperform both ATT’s HSPA+ network and Sprint’s WiMax network.

As I referred to previously, the Milky Way S II is powered by a dual-core processor, and the dual-core power was strong in only about every aspect of the phone’s performance. Scrolling was liquid in apps and Web pages, video played back smoothly, and I zipped speedily by the phone’s menus.

Call high quality over T-Mobile was only average. My friends on the other finish of the line sounded coherent enough, but I beheld a little exaggeration in a few of my calls.

Bottom Line

If you’re in the marketplace for a new phone this spring, you’re going to have a few difficult decisions to make. A lot of prohibited phones have arrived or will withdraw soon, inclusive the HTC Thunderbolt, the T-Mobile G2X , the Motorola Atrix 4G , and the arriving HTC Sensation and HTC EVO 3D . But when it comes to opening and manifestation quality, the Milky Way S II is flattering sufficient unbeatable.

The decision-making routine really comes down to variations in the Android overlays. TouchWiz 4.0 adds a few cold features and functions to the platform, but I feel that it infrequently takes away from the Android experience. There’s moreover a lot of preloaded content from Samsung on the phone. If you’re in to the pure, candid Android experience, I would suggest the T-Mobile G2X instead. Like the Milky Way S II, it’s a 4G dual-core phone, but it runs plain Android 2.2 (which I hope will shortly be upgraded to Android 2.3).

Samsung T139 Prepaid Phone (t-mobile) Buy new $149.99 $34.95 Samsung Galaxy S For Dummies (for Dummies (computer/tech)) Buy new $24.99 $15.87

Samsung mobile phones- Smiling with the modern technology

Samsung is well known name in the field of electronics area. It has brought a lot of electronic devises in the market that have been very useful for the users. But when it steps in the telecommunication market, it’s name and fame stepped up the zenith of the market. It has introduced a lot of handsets in the UK market where the other giant mobile manufacturers have also thrown their high end gadgets.

Samsung mobile phones have been carrying very high end features and application for the time it appeared first in the market. And this time it has amazed the market with it’s new and very updated Google handset called Samsung Nexus S . it has not appeared in the market but it is expected to be launched very soon. The most desired and popular handsets of the Samsung mobile includes Samsung Galaxy S, Samsung Chat, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Samsung E1252 and many more.

These are well loaded with the high end features. the very latest handset from the Samsung mobile is Samsung Chat 335 which steps in the UK market in December 2010. With the application like GPRS, EDGE, WLAN and high end camera, Samsung Chat 335 has attracted the users in the UK market. On the other side, Samsung Galaxy Tab is also very latest handset that have appeared ion the October, 2010 with very updated features. it has been preferred by the users in the market because of the stunning display of 7.0 inches and the most desired features. Samsung Nexus S is also very modern handset that also steps in the UK market in December 2010 with the Google application.

The samsung mobile phones deals have been introduced by the leading network providers such as O2, Orange, Vodafone, Virgin, T- Mobile and 3 Mobile in the UK market. You would find the Samsung mobile phones on the all three kind of mobile phone deals like contract deals, pay as you go and SIM free.

Samsung C3750 Overview

We have recently noticed a new low price device has made its way in to Samsung’s German website, Samsung C3750 though we have not got our hands on it so far but we are really excited to share the information we got from the website so far.

Most likely this mobile is made of metal which will give this device more solid look and feel, measures about 98mm in height, 49mm in width and 15.4 mm in thickness which makes it kinda look little bulky, but the bulk is mainly added due to the slider keyboard that slides in to position when not in use. Features a 3.2 MP camera at the rear end that is capable of taking decent quality pictures in well lit conditions, if this is going to be the same 3.2 MP camera that we find on most low price Samsung mobiles then the pictures and videos in low light is mostly unusable and of poor quality and we assume its the same considering the fact that this mobile will cost less.

2.4 inch TFT display with the resolution of 240 x 320 pixels should look decent, runs on proprietary OS and there is no word about the processor used, it should be powered by some basic entry level processor which is the case with most low price devices. Some of the additional features of this mobile includes its ability to run social media applications like Twitter, Facebook etc.. and has its own dedicated email client which is decent, FM radio, Music and video player, though the videos would not look that great on this device.

Connectivity options includes GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth, built in 37MB of internal storage can be expanded up to 16GB with microSD card. Battery life is highlighted as one of the key features of this mobile with support for up to 11 hours of talk time and up to 500 hours of stand by time.

Samsung C3750 specifications

• Network : Quad band GSM support
• Operating system : Samsung proprietary OS
• Form factor : Slider
• Weight : 89 gm
• Dimensions : 98 x 49 x 15 mm
• Battery : 800mAh
• Battery backup : 660 minutes talk time 500 hours standby time
• Internal memeory : 37 MB
• Expandable memory : MicroSD
• Display : 2.4-inch TFT 240 x 320 pixels
• Camera : 3.2 mega-pixel
• Connectivity : Bluetooth ,miniUSB
• Internet : GPRS , EDGE
• Social networking : Facebook, MySpace and Twitter
• Instant messengers : Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger , MSN
• Music Player : .mp3
• Video Player : .mp4
• Stereo FM Radio
• Voice recorder
• Other features : SOS and Fake call function

Nokia C2-06 Leaked: Dual SIM Dual Standby Slider Touch Phone with 2MP Camera Resolution

Though Nokia gets very low achievement in smart mobile phones, the low-end “Touch and Type” mobile handset models have been greatly popular in emerging markets like China and India. Following the four dual SIM mobile phones of C series, a new upcoming Nokia C2-06 dual SIM mobile phone has been spotted. The new Nokia C2-06 is said to feature not only slider design, but dual SIM dual standby as well.

