iphone

New Arkon Car Mount for Treo and Centro Provides Excellent Alternative to Windshield Suction Pedestals

Best Bean Bag Mount for Treo & CentroAs you know I never travel without a GPS navigation solution in my pocket (with the GPS software installed on my Treo and Centro) and for this I also need a vehicle mount to have my smartphone at eye level and within easy reach. At the same time I also frequently prefer to have a vehicle mount available to quickly see incoming calls and answer them with my Bluetooth headset.Both iGrip and Arkon make some excellent vehicle mounts in general but Arkon is now one of the first to have a Weighted “Friction Style” Dash Mount & Holder specifically designed for use in states (California and Minnesota) where the use of windshield suction pedestals is prohibited by law.The Arkon Weighted Dash Mount (also sometimes called “Bean Bag Mounts”) consists of four elements (pictured above) that come together to offer an ideal solution to elegantly, quickly and simply place your smarpthone on a car dashboard.
First there is the actual weighted “bean bag” dash mount (weighing a cool 900 grams / 1.16 lbs) pictured above which consists of a solid ballistic nylon enclosure filled with beans and a plastic base plate at the front while the back is entirely made of “friction” fabric that ensures the dash mount stays solidly in place.Next are the “Travelmount mini windshield mount” (above left) and “Universal Phone Holder”.

The suction pad of the mini mount attaches to the base plate of the dash mount and a locking lever secures it firmly in place. At the same time both the head and the arm of the mini mount pedestal can be adjusted with large knobs to ensure that you have exactly the fit that you need.The Universal Phone Holder for its part consists of two extensible side arms covered in thick rubber that you simply squeeze together to firmly lock your smartphone (Treo or Centro) in place while to two small rubber feet at the bottom of the holder ensure that it also will not fall down.

Finally, an optional adhesive safety hook (pictured above right) is recommended but not required. It can be fitted to the dashboard and “hooks” the back of the dash mount securely in place.

Because of its substantial weight the Arkon Weighted “Friction Style” Dash Mount & Holder is clearly not desgined to take with you on travels but instead really ideal for your primary vehicle. Having said this, for trips you can simply leave the dash mount behind and just carry the included small and lightweight Travelmount mini windshield mount + Holder which are great solutions on their own.

Overall this Arkon Dash Mount is not only beautifully designed and built but more importantly it provides an excellent alternative to the traditional windshield mount. Finally, considering that you’re getting both a dash mount and a windshield mount in one package this accessory also offers terrific value.

New Arkon Car Mount for Treo and Centro Provides Excellent Alternative to Windshield Suction Pedestals

Best Bean Bag Mount for Treo & CentroAs you know I never travel without a GPS navigation solution in my pocket (with the GPS software installed on my Treo and Centro) and for this I also need a vehicle mount to have my smartphone at eye level and within easy reach. At the same time I also frequently prefer to have a vehicle mount available to quickly see incoming calls and answer them with my Bluetooth headset.Both iGrip and Arkon make some excellent vehicle mounts in general but Arkon is now one of the first to have a Weighted “Friction Style” Dash Mount & Holder specifically designed for use in states (California and Minnesota) where the use of windshield suction pedestals is prohibited by law.The Arkon Weighted Dash Mount (also sometimes called “Bean Bag Mounts”) consists of four elements (pictured above) that come together to offer an ideal solution to elegantly, quickly and simply place your smarpthone on a car dashboard.
First there is the actual weighted “bean bag” dash mount (weighing a cool 900 grams / 1.16 lbs) pictured above which consists of a solid ballistic nylon enclosure filled with beans and a plastic base plate at the front while the back is entirely made of “friction” fabric that ensures the dash mount stays solidly in place.Next are the “Travelmount mini windshield mount” (above left) and “Universal Phone Holder”.

The suction pad of the mini mount attaches to the base plate of the dash mount and a locking lever secures it firmly in place. At the same time both the head and the arm of the mini mount pedestal can be adjusted with large knobs to ensure that you have exactly the fit that you need.The Universal Phone Holder for its part consists of two extensible side arms covered in thick rubber that you simply squeeze together to firmly lock your smartphone (Treo or Centro) in place while to two small rubber feet at the bottom of the holder ensure that it also will not fall down.

Finally, an optional adhesive safety hook (pictured above right) is recommended but not required. It can be fitted to the dashboard and “hooks” the back of the dash mount securely in place.

Because of its substantial weight the Arkon Weighted “Friction Style” Dash Mount & Holder is clearly not desgined to take with you on travels but instead really ideal for your primary vehicle. Having said this, for trips you can simply leave the dash mount behind and just carry the included small and lightweight Travelmount mini windshield mount + Holder which are great solutions on their own.