The new “Touch and Type” Nokia C2-06 features a slide numeric keyboard design, which makes the whole mobile phone full of three-dimension sense and save space for users. Nokia has been trying to add some new features to low-end mobile phones all along. And with the touchscreen control being popular, the Nokia C2-06 is no doubt to adopt this new feature.

This Nokia C2-06 is also dual SIM dual standby mobile phone for users to freely switch between business SIM card and private SIM card without powering off the mobile phone. The 2MP built-in camera seems to be a disappointment to users; luckily the 3.5mm audio port adds its weight.  And other functions like Micro-USB port, Bluetooth and memory expansion card are all included like any other mobile phones.

Upon the release time of the Nokia C2-00 in last June, it is greatly possible for users to see this Nokia C2-06 this June in market.

C2-06 Nokia Mobile DUAL SIM Touch and Type Latest

There is a new member of the family cell phone Category Type of Touch and Nokia has emerged a picture which is the spy shots, the phone is called Nokia C2-06. type of dual GSM / SIM CARD. This phone incoming class of low-end slider, with resistive touch screen and keypad slide-out, and support 2 SIM card (2G only unfortunately). Nokia C2 -06 looks very similar to the Touch and type of information leaked last March, although there are some differences (especially the area below the screen). Mobile running the Symbian Series 40 with additional support for touch screen and has a resistive screen (maybe, QVGA resolution).A This is a dual-SIM mobile phone but it is not clear yet whether it is a dual standby or not. SIM both easily accessible via the panel on the left. Nokia C2-06 a€‹a€‹is a 2G mobile phone only and does not have Wi-Fi connectivity for low-end entry model, unlike the two other Type Touch and relatives alike.

Other specifications of the Nokia C2-06 a€‹a€‹is a 2MP camera, 3.5mm audio jack, microUSB port and a BL-5C battery. There is a shortcut Ovi Maps visible but most likely there is no specific GPS receiver.

Nokia C1 and C2 first dual sim mobile phone released

For the very first time Nokia have revealed a new phone with a capability to carry on to mobile phone sims. Nokia have released two sporting handsets simultaneously working with two mobile phone numbers.

Here is a selection  from the Nokia website

“By simply holding down a key, people are able to switch between SIM cards, meaning that they can take advantage of reduced call rates, flexibility when traveling from one country to another, or being able to share a phone within a family and still use their own SIM card. This is a great added convenience feature, considering the low price of the phone.”

There is the ongoing trend to use mobile phone with dual numbers in many countries including Pakistan. This will be a great addition to dual sims fans.

Nokia to Announce Dual-Sim Mobile

Nokia, The Finland-based Mobile Phone Company, will quickly declare a ‘dual sim’ allowed mobile phone, information point to Thursday. “We will be launching the dual sim Mobile Phone very quickly (in India). The latest Handset would be created at the Chennai ability,” exposed Mr. Prakash Katama, Nokia India Operations Director (Chennai Factory). In the meantime, Nokia has crossed manufacture of 500 million Mobile Phone, thus, blotting a landmark at its Chennai plant after toward the inside India in 2006. “This is a very particular landmark for Nokia’s Chennai making ability and we thank our workers for all their tough job and devotion. We have produced a exclusive record crossways the world – this is not only a proud instant for us at Nokia, but a main emphasize in India’s youthful and increasing electronics production industry. This attainment only establishes that with the correct type of organization center of attention, worker contribution and administration hold up, India can deliver world class production principles and set latest standards,” Katama added. Presently, the corporation has 10 production services in 9 countries. In addition, Nokia exposed that they have completed savings of $285 million at the plant where it produces twenty one models as well as QWERTY and touch screen mobile phones.

Nokia To Introduce Dual-Sim Enabled Mobile

CHENNAI: Finnish handset-maker Nokia will soon introduce a ‘dual sim’-enabled mobile phone in the Indian market, a company official said today.

Nokia Dual Sim Mobile Phones In India

“We will be introducing the dual-sim phone very soon (in India). The new model would be produced at the Chennai facility,” Nokia India Operations Director (Chennai Factory) Prakash Katama told reporters here.

Meanwhile, Nokia after entering India in 2006, has crossed the 500 million mobile phone manufacturing mark at its Chennai plant. The company, which set up its first plant at an investment of USD 150 million, began with producing basic handsets.

“In June, 2010, we crossed the 400 million mark and now we are proud to announce (that) 500 million mobile phones were manufactured from our facility,” he said.

Stating that the company has so far made investments of USD 285 million at the factory as part of its expansion plans, he said they were very proud to cross the 500 million mark in a such a short duration, he said after unveiling the 500th million mobile phone, a Nokia-C3.

The company, which initially began with producing the basic 1100 model at the factory, currently manufactures 21 models at the plant, including QWERTY and touch models.

“This has become the largest mobile manufacturing site for Nokia. We have about 8,000 employees at our facility, with 70 per cent constituting women,” he said.

The handsets manufactured at the facility range from basic to middle-end phones (priced up to Rs 7,000), he said.

The phones produced in India have a localisation level of 30 per cent and the company has about five component suppliers in the SEZ itself, he said.

On the 500th million mobile phone launched today, Nokia India Communications Director Poonam Kaul said their brand ambassador — Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan — signed the phone, which would be available for bidding by prospective buyers through an e-auction at www.nokia500million.com.

The winner would get the mobile phone personally signed by the actor himself, she said.

Asked on their restructuring plans, in which there could be about 300 job cuts in India, Katama later told PTI that 300 job cuts would be done in India by end of 2012. “It is likely to be minimal (in India),” he said.

About the proposal to manufacture a universal charger compatible to all mobile handsets, Nokia Communications Director Poonam Kaul said the proposal was “well on track”.

“We are absolutely on track with that… That’s very much on plan.. It will be introduced in 2012,” she said.

Nokia currently has 10 manufacturing facilities in nine countries. From the Chennai facility alone, Nokia exports to over 100 countries, which account for 50 per cent of production. In 2010, Nokia India reported revenues of Rs 25,000 crore.

Sony Ericsson waiting for Windows Phone to take off before jumping in

At Sony Ericsson’s annual Business Innovations Forum at Stanford yesterday Jan Uddenfeldt, chief technology officer and head of Sony Ericsson Silicon Valley told attendees Android would remain their focus, mentioning they would only produce a Windows Phone 7 handset if the OS takes off.

The struggling company was counting on a series of Android Xperia handsets to triple its US market share. The company only made 11 million Euro profit in the last quarter on 8.1 million handsets shipped.

Sony Ericsson was originally a Windows phone 7 launch partner, and prototype handsets by the company has been leaked, but it appears the OEM will sit out the Windows Phone 7 revolution at least for now.

Interesting Handset Phone Truth That You Should Know

The handset is the most effective tool of interaction these days. It's the invention that has taken such an an essential part of our existence that I don't consider anyone can picture living without it. There are many interesting stories regarding cell phones and here I'll refer to a few.

1. I'm going to start with a detail a little bit out-dated. Did you happen to know that cell telephones were made available to the public in 1983 in The US? Anyways, the initial mobile phones had to be wire-linked to an automobile. Also, when the telephone would sound, the horn would honk.

2. The 2nd fact that I want to mention in this report, it's also a little bit of a myth, anyways, it is possible. Apparently, a cell phone can burst into flames. Even though this isn't probable to occur very often, there were reports of incidents of telephones bursting into flames during the charge up. This appears to be the result of inferior class batteries though. An overheated battery can have a short circuit and burst into flames. Especially if the handset is held in a bag, in the presence of a flammable products like a deodorant, a battery short circuit can have dangerous effects.

3. A pretty stupid and certainly dangerous fact connected to cell phones is speaking while behind the wheel. Plenty of people don't comprehend how risky this is and how much talking on the mobile phone hinders your concentration to the highway, even if you're using a hands free. Analyses show that a twenty year old driver that uses the cell phone while driving has the same reaction times as a seventy years old human being. A human being speaking on the mobile phone while driving is even worst impaired than a drunken driver. Now, I've said this about individuals that use the phones while behind the wheel... meditate about the people who are texting messages while driving. How dangerous do you think that is?

4. And the actuality that I want to end this article with, concerns phone coverage. This is a bit more special sort of fact but lately insurance for these devices has really become a positive business. Lots of individuals that possess 7-800 pounds cell phones opt for insurance offers to have their cell phones covered. There are actually plenty of companies that vend cheap HTC insurance but if you would like to get an insurance for your posh handset, it's best compare phone insurance to be certain that you're going to grasp the best deals.

Actually, for people that desire to compare phone insurance, I have found a rather nice site which seems to provide quite reliable information about this.

Top Samsung phones

It can be hard to choose a new handset, especially when there are so many different makes and models to choose from that offer different things. This week we are looking at the top Samsung mobile phones that are available at the moment and the ones that are coming out in the near future to help you make a decision about what handset will be right for your needs. The Samsung devices we are looking at are smartphones which operate on Android OS, bada OS and Windows OS, however Samsung still offer great mobile handsets.

The Samsung Galaxy S II is the company’s new flagship smartphone, which operates on the latest version of Android, it also have numerous features that out perform some competitors, such as; a dual-core processor, DLNA, a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED plus display, an eight-megapixel camera capable of full 1080p HD video-recording and playback and easy to use social networking apps. This latest version of the Galaxy S, looks set to become even more popular than its predecessor, well until more handsets jump onto the duel-core processor bandwagon. For all that punch you can get the S II for free on contract with monthly cost starting around £30 or sim free for around £500.00.

The original Samsung Wave was the first handset to feature Samsung’s own phone system, Bada and their own app store, now the latest version of the Wave, the Samsung Wave II is here and although from the outside it doesn’t look that much different, it’s the inside where changes have been made. To start with you may notice a bigger 3.7 inch screen which is on par with more basic Android handsets; inside they have out in a 1GHz processor which is fairly speedy. They offer a good social hub to keep up with all social networking updates and the Wave has t9 Trace which makes texting even faster. If you fancy the Samsung Wave II you can get the handset for free on most low priced contracts or sim free for around £300.00.

When launched, there were only a small handful of Windows 7 devices, which use the Windows OS, Samsungs main offering was the Samsung Omnia 7. It has a large 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, and standard Windows Phone 7 specs such as a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, GPS and Wi-Fi. It’s hard to compare it to the other Samsung handsets, because of the different operating systems; people seem to be falling into certain handset categories, Android, Windows and Apple iOS and its hard to compare the different systems as a lot of it is on personal choice. Although Windows OS is still in the early stages, the Omnia 7 itself is still a good handset which is easy to use, it has a 5 mega-pixel camera that can switch to HD video at 720p and 8GB of internal memory, however it does not come with the option of expandable memory like some of the other Windows 7 handsets. The Samsung Omnia 7 is another handset that you can get from free on a £20+ contract and to buy sim free from just under £500.00.

Mobile Phone Handset : How To Buy

Though personal preferences may determine how we buy our mobile phones, it is considered prudential that we factor other elements into our purchase decisions so we derive full value for our money and do not rush into extra expense after using the device.

Buying a simple device like a cell phone can be an overwhelming experience. The device may cost just a few hundred Dollars but there are so many of them on the market and each company is inundating the television and newspaper with so much publicity.