Overall this Arkon Dash Mount is not only beautifully designed and built but more importantly it provides an excellent alternative to the traditional windshield mount. Finally, considering that you’re getting both a dash mount and a windshield mount in one package this accessory also offers terrific value.

Standing by their promise that the Nokia 6210 Navigator will see a Q3 release, Nokia has launched the successor to the 6110 Navigator in India. The 6210 Navigator takes off after its predecessor in many ways, but also tries to offer some noticeable upgrades that the 6110 lacked.

Like the Nokia 6110 Navigator, the selling point of the 6210 Navigator is the built-in GPS receiver among other things like voice-activated controls and 3G, running on Symbian S60 operating system. The device comes with Nokia Maps 2.0 preinstalled and also has a compass for pedestrian usage.The WiFi factor is still mysteriously missing in the list of connectivity options but users should be able to make do with Bluetooth 2.0 and USB connections. There is a music player which plays the usual audio formats, an FM stereo radio, and a media player capable of playing MP4, H.263, and H.264 videos on its 2.4-inch QVGA display. Nokia could also have included a 3.5mm headphone jack, but that seems to be limited to its high-end models and the XpressMusic line for now. The Nokia site also says the phone can be used in “Portrait or Landscape modes,” so we wouldn’t be surprised is there is an accelerometer hiding in there.

A quick rundown of the specs if you don’t know them already:
* Network Support: WCDMA 900/2100, HSDPA and GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
* 2.4-inch 16-million color QVGA display of 320×240 resolution
* GPS and aGPS
* Bluetooth 2.0 and Micro-USB connectivity
* Symbian S60 OS, release 3.2 user interface
* FM radio
* 128MB internal memory with microSD expansion
* 369MHz processor
* 950 mAh battery

The Nokia 6210 Navigator is available all over India and although no information about the price is provided, we could venture a guess that it would be not more than Rs. 18000 (about $430).

Standing by their promise that the Nokia 6210 Navigator will see a Q3 release, Nokia has launched the successor to the 6110 Navigator in India. The 6210 Navigator takes off after its predecessor in many ways, but also tries to offer some noticeable upgrades that the 6110 lacked.

Like the Nokia 6110 Navigator, the selling point of the 6210 Navigator is the built-in GPS receiver among other things like voice-activated controls and 3G, running on Symbian S60 operating system. The device comes with Nokia Maps 2.0 preinstalled and also has a compass for pedestrian usage.The WiFi factor is still mysteriously missing in the list of connectivity options but users should be able to make do with Bluetooth 2.0 and USB connections. There is a music player which plays the usual audio formats, an FM stereo radio, and a media player capable of playing MP4, H.263, and H.264 videos on its 2.4-inch QVGA display. Nokia could also have included a 3.5mm headphone jack, but that seems to be limited to its high-end models and the XpressMusic line for now. The Nokia site also says the phone can be used in “Portrait or Landscape modes,” so we wouldn’t be surprised is there is an accelerometer hiding in there.

A quick rundown of the specs if you don’t know them already:

Standing by their promise that the Nokia 6210 Navigator will see a Q3 release, Nokia has launched the successor to the 6110 Navigator in India. The 6210 Navigator takes off after its predecessor in many ways, but also tries to offer some noticeable upgrades that the 6110 lacked.

Like the Nokia 6110 Navigator, the selling point of the 6210 Navigator is the built-in GPS receiver among other things like voice-activated controls and 3G, running on Symbian S60 operating system. The device comes with Nokia Maps 2.0 preinstalled and also has a compass for pedestrian usage.The WiFi factor is still mysteriously missing in the list of connectivity options but users should be able to make do with Bluetooth 2.0 and USB connections. There is a music player which plays the usual audio formats, an FM stereo radio, and a media player capable of playing MP4, H.263, and H.264 videos on its 2.4-inch QVGA display. Nokia could also have included a 3.5mm headphone jack, but that seems to be limited to its high-end models and the XpressMusic line for now. The Nokia site also says the phone can be used in “Portrait or Landscape modes,” so we wouldn’t be surprised is there is an accelerometer hiding in there.

A quick rundown of the specs if you don’t know them already:
* Network Support: WCDMA 900/2100, HSDPA and GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
* 2.4-inch 16-million color QVGA display of 320×240 resolution
* GPS and aGPS
* Bluetooth 2.0 and Micro-USB connectivity
* Symbian S60 OS, release 3.2 user interface
* FM radio
* 128MB internal memory with microSD expansion
* 369MHz processor
* 950 mAh battery

The Nokia 6210 Navigator is available all over India and although no information about the price is provided, we could venture a guess that it would be not more than Rs. 18000 (about $430).

Standing by their promise that the Nokia 6210 Navigator will see a Q3 release, Nokia has launched the successor to the 6110 Navigator in India. The 6210 Navigator takes off after its predecessor in many ways, but also tries to offer some noticeable upgrades that the 6110 lacked.

Like the Nokia 6110 Navigator, the selling point of the 6210 Navigator is the built-in GPS receiver among other things like voice-activated controls and 3G, running on Symbian S60 operating system. The device comes with Nokia Maps 2.0 preinstalled and also has a compass for pedestrian usage.The WiFi factor is still mysteriously missing in the list of connectivity options but users should be able to make do with Bluetooth 2.0 and USB connections. There is a music player which plays the usual audio formats, an FM stereo radio, and a media player capable of playing MP4, H.263, and H.264 videos on its 2.4-inch QVGA display. Nokia could also have included a 3.5mm headphone jack, but that seems to be limited to its high-end models and the XpressMusic line for now. The Nokia site also says the phone can be used in “Portrait or Landscape modes,” so we wouldn’t be surprised is there is an accelerometer hiding in there.

A quick rundown of the specs if you don’t know them already:

That’s right, everyone. The Nuvifone keeps getting pushed back as the company realizes the massive challenge they have undertaken.

We reported a while back that Garmin was planning on releasing the Nuvifone sometime in the second half of this year; however, Garmin announced today that the product will be delayed until the first half of next year.

Reason? It looks as though “meeting some of the carrier specific requirements will take longer than anticipated,” which to me sounds like AT&T is making some rather challenging demands that weren’t necessarily expected at the beginning. I could be wrong; it could be a non-US carrier that isn’t rumored to be getting it at all.
How will this affect Garmin’s first entry into the cell phone world? Hard to say, but delaying it further will just give its competition more time to come out with some nice alternatives.

GPS tracklog speculates we won’t see it until at least March, as Garmin wasn’t confident enough to specify a first quarter release.

That’s right, everyone. The Nuvifone keeps getting pushed back as the company realizes the massive challenge they have undertaken.

We reported a while back that Garmin was planning on releasing the Nuvifone sometime in the second half of this year; however, Garmin announced today that the product will be delayed until the first half of next year.

Reason? It looks as though “meeting some of the carrier specific requirements will take longer than anticipated,” which to me sounds like AT&T is making some rather challenging demands that weren’t necessarily expected at the beginning. I could be wrong; it could be a non-US carrier that isn’t rumored to be getting it at all.
How will this affect Garmin’s first entry into the cell phone world? Hard to say, but delaying it further will just give its competition more time to come out with some nice alternatives.

GPS tracklog speculates we won’t see it until at least March, as Garmin wasn’t confident enough to specify a first quarter release.

Samsung has released a trio of mono Bluetooth accessories over in Russia, these Bluetooth headsets hold a stylish design and yet are value for money, and justamp has taken a closer look at the three.

First up is the Samsung WEP250 bluetooth headset, based on the popular WEP200 model; the WEP250 is a budget headset that weighs only 11 grams. Battery provides up to 7 hours of talk and up to 100 hours of standby time.Then we have the Samsung WEP350 Bluetooth headset, with a total thickness of 5.9 mm, this is the “world’s most thinnest headset.” The “surprisingly compact” headset sports a removable zaushnik that make its use more comfortable. Available in “glossy black”, “romantic red” and “metallic silver”. It also comes with a desktop docking station charger that allows receiving of the calls even while charging.And finally the Samsung WEP700 Bluetooth headset “designed for businessmen leading active lives”. The device sports some noise suppression system and provides clear sound echoes even in the noisy environment. Battery promises to deliver up to 6 hours of talk and up to 200 hours of standby time, and weighs only 10 grams.
Price wise the WEP250 is 890 rubles ($38.00) WEP350 is 1350 rubles ($58.00) and the WEP700 is 2100 rubles ($90.00).

Samsung has released a trio of mono Bluetooth accessories over in Russia, these Bluetooth headsets hold a stylish design and yet are value for money, and justamp has taken a closer look at the three.