But in the face of all the ad tactics, consumers can work out their own checklist and then screen off manufacturers who do not conform to them.

Let's try to see some of the factors you may have to consider when making a decision to acquire a handset:

How deep is your budget? You should examine your funds and determine whether the phone you have set your eyes on is affordable.

You may want to note that an affordable or cheap phone may have all the features you are looking for. Generally phones which sell for $100 and below are quick bulky, have minimal features and have sharp edges. If you are on low budget, seeking second hand phone or simply want basic features, this is the area you may have to venture.

Phones priced $300 thereabout are usually sleek, come with web features and may have voice dialing features. Some may have dual band characteristics and calendars.

Phones selling for $300 and over are the smallest in design, come with advanced features like cameras, video, mp3 capabilities, voice recorders and radio.

You may also have to critically examine the features of the phone to see if they appeal to you and will serve your objectives.

If you would like to record appointments, then you may need a phone with an appointment setter or calendar.

If you a traveler, you may have to buy a dual band phone. You may also have to consider dual mode, that is a phone that will work for both analog and digital services. You would also need to get a phone that will accept double SIM so you can have access to multiple services without changing SIMs.

If you are the busy type , you will have to look for phones with long lasting battery and long talk time so you can carry for long without recharging.

Internet users will have to go for phones with more lines of display that is a bigger screen to display about 6 lines so they can be able to read text without much discomfort and too much scrolling.

Buying a cell phone handset is not a chore at all but it is helpful for one to find one that will meet the pocket and at the same time satisfy lifestyle and business objectives.

Read about the RIM Blackberry 8520 Curve Mobile handset

Elebrated for its sophisticated appear and a placed of contemporary functions, the Blackberry CURV 8520 is component of the RIM Curve’s line-up of mobile phone mobile phones consisting in the Blackberry Curve 8310, the actual Blackberry CURV 8900 and also the RIM Curve 8320. Weighing 106 gr and calculating 109 times sixty by 13.being unfaithful millimetres, this particular mobile cell phone is packed with top-of-the-line functions in which modern day end users can appreciate.

A the majority of recognisable element from the RIM CURV 8520 is a TFT screen that has the actual full way of measuring of 66.’04 millimetres. The actual broad exhibit display supports sixty-five,500 colours and also provides image wall papers, screen savers as well as other images to be able to existence which has a 320 by 240 plus decision. Situated appropriate below the actual full colour TFT display screen is really a compact complete Messaging keyboard, providing a good automated lock and password safety functions. To be able to permit people get around by means of the selections and characteristics easily, this kind of mobile phone telephone offers the clean running trackball. To present this a more distinct attractiveness, customers may allocate this particular handset’s calls, messages, sensors as well as other alerts along with different Music and also MIDI, as well as polyphonic ring tone picks.

The quadband Smart phone, this kind of handset instantly switches protection amongst the GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800 as well as GSM 1900 system rings. It is pre-installed by having an Web coding World-wide-web browser in which allows consumers to explore the World Extensive Web. Perfect for on-the-go customers, this handset furthermore helps Wi-Fi LAN technologies, that makes it possible for consumers to visit online inside hot spots. This particular handset also supports revealing or moving of documents with its Usb and wi-fi Wireless bluetooth choices. Driven simply by GPRS and also Advantage applied sciences, this reliable mobile phone phone will be ensures reliable connectivity options and also faster data move prices.

The actual Blackberry Curve 8520 helps Txt or even texting, as well since MMS or perhaps multimedia system messaging companies. Additionally, it will allow customers to access their own e-mail together with parts by way of the actual wi-fi e-mail support. Additionally, consumers will also delight in sharing messages with their associates through the actual Instant Texting attribute.

This particular cellular cell phone also aids hectic people having its arranging and preparing attributes. That arrives with a telephone book, the calendar, the to-do list, an alarm time, along with a document viewer that helps extensively recognized formats. This kind of handset is also built-in with support for Blackberry Roadmaps, which requires consumers to a less dangerous and also smoother journey in order to various appropriate places.

Although searching polished and also packed with practical characteristics, the particular RIM Curve 8520 is definitely not all operate. Users can easily enjoy nipping pictures using the particular built-in 2-Megapixel camera of the handset, which is finish with 5x electronic move as well as flash. This particular cellular mobile phone furthermore allows consumers in order to get pleasure from fine-tuning their particular pictures to flawlessness using the particular traditional digital camera configurations option. This handset’s vast display screen additionally acts as the viewfinder regarding people picture-perfect situations.

Furthermore, this phone mobile phone furthermore increases like a video clip recorder to be able to doc reminiscences which might be worth keeping. Footages obtained employing this particular handset might be looked at in MPEG4, WMV, H264 as well as H263 video codecs. To the enjoyment regarding songs enthusiasts, listening to music is also fun. It can be equipped having a press player which helps standard sound codecs. Adding to the entertainment facet of this mobile cell phone is actually the support with regard to games which may possibly end up being saved in the Net.

To be able to completely delight in these types of enjoyment features, this handset comes using a established associated with devoted media buttons which can be found appropriate upon leading with the Messaging computer keyboard. These useful press buttons consist of forward and also back tips, too since multipurpose keys for enjoy, stop or perhaps mute uses.

People will appreciate working with the handset in order to speak to their associates to get a optimum of four.5 hrs. This kind of cellular mobile phone additionally incorporates a standby period regarding approximately 408 on a totally incurred battery. Associates, photos, movies and also other data may possibly become saved on this handset’s 256 Megabytes associated with inside reminiscence, which is expanding using a MicroSD reminiscence credit card.