First up is the Samsung WEP250 bluetooth headset, based on the popular WEP200 model; the WEP250 is a budget headset that weighs only 11 grams. Battery provides up to 7 hours of talk and up to 100 hours of standby time.Then we have the Samsung WEP350 Bluetooth headset, with a total thickness of 5.9 mm, this is the “world’s most thinnest headset.” The “surprisingly compact” headset sports a removable zaushnik that make its use more comfortable. Available in “glossy black”, “romantic red” and “metallic silver”. It also comes with a desktop docking station charger that allows receiving of the calls even while charging.And finally the Samsung WEP700 Bluetooth headset “designed for businessmen leading active lives”. The device sports some noise suppression system and provides clear sound echoes even in the noisy environment. Battery promises to deliver up to 6 hours of talk and up to 200 hours of standby time, and weighs only 10 grams.
Price wise the WEP250 is 890 rubles ($38.00) WEP350 is 1350 rubles ($58.00) and the WEP700 is 2100 rubles ($90.00).

Celleden has launched their Bluetooth Anywhere Speakerphone, which can also be utilised as an in-car kit, in the United Kingdom, according to a report by Pocket-lint

The Bluetooth Anywhere Speakerphone is designed with a sleek aluminium finish while the speakerphone utilises dual microphone tech of which Celleden says it is a digital signal processor and will provide great clarity of sound wherever you are.The Celleden Bluetooth Anywhere Speakerphone is compatible with any Bluetooth enabled device, which means it can connect with mobile phones, PDA’s and laptops to enable conference calls.

As a car kit it is said to make it easy to attach to the vehicles sun visor while voice activation means the driver can continue to drive safely without taking their eyes off the road.

The Celleden Bluetooth Anywhere Speakerphone can be powered via mains, vehicle cigarette lighter port, or PC USB port, whie the battery holds approximately 3.5 hours talk time and 250 hours standby time. The unit is available at selected stores with a price tag of $49.99.

Celleden has launched their Bluetooth Anywhere Speakerphone, which can also be utilised as an in-car kit, in the United Kingdom, according to a report by Pocket-lint

The Bluetooth Anywhere Speakerphone is designed with a sleek aluminium finish while the speakerphone utilises dual microphone tech of which Celleden says it is a digital signal processor and will provide great clarity of sound wherever you are.The Celleden Bluetooth Anywhere Speakerphone is compatible with any Bluetooth enabled device, which means it can connect with mobile phones, PDA’s and laptops to enable conference calls.

As a car kit it is said to make it easy to attach to the vehicles sun visor while voice activation means the driver can continue to drive safely without taking their eyes off the road.

The Celleden Bluetooth Anywhere Speakerphone can be powered via mains, vehicle cigarette lighter port, or PC USB port, whie the battery holds approximately 3.5 hours talk time and 250 hours standby time. The unit is available at selected stores with a price tag of $49.99.

LG and Dolby Laboratories announced that LG would be the first handset maker to incorporate Dolby Mobile technology into its handsets.

Announced during this year’s Mobile World Congress, Dolby Mobile is an optimized-for-mobile audio processing technology platform designed to “deliver rich, vibrant audio and dramatically improve listening enjoyment.”

Some of the Dolby Mobile features that LG plans to incorporate into its phones include:

* Mobile Surround, which delivers a realistic surround sound experience using headphones
* Sound Space Expander - creates a wide, rich and spacious soundstage experience especially suited to music playback
* Natural Bass - adds powerful boost and bass extension
* High Frequency Enhancer - enhances music and other content by restoring high-frequency effects
* Graphic EQ - helps tune the audio experience for different content types
* Sound Level Control - helps level out audio for a more consistent playback volume
* Mono-to-Stereo Converter, which improves the playback experience of user-generated content

LG will be launching high-end multimedia phones that incorporate Dolby Mobile technology starting from Q4 2008.

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LG and Dolby Laboratories announced that LG would be the first handset maker to incorporate Dolby Mobile technology into its handsets.

Announced during this year’s Mobile World Congress, Dolby Mobile is an optimized-for-mobile audio processing technology platform designed to “deliver rich, vibrant audio and dramatically improve listening enjoyment.”

Some of the Dolby Mobile features that LG plans to incorporate into its phones include:

* Mobile Surround, which delivers a realistic surround sound experience using headphones
* Sound Space Expander - creates a wide, rich and spacious soundstage experience especially suited to music playback
* Natural Bass - adds powerful boost and bass extension
* High Frequency Enhancer - enhances music and other content by restoring high-frequency effects
* Graphic EQ - helps tune the audio experience for different content types
* Sound Level Control - helps level out audio for a more consistent playback volume
* Mono-to-Stereo Converter, which improves the playback experience of user-generated content

LG will be launching high-end multimedia phones that incorporate Dolby Mobile technology starting from Q4 2008.