End users have got contended in which small defects of the mobile telephone contain having less an fm radio element, plus the absence of embedded games. This particular device is also obtaining complaint mainly because this does not provide any selection regarding layout possibilities.

Around the flip facet, the particular Blackberry CURV 8520 is actually becoming congratulated because of its fundamental communication features, that are effectively built-in with its organiser possibilities and enjoyment features. Unlock Blackberry Curve 8520

I have worked in the Mobile industry for over 10 year

iPhone gains on Nokia smartphones for global crown

Apple's iPhone is inching closer to Nokia's top spot in smartphones globally, according to first-quarter 2011 results reported by IDC on Thursday.

With the iPhone in the second spot, Blackberry maker Research in Motion dropped to third after finishing second a year ago, IDC said. Overall, 99.6 million smartphones shipped in the first quarter, out of 372 million overall mobile phones.

Nokia sold 24.2 million smartphones in the first quarter, maintaining its global smartphone lead despite announcing it will move in coming years from Symbian to Windows Phone as its main smartphone operating system, IDC said. Nokia "may find itself in danger of ceding market share as the competition ramps up," IDC said.

Apple shipped 18.7 million iPhones in the first quarter, IDC said, a new record for a single quarter "and inched closer to market leader Nokia with fewer than six million units separating the two companies," IDC noted.

Apple also had triple-digit growth in the U.S. with the Verizon Wireless CDMA iPhone 4 and in greater China.

RIM, while down from second place over a year ago, remained in third place from the fourth quarter of 2010. The majority of RIM's shipments are older, lower-cost devices, IDC noted, a trend that will continue in the second quarter.

Samsung finished fourth in smartphones for the first quarter with 10.8 million smartphones shipped, while HTC finished fifth with 8.9 million smartphones.

Samsung grew the most, 350% year-over-year of any vendor, over its 2.4 million smartphones in the first quarter of 2010. Samsung has a multiple OS strategy and sells mostly Android smartphones, including Galaxy S phones, as well as Windows Phone 7 and Wave devices.

HTC also had a record for the first quarter, growing 230% from the first quarter of 2010. HTC offers the Evo Shift 4G on WiMax at Sprint and the LTE-ready Thunderbolt on Verizon.

The smartphone market grew by 80% in the first quarter over the first quarter of 2010, partly due to added devices from Android as well as a range of models in all price ranges. IDC analyst Kevin Restive said, "there is ample room for several suppliers to co-exist, at least for the short term."

Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at @matthamblen or subscribe to Matt's RSS feed . His e-mail address is mhamblen@computerworld.com .

Apple trumps Nokia for smartphone share on Nokia’s home turf

Apple constructed a mystic win late Thursday after an IDC investigate suggested that it had beaten Nokia for smartphone marketplace share in Nokia’s core marketplace of Western Europe. The iPhone slipped from 24.6 percent share a year ago to 20.8 percent, though Nokia’s marketplace share collapsed from 40.6 percent to only 19.6 percent in one year, giving Apple a tip spot. Apple shipped 49 percent some-more iPhones to a segment to strike 4.4 million where Nokia saw a shipments dump from 4.9 million to 4.2 million.

RIM shipped some-more BlackBerry phones to Europe than before, 3.5 million, though a stand wasn’t adequate to stop it from dropping to third place during 16.5 percent. Android’s fast rise, meanwhile, helped HTC some-more than double a share and tie with RIM. Samsung’s Galaxy S roughly single-handedly helped mortar a association from only 2.5 percent of European smartphones final year to 12.1 percent in early 2011.

In all cellphones, Nokia faced a second dissapoint as Samsung’s smartphone pull helped it take over a tip mark during 29.3 percent; Nokia fell to 27.9 percent. Apple saw a incomparable relations benefit to 9.8 percent though was solid during third place.

Local device investigate manager Francisco Jeronimo explained a annulment of fortunes as a doctrine for Nokia and others not to assume their names and existent prevalence would pledge success in a future. Apple and Samsung were next since they accepted trends fast and leapt on touchscreen phones. Nokia is good famous for carrying been delayed to adopt touchscreens and did small to urge Symbian until Symbian^3 final year, eventually carrying to switch to Windows Phone to locate up.

“These formula uncover how flighty this marketplace is and how critical it is not to blink a trends,” a researcher explained. “Companies like Nokia (and Ericsson in a past) might have clever brands and large marketplace shares as Nokia always had, though can be overtaken by their competitors on a blink of an eye.”

A Shot At Smartphone Relevance With Nokia

Nokia’s shift to Windows Phone 7 as its primary smartphone platform is expected to take about two years, with 2011 and 2012 described by the company’s leadership as “transition” years. And while it might seem like Nokia can ill afford any further delays in rolling out a compelling smartphone strategy, the time it will lose implementing the transition may be well worth the end result: relevance in the smartphone space for itself and for Microsoft as well.

The combination of Nokia’s global brand, distribution and scale advantages with Microsoft’s software acumen and marketing muscle is a powerful one, says Canaccord analyst T. Michael Walkley–potentially powerful enough to push Windows Phone 7 into the top three mobile operating systems and give Nokia a strong foothold in the States.

“…The Microsoft partnership provides Nokia with…a much needed re-entry into the North American market, where its market share has stagnated at low-single-digit levels for multiple years,” Walkley says. “Overall, we believe if Nokia and Microsoft collaborated to develop the WP7 ecosystem and launch compelling devices, WP7 could become a third viable OS versus the current smartphone landscape dominated by Android and iOS.”

The wildcards in this scenario: execution and time to market, which is particularly important given the ballooning popularity of the iPhone and its Android rivals.

Cell 7 Phones

When buying any kind of electronic device, consumers have a tendency to trust brands which have lengthy been in existence. The longer a business has been in operation, the much better the brand recognition is.

In the case of Sony Ericsson, despite the reality that they are a fairly young business as compared to the mobile phone manufacturer 'giants' - they have enjoyed a constant stream of clients. These loyal avidly subscribe to the Sony Ericsson brand of mobile phones whenever a new one is released in the marketplace.

A Look Back into the History of Sony Ericsson as a Business

But how exactly did the Sony Ericsson business come about? Sony Ericsson is actually a joint venture between Sony and Ericsson which merged in this joint venture which was founded in 2001.

The company's head office is situated in London and they currently specialize in manufacturing the following products:

- Hi-tech accessories

- Mobile phones

- Mobile music devices

- Wireless systems

- Wireless voice devices

- Wireless information devices

When Two Companies Joined Forces

Once more, Sony Ericsson is a joint venture which was established seven years ago. The two parent businesses are Sony Corporation and Ericsson.

Sony Corporation is a Japanese consumer electronics business, which is one of the world's most popular brands. On the other hand, Ericsson is a Swedish telecommunications business.

Rather than individually manufacturing their own lines of mobile phones, these two businesses decided to join forces. When Sony Ericsson was formed in 2001, Sony and Ericsson stopped manufacturing their own mobile phones.

Key Dates in the History of Sony Ericsson

To much better discover about the history of these two businesses, here are some key dates in the history of Sony Ericsson:

1885 - Lars Magnus Ericsson was the name of the man behind the business, and he initial mended telegraph equipment in Sweden. It was on this exact same year that Ericsson began repairing and creating their own handsets - which they are still doing up to now.

1958 - The name of Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Business was officially changed to Sony.

1968 - Following the popularity of Sony as one of the best consumer electronic brands in the world, Sony UK was founded.

1987 - Ericsson produced the initial mobile phone for the NMT network.

1992 - Ericsson built more and more mobile phone models to keep up with the consumer demand.

2001 - Sony Ericsson was established.

The Sony Ericsson Mobile Phone Manufacturer of Today

Over the years, Sony Ericsson has managed to etch a name for itself in the extremely competitive mobile phone manufacturing business.

For subscribers who are searching for Sony Ericsson mobile phone deals, you do have a lot of choices. You can take you choose from the line of mobile phones that they have which includes:

- Sony Ericsson Walkman Series

- Sony Ericsson Cyber-Shot series

- Sony Ericsson UIQ Smartphones

- Sony Ericsson Xperia Windows Mobile Operating System Phones

Whether or not you are searching for a good music phone, camera phone or smartphone, there ought to be Sony Ericsson mobile phone deals which will suit your mobile communication needs to a tee.

Nokia E6 Full Specification

Nokia E6 is the successor of Nokia E71 and Nokia E72. Nokia E6 are unique with a full Qwerty keyboard and touch screen high resolution. Designed using premium materials such as glass and stainless steel, this device comes in the right size for easy use with either one or two hands. Although not a multimedia phone, Nokia E6 equip with 8 mega pixel camera. This camera can be used to record video with a quality high definition (HD) 720p at 25 frames per second.

Nokia E6 has dimensions of 115.5 x 59 x 10.5mm and weighs 133 g, not only tasty and sturdy when gripped. Casing is a combination of glass and steel material, so it looks solid and elegant. Nokia E6 operates in quad-band 2G networks and five-band 3G. In addition, Nokia E6 offers high-speed HSDPA network capabilities that claimed to be able to download speeds up to 2Mbps 10.2Mbps and upload speeds (HSUPA).

Nokia E6 Full Spesification

GENERAL

2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100

SIZE

Dimensions 115.5 x 59 x 10.5 mm, 66 cc

Weight 133 g

DISPLAY

Type TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors

Size 640 x 480 pixels, 2.46 inches

- QWERTY keyboard

- Multi-touch input method

- Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate

- Proximity sensor for auto turn-off

SOUND

Alert types Vibration, MP3, WAV ringtones

Loudspeaker Yes

3.5mm jack Yes

MEMORY

Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall

Call records Detailed, max 30 days

Internal 8 GB storage, 256 MB RAM, 1 GB ROM

Card slot microSD, up to 32GB

DATA

GPRS Class 33

EDGE Class 33

3G HSDPA 10.2Mbps, HSUPA 2.0Mbps

WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n

Bluetooth Yes, v3.0 with A2DP

Infrared port No

USB Yes, v2.0 microUSB, USB On-the-go support

CAMERA

Primary 8 MP, 3264×2448 pixels, fixed focus, dual-LED flash

Features Geo-tagging, face detection

Video Yes, 720p@25fps

Secondary Yes, VGA

FEATURES

OS Symbian Anna OS

CPU 600 MHz ARM 11 processor, 2D/3D Graphics HW Accelerator with OpenVG1.1 and OpenGL ES 2.0

Messaging SMS, MMS, Email, Push Email, IM

Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML

Radio Stereo FM radio with RDS

Games Yes + downloadable

Colors Black, White, Silver

GPS Yes, with A-GPS support

Java Yes, MIDP 2.1

- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic

- Digital compass

- TV-out

- MP4/H.264/H.263/RV player

- MP3/WMA/WAV/RA/eAAC+ player

- QuickOffice document editor (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF)

- Organizer

- Flash Lite 4.0

- Voice command/dial/commands

- Predictive text input

BATTERY

Standard battery, Li-Ion 1500 mAh (BP-4L)

Stand-by Up to 681 h (2G) / Up to 744 h (3G)

Talk time Up to 14 h 48 min (2G) / Up to 7 h 30 min (3G)

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc review

With its 2011 Xperia lineup, Sony Ericsson is looking to retain its position as one of the major players in the Android ecosystem. While last year’s (depending on your locale) Xperia X8 and X10 sold well, they were criticized by some for shipping with an outdated version of Android, as well as a variety of software issues.