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A little-known company called Proximi, Inc. recognizes the fact that many users demand copy/paste functionality before calling the iPhone a true mobile computer, and so have been working on fixing this little limitation. They are planning to launch an application called MagicPad for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and the same is now undergoing the necessary process for all Apple App Store app approval.

MagicPad is actually a rich-text editor for the iPhone, the first of its kind, which lets users view, edit and create text documents on the go. It also supports font resizing, color changing, and enhancements such as bold, italic, underline and strike-through for text.
All the features mentioned above will come standard with MagicPad, if and when Apple decides to approve it for launch at the App store. And of course, it also lets users cut, copy, and paste text, something that users have been longing to do since the iPhone’s first launching more than a year ago.

MagicPad’s cut/copy/paste functionality only works within the app itself, though, and hasn’t been shown to work between apps, system-wide, although the makers have indicated that they are already working on it.

Currently, Apple doesn’t allow such transfer of data between two or more applications, but we might just be able to see them have a change of heart soon, fingers crossed.

Below is a video of MagicPad in action.



At the moment, MagicPad is still under evaluation and is not yet available for download, but we’ll update you once it gets approved.

A little-known company called Proximi, Inc. recognizes the fact that many users demand copy/paste functionality before calling the iPhone a true mobile computer, and so have been working on fixing this little limitation. They are planning to launch an application called MagicPad for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and the same is now undergoing the necessary process for all Apple App Store app approval.

MagicPad is actually a rich-text editor for the iPhone, the first of its kind, which lets users view, edit and create text documents on the go. It also supports font resizing, color changing, and enhancements such as bold, italic, underline and strike-through for text.
All the features mentioned above will come standard with MagicPad, if and when Apple decides to approve it for launch at the App store. And of course, it also lets users cut, copy, and paste text, something that users have been longing to do since the iPhone’s first launching more than a year ago.

MagicPad’s cut/copy/paste functionality only works within the app itself, though, and hasn’t been shown to work between apps, system-wide, although the makers have indicated that they are already working on it.

Currently, Apple doesn’t allow such transfer of data between two or more applications, but we might just be able to see them have a change of heart soon, fingers crossed.

Below is a video of MagicPad in action.



At the moment, MagicPad is still under evaluation and is not yet available for download, but we’ll update you once it gets approved.

We all know that old folks demand the latest in mobile phone technology, right? True or not, NTT DoCoMo, in cooperation with Fujitsu in Japan, will launch what they call the Raku Raku Phone V starting August 1st of this year onwards.

The Raku Raku Phone V is also known as the rather generically named phone F883iES, and features functions that are normally only found in semi-high end handsets.For starters, the Raku Raku Phone V will have a 2.8-inch widescreen main display, 2 megapixel camera and built-in GPS capabilities. Not too shabby for a phone that’s supposed to be targeted towards the older market and be very very simple, eh?

It’s also reported to have support for international WCDMA networks, microSDHC cards, speech recognition and health tracking features via a built-in pedometer. Again, these features are not what you’d normally expect to find in a phone for your grandma, but I’m all for letting the older generation peruse the latest technological advancements for convenience, so good job to NTT DoCoMo and Fujitsu for this one! Whether this phone will be launched outside of Japan or not is still uncertain, though, so boo.

We all know that old folks demand the latest in mobile phone technology, right? True or not, NTT DoCoMo, in cooperation with Fujitsu in Japan, will launch what they call the Raku Raku Phone V starting August 1st of this year onwards.

The Raku Raku Phone V is also known as the rather generically named phone F883iES, and features functions that are normally only found in semi-high end handsets.For starters, the Raku Raku Phone V will have a 2.8-inch widescreen main display, 2 megapixel camera and built-in GPS capabilities. Not too shabby for a phone that’s supposed to be targeted towards the older market and be very very simple, eh?

It’s also reported to have support for international WCDMA networks, microSDHC cards, speech recognition and health tracking features via a built-in pedometer. Again, these features are not what you’d normally expect to find in a phone for your grandma, but I’m all for letting the older generation peruse the latest technological advancements for convenience, so good job to NTT DoCoMo and Fujitsu for this one! Whether this phone will be launched outside of Japan or not is still uncertain, though, so boo.

The BlackBerry Curve in sunset red has been delayed but will now hopefully hit T-Mobile with a week, according to cellphone signal.

Specs on the Research In Motion BlackBerry Curve in sunset red remains the same, only the colour is new, and probably a year ago that would have generated a few sales.But has the time when people purchase a new release just because of a colour change had its day?

With the release of the BlackBerry Bold sitting just on the horizon will anyone actually prefer to purchase a BlackBerry Curve just because of an updated colour?