The Xperia Arc is Sony Ericsson’s new flagship phone, representing the manufacturer’s next step in its quest for Android dominance. It’s a faster, sleeker, lighter device that’s running the latest version of Android out of the box (well, give or take a minor point release). And some interesting multimedia inclusions from Sony give it strong entertainment credentials.

But has Sony Ericsson done enough to compete with recent offerings from the likes of Samsung and HTC? Read on to find out, as we take a closer look at the Xperia Arc.

Hardware

The Xperia Arc is a pretty striking little device. Its front is dominated by a large 4.2-inch screen, beneath which sit three narrow physical buttons for back, home and menu. The chassis itself is mostly black plastic, which makes it a shiny, eye-catching phone, albeit one that’s prone to picking up smudges and fingerprints. It feels a little plasticy in the hand, although the fact that it’s constructed mostly of plastic means that it’s extremely light, weighing in at just 116 grams (4.09 oz). It’s also one of the thinnest smartphones available, which is accentuated by its stylized, curved back panel.

So when you’re using the Arc, you’ll often forget you’re carrying a 4.2-inch smartphone. There’s not the sense of lugging around an enormous slab of technology that you sometimes get with thicker, heavier devices like the HTC Desire HD.

The Arc’s display is an 854x480 Super LCD panel that’s fitted with Sony’s Mobile Bravia Engine. If you’ve owned a Sony TV, you’ll know about the big-screen equivalent of this technology -- it’s designed to help out with tasks like contrast enhancement, image sharpening and noise reduction in videos. This isn’t something that’s apparent all the time, and even when it is noticeable, the Bravia Engine’s effects are quite subtle.

This makes it a little difficult to demonstrate. Hopefully, though, you'll be able to make out the differences in contrast and clarity in the test image above, which shows the same streaming video running on the Arc and the Desire HD. In person, side-by-side with another device, the difference is far more striking.

The Arc has a variety of small, fairly low-profile buttons positioned around its chassis. The first thing you’ll notice if you’ve used a few different Android phones is the lack of a dedicated “search” button, something the Arc has in common with its predecessor, the X10. Personally, I found this wasn’t a huge problem, though I’m aware it’ll probably be a deal-breaker for some. Yes, it is something that’ll bug you from time to time, but in my experience, not quite as often as you’d expect. Other niggles included the size of the Arc’s power button, which can be difficult to consistently find and press down on your first try.

We welcome the inclusion of a physical camera button on the Arc, though, since the 8-megapixel camera is a major selling point. And it’s also nice to see that the camera lens doesn’t protrude at all from the back of the device, as it does on many other phones.

The Arc’s notification light is located on its right side, next to the micro-USB port, and many users will be happy to hear that it’s set up to blink when notifications are pending, even if it’s plugged in and charging. This is possible on many devices if you’re willing to root, but it’s nice to see it offered right out of the box on the Xperia Arc.

On the top of the phone lies its microHDMI port, which is protected by a plastic cover. Sony Ericsson has provided a HDMI cable in the box, allowing you to connect the phone to your HDTV. Like many of the Arc’s multimedia features, we found that this just worked with the minimum of hassle. Once the phone is hooked up to a TV, it locks apps in landscape mode, and mirrors everything that appears on its screen, at 720p resolution.

Inside the Xperia Arc you’ll find a 1GHz second-generation Snapdragon CPU and 512MB of RAM -- nothing mind-blowing, but certainly fast enough. However, the fact that the dual-core Samsung Galaxy S II is now matching the Arc’s £400 price point may force Sony to reconsider the its pricing in the future. Further into 2011, this amount of money is going to look increasingly steep for a single-core phone with 512MB of RAM, regardless of features.

You’re limited to 512MB of internal storage too, which is a little disappointing, and our only major beef with the Arc’s hardware. Many similarly specced phones are shipping with 1GB or more of internal flash memory, so the Arc looks a little anaemic by comparison. However, a generous 380MB is set aside for apps, and there’s always the option to transfer larger stuff to the SD card if storage space becomes an issue.

Software

The Xperia Arc ships with Android 2.3.2 -- not quite the latest version of Android, but still Gingerbread. Sony Ericsson has promised timely OS updates for its 2011 Xperia phones, so we can expect a boost to version 2.3.4 and beyond in the future.

Running on top of Android is Sony Ericsson’s custom UI, which is looking a lot faster and more streamlined since we last saw it on the X10. In particular, the phone’s launcher is completely lag-free, even with its five homescreens packed full of widgets. And when it comes to widgets, you’ll have the usual Android stuff to choose from, alongside some custom widgets from Sony Ericsson. These include TimeScape for viewing text messages, missed calls and social network updates, a scrolling 3D gallery widget, and various on/off controls for things like Wifi and cellular data.

On the whole, the look and feel of the UI matches the aesthetics of the Arc’s physical design. Most of it is either black or “midnight” blue, and there are some nice smooth transition animations present throughout the software.

Many of the Arc’s apps are simply stock Android offerings, re-skinned to match the rest of the UI. The browser, calendar, clock and messaging app aren’t all that different from stock, aside from a few visual changes. This isn’t a bad thing though, as these stock apps offer great functionality to begin with. The X10’s MediaScape app has thankfully been culled, replaced with the standard Android gallery app, and a slightly-tweaked Music app from Sony Ericsson.

Even the Arc’s on-screen keyboard is pretty similar to the stock Gingerbread keyboard, although the keys are slightly larger, and the option to hold down on the top row of keys to type numbers is no longer present.