Perhaps there are still those who are swayed by mobile phone colour, but I think with all the new flashy mobile phones coming out, the day of the “lets push out a new colour to generate more sales” is long past.

I’m sure most will simply sit back and wait for the arrival of the BlackBerry Bold.

The BlackBerry Curve in sunset red has been delayed but will now hopefully hit T-Mobile with a week, according to cellphone signal.

Specs on the Research In Motion BlackBerry Curve in sunset red remains the same, only the colour is new, and probably a year ago that would have generated a few sales.But has the time when people purchase a new release just because of a colour change had its day?

With the release of the BlackBerry Bold sitting just on the horizon will anyone actually prefer to purchase a BlackBerry Curve just because of an updated colour?

Perhaps there are still those who are swayed by mobile phone colour, but I think with all the new flashy mobile phones coming out, the day of the “lets push out a new colour to generate more sales” is long past.

I’m sure most will simply sit back and wait for the arrival of the BlackBerry Bold.

There is no more worthy cause to support than that of breast cancer, and to this end, Samsung has announced the launch of an exclusive Samsung U800 mobile phone in Pink to support and drive awareness of breast cancer within the United Kingdom.

According to a report on Pocket-link, with each of the Samsung U800 Pink mobile phones that are sold, a minimum of £10.00 which be donated to Breakthrough Breast Cancer, which is a charity that is committed to the fight against breast cancer through research, campaigning and education of the people within the UK.
The Samsung U800 Pink is the once known Samsung Sleek, with the pink colour being the only alteration, but then it is all in aid of a worthy cause, so well done Samsung.People will be able to gain a Samsung U800 pink and support the fight against breast cancer when the U800 pink becomes exclusively available through Phones4U in late July in time for the run up to Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

There is no more worthy cause to support than that of breast cancer, and to this end, Samsung has announced the launch of an exclusive Samsung U800 mobile phone in Pink to support and drive awareness of breast cancer within the United Kingdom.

According to a report on Pocket-link, with each of the Samsung U800 Pink mobile phones that are sold, a minimum of £10.00 which be donated to Breakthrough Breast Cancer, which is a charity that is committed to the fight against breast cancer through research, campaigning and education of the people within the UK.
The Samsung U800 Pink is the once known Samsung Sleek, with the pink colour being the only alteration, but then it is all in aid of a worthy cause, so well done Samsung.People will be able to gain a Samsung U800 pink and support the fight against breast cancer when the U800 pink becomes exclusively available through Phones4U in late July in time for the run up to Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

EasyTouch is attractive, even if the design isn't in the same league as truly sexy phones, like Motorola's RAZR2 V9. The low-res external screen sits under shiny reflective plastic which gives a similar mirror feel to the LG Shine, but again without creating a comparable impact.

At 90mm in length, 50mm wide, and 18mm in depth the EasyTouch is a phone that won't bulge too greatly in your pocket. The plastic body does suggest cheap construction, however, the handset seems durable, and again it does look pretty cute. ZTE have kept external ports and buttons to a minimum, with a camera button, phone volume, T-Flash memory slot and a universal mini USB port for charging the phone and plugging in the hands-free headphones that come in the box.

Opening the phone reveals a two-inch QVGA TFT colour display and a numeric keypad that lays recessed into the handset. In truth we would have preferred to have seen raised keys on the keypad for a more tactile experience, but this is nit-picking considering that using the keypad is as easy as can be expected.
Features
The name EasyTouch refers to single touch access to a selection of features via the main standby menu screen. The stand-out here is a news headlines ticker running across the top of the screen. Pushing up on the navigation pad expands the headlines into a preview of the full story from ABC news via the BigPond portal. It's such a simple, yet ingenious addition to the menu screen, and every time we opened the EasyTouch we found ourselves checking the headlines.

At the bottom of the screen are five menu shortcuts which are adjusted when you choose between one the four preset menu themes. For example; we set the EasyTouch to the "sport" theme and the shortcut keys offered sports news as an option. This is a really convenient feature and it�s a shame the themes can't be customized further, like the shortcuts bar you see on Nokia S60 platforms, and that two of the five shortcuts are always BigPond and Foxtel mobile TV.

Beyond these features, the EasyTouch offers a predictable feature set for an HSDPA capable phone on Telstra's Next G network. Besides calling and messaging there's downloadable content via the BigPond mobile Web portal, video calling using the low resolution front facing camera, and Foxtel mobile TV channels for those willing to pay extra for the privilege, although with no wide-screen mode you're left with a postage stamp size picture on screen. The EasyTouch internal memory can be expanded to 2GB with a T-Flash or microSD memory card.

Performance
In terms of basic phone functions the EasyTouch is a winner. Voice calls are loud and clear, text messaging is as expected. Setting up e-mail on the EasyTouch is simple, especially if you use a Telstra or BigPond e-mail account, and the EasyTouch supports POP e-mail.

Using the EasyTouch for Web browsing does offer a fast experience for accessing WAP mobile Web sites, but the screen and navigation pad are not the best for browsing beyond simple text sites, like news and sport updates. Foxtel and BigPond content is speedy when accessed using HSDPA, but again the small screen is not optimal for long sessions of mobile TV.

The EasyTouch supports Bluetooth connectivity and has a 2-megapixel camera with a dedicated button on the side of the phone for quick access. The test pictures we took, in the office and outdoors, turned out well considering the adjustable settings are very basic.

The battery in the EasyTouch performed as standard. ZTE estimate three hours of talk-time on Telstra's Next G network, and approximately nine days of standby battery life. With light usage of phone functionality and roughly a half hour of Foxtel TV we charged the battery after three days.

Overall
The Telstra EasyTouch is an affordable option for joining the Telstra Next G network, with a few cool extras, but without any truly outstanding features. The one-touch interface is handy and the news headlines ticker offers the best of the mobile Web content currently available: short, sharp grabs of information. Of course, this won�t appeal to fans of broadsheet newspapers, but it's definitely adequate as a snapshot of current events you can follow up in depth later in the day.

The EasyTouch falls short as an ultra-chic fashion phone; it's close, but our lasting first impression of the design is indifference. As a mobile phone the EasyTouch will satisfy basic needs, but it's not going to replace your iPod or digital camera.
Battery

* Talk time
* 3 hours

* Standby time
* 9 hours

Camera

* Camera resolution
* 2-megapixel

* Video capture
* Yes

Connectivity

* Networks
* GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900, UMTS 850, UMTS 2100

* Connectivity
* Bluetooth, Next G, 3G

* Data services
* GPRS, UMTS, HSDPA

* USB connectivity
* Yes

Entertainment

* Games
* Yes

* FM radio
* No

* Music player
* Yes

Functionality

* Input method
* Numerical keypad

* Voice recorder
* No

* Push-to-talk
* No

* Java
* Yes

* Operating system
* Unknown/proprietary

* Video calls
* Yes

* Web browser
* Yes

General

* Phone type
* 3G, Fashion, TV

* Form factor
* Flip

* Dimensions (W x D x H)
* 98 x 18 x 50 mm

* Weight
* 105 g

Messaging

* Messaging options
* SMS, E-mail

* E-mail protocols
* POP3

Physical features

* Available colours
* Silver

* Included accessories
* Manual, Software (Windows), Charger, Wired headset, USB cable

EasyTouch is attractive, even if the design isn't in the same league as truly sexy phones, like Motorola's RAZR2 V9. The low-res external screen sits under shiny reflective plastic which gives a similar mirror feel to the LG Shine, but again without creating a comparable impact.

At 90mm in length, 50mm wide, and 18mm in depth the EasyTouch is a phone that won't bulge too greatly in your pocket. The plastic body does suggest cheap construction, however, the handset seems durable, and again it does look pretty cute. ZTE have kept external ports and buttons to a minimum, with a camera button, phone volume, T-Flash memory slot and a universal mini USB port for charging the phone and plugging in the hands-free headphones that come in the box.

Opening the phone reveals a two-inch QVGA TFT colour display and a numeric keypad that lays recessed into the handset. In truth we would have preferred to have seen raised keys on the keypad for a more tactile experience, but this is nit-picking considering that using the keypad is as easy as can be expected.
Features
The name EasyTouch refers to single touch access to a selection of features via the main standby menu screen. The stand-out here is a news headlines ticker running across the top of the screen. Pushing up on the navigation pad expands the headlines into a preview of the full story from ABC news via the BigPond portal. It's such a simple, yet ingenious addition to the menu screen, and every time we opened the EasyTouch we found ourselves checking the headlines.

At the bottom of the screen are five menu shortcuts which are adjusted when you choose between one the four preset menu themes. For example; we set the EasyTouch to the "sport" theme and the shortcut keys offered sports news as an option. This is a really convenient feature and it�s a shame the themes can't be customized further, like the shortcuts bar you see on Nokia S60 platforms, and that two of the five shortcuts are always BigPond and Foxtel mobile TV.

Beyond these features, the EasyTouch offers a predictable feature set for an HSDPA capable phone on Telstra's Next G network. Besides calling and messaging there's downloadable content via the BigPond mobile Web portal, video calling using the low resolution front facing camera, and Foxtel mobile TV channels for those willing to pay extra for the privilege, although with no wide-screen mode you're left with a postage stamp size picture on screen. The EasyTouch internal memory can be expanded to 2GB with a T-Flash or microSD memory card.