It’s not all reskinned stock Android, though. There are some bundled Sony Ericsson apps which add new functionality, and one of these is the DLNA-powered Media Server app, which, like the Arc’s HDMI connectivity, “just works.” Turn the Media Server on, give your DLNA-supporting TV, console or PC permission to stream from it and you’re good to go. Any photos, videos or music that the device can play natively will stream without a hitch.

Similarly, Sony has included its PlayNow store on the Arc, introducing an alternative to the Android Market for app and game downloads, while allowing music downloads directly to the device. Purchases made through PlayNow use carrier billing, meaning they’ll appear on your next phone bill, so you don’t need to bust out the credit card to make purchases when you’re out and about.

You’ll also find OfficeSuite and TrackID on the Arc, providing document viewing and music lookup functionality. This isn’t anything out of the ordinary -- most Android smartphones include similar apps as standard. Nevertheless, we found that both programs worked well.

Sony Ericsson has taken a bit of a departure from the Android norm with the way media syncing and USB connections work on the Xperia Arc. Like other SE handsets, the Arc uses the Sony Ericsson PC Companion software, and while this isn’t required, it does offer users an nonthreatening, friendly way to sync contacts, transfer media from the phone, and apply firmware updates. The companion software is also installed directly from a special partition on the phone’s flash storage, so there’s no need to fumble around with optical media.

Another useful feature added by Sony Ericsson is the option to connect the Arc as a USB portable media player, which allows photos, videos and music to be transferred to and from the phone while still using apps and other content stored on the SD card. This is a great ability, and something we hope other manufacturers will take note of.

Finally, we had no issues using the actual phone functionality offered by the Arc. The native messaging and dialer apps are very similar to stock, as we mentioned, and call quality was consistently clear thanks to the noise-cancelling microphone on the back of the device.

Hackability

Sony Ericsson is courting the Android developer community by allowing SIM-free Xperia Arcs not purchased through a carrier to have their bootloaders unlocked. If you’re technically-minded, the process is relatively straightforward, and certainly simpler than channeling whatever black magic might eventually be involved in cracking the bootloader of a SIM-locked Arc. So if you’re interesting in fooling around with rooting or custom firmware, you should probably make sure you buy a SIM-free model that’s not locked to any particular network. With the ability to unlock the bootloader so easily, it’s likely that more and more custom ROMs for the Xperia Arc will start to appear in the months ahead, as additional stock becomes available and more units make their way out to consumers.

So, if you’re buying the Arc at retail, you can unlock it. If you get it from a network at a subsidized price, things are a little murkier. Still, Sony Ericsson deserves credit for allowing power users, who are prepared to pay the full retail price for an expensive piece of hardware, to be able to take full advantage of it and run whatever software they please. This is definitely something we want to see more of from manufacturers like HTC, which is actively locking down all its new hardware with signed bootloaders.

Battery Life

We found battery life on the Xperia Arc to be on par with other, similar devices, with normal usage patterns. That means you shouldn’t have any trouble getting a day’s use out of a single battery charge as long as you’re not doing anything too crazy.

As ever, some exceptions apply. As you might expect, the camera can be a major battery sink. The only time the Arc’s battery life became a concern was after using it to take over 100 8-megapixel photos and around 45 minutes of HD video at the recent HTC Roadshow. Even then, the device soldiered on at 35-40% charge until the end of the day.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Xperia Arc handles screen brightness a little differently to other Android phones. Instead of choosing between automatic brightness and a single pre-set brightness level, the brightness slider is used to set a “base” level, which the phone then adjusts based on ambient light levels. Basically, there’s no option for automatic brightness because it’s enabled at all times. We found this was a great way to have the screen slightly brighter than normal indoors, while still allowing it to crank all the way up to full brightness outside.

Camera

The Xperia Arc boasts one of the best cameras on any smartphone. Both still shots and video recordings look great, and the camera app offers features of use to newbies and more experienced users alike. Image stabilization is a particularly welcome addition, eliminating that shaky-cam effect from videos recorded on the phone, and also helping to prevent wasted, blurred still shots.

The Arc takes stills at up to 8 megapixels in 4:3 orientation, or 6 megapixels in 16:9 orientation. It’ll record video at up to 720p too, and at that resolution you’ll get a flawless 30 frames per second, even in low light thanks to Sony’s Exmor R camera technology. As we mentioned, there's a dedicated physical camera button on the side of the phone. There’s also the option to take pictures by tapping the screen, though this can be turned off to prevent accidental snapping.

After playing around with the Arc’s camera, we were confident enough in its abilities that we used it to capture all of our photo and video content at the HTC Roadshow. We also took a selection of test shots and videos, which you can find below.

 

Wrapping things up ...

With the Xperia Arc, Sony Ericsson has itself a strong contender, and a phone that we’d have no trouble recommending to anyone in the market for a mid-to-high-end Android device. It combines a great physical design with a sleek software experience, good entertainment features and one of the best smartphone cameras available. And it’s open to developers, so it’s likely to have a long life ahead of it, even without Sony Ericsson’s promised OS updates.

App storage space is a little on the small side, but a reasonably-sized SD card should alleviate any storage issues -- our review unit shipped with an 8GB card.

The biggest barrier to buying an Xperia Arc is probably the price, which remains around £400 SIM-free in the UK, and €500 in the eurozone. With dual-core devices launching at or around this price point, we’re hoping Sony Ericsson will adjust the Arc’s price in the future in order to tempt consumers away from the dual-core competition.

In terms of the actual product, though, Sony Ericsson has done an excellent job with the Xperia Arc. The hardware and software are both spot-on, even if the price is a little steep for our liking. Regardless, this is a device that’s definitely worth your consideration.