Performance
In terms of basic phone functions the EasyTouch is a winner. Voice calls are loud and clear, text messaging is as expected. Setting up e-mail on the EasyTouch is simple, especially if you use a Telstra or BigPond e-mail account, and the EasyTouch supports POP e-mail.

Using the EasyTouch for Web browsing does offer a fast experience for accessing WAP mobile Web sites, but the screen and navigation pad are not the best for browsing beyond simple text sites, like news and sport updates. Foxtel and BigPond content is speedy when accessed using HSDPA, but again the small screen is not optimal for long sessions of mobile TV.

The EasyTouch supports Bluetooth connectivity and has a 2-megapixel camera with a dedicated button on the side of the phone for quick access. The test pictures we took, in the office and outdoors, turned out well considering the adjustable settings are very basic.

The battery in the EasyTouch performed as standard. ZTE estimate three hours of talk-time on Telstra's Next G network, and approximately nine days of standby battery life. With light usage of phone functionality and roughly a half hour of Foxtel TV we charged the battery after three days.

Overall
The Telstra EasyTouch is an affordable option for joining the Telstra Next G network, with a few cool extras, but without any truly outstanding features. The one-touch interface is handy and the news headlines ticker offers the best of the mobile Web content currently available: short, sharp grabs of information. Of course, this won�t appeal to fans of broadsheet newspapers, but it's definitely adequate as a snapshot of current events you can follow up in depth later in the day.

The EasyTouch falls short as an ultra-chic fashion phone; it's close, but our lasting first impression of the design is indifference. As a mobile phone the EasyTouch will satisfy basic needs, but it's not going to replace your iPod or digital camera.
Battery

* Talk time
* 3 hours

* Standby time
* 9 hours

Camera

* Camera resolution
* 2-megapixel

* Video capture
* Yes

Connectivity

* Networks
* GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900, UMTS 850, UMTS 2100

* Connectivity
* Bluetooth, Next G, 3G

* Data services
* GPRS, UMTS, HSDPA

* USB connectivity
* Yes

Entertainment

* Games
* Yes

* FM radio
* No

* Music player
* Yes

Functionality

* Input method
* Numerical keypad

* Voice recorder
* No

* Push-to-talk
* No

* Java
* Yes

* Operating system
* Unknown/proprietary

* Video calls
* Yes

* Web browser
* Yes

General

* Phone type
* 3G, Fashion, TV

* Form factor
* Flip

* Dimensions (W x D x H)
* 98 x 18 x 50 mm

* Weight
* 105 g

Messaging

* Messaging options
* SMS, E-mail

* E-mail protocols
* POP3

Physical features

* Available colours
* Silver

* Included accessories
* Manual, Software (Windows), Charger, Wired headset, USB cable

The Telstra F158 is enormous by today's standards. While other phones appear to be shrinking, some becoming smaller than is practical, the size of the F158 hails back to phones of a decade ago. This extra girth does afford manufacturer ZTE a larger canvas for spacing out the keys and selection buttons on the front of the phone, and there's no doubt there's a market for easier to use phones, especially for people with failing eyesight or those, like Frankenstein's monster, with enormous digits. However, this seems to be a particularly niche market.

The body of the phone is protected by a rubberised plastic shell, and we've read that the F158 is resistant to shock, dust and water, though we haven�t been game to drop it into a pot of water ourselves. The phone is being marketed as the "Tradesmen's phone", who are no doubt going to have to throw away a hammer or drill to make space for the F158 in the bib of their overalls or on a hook on their utility belts.
Features
For such an enormous device the F158 is a very basic handset. Other oversized devices we're reviewed recently have included GPS chipsets and huge internal flash memory; however, don't expect anything so fancy in the F158. As a device on Telstra's Next G network the F158 is capable of HSDPA data speeds but there's nothing about the screen or navigation using the directional pad that makes the F158 particularly Web-friendly. Foxtel is available, but the onscreen viewing area, even in full-screen mode, is postage-stamp-sized.

The F158 sports a basic 1.3-megapixel camera on the back of the handset, which may not sound like much, however, we were reasonably impressed with the quality of the pictures taken. The colour reproduction is weak but on the whole the images looked sharp and seem adequate for happy snaps of kids, pets or birthday cakes.

Performance
Voice calls are loud and clear, and messaging is easy with predictive text. The F158 has support for POP e-mail servers which, like other ZTE products, are easiest to set-up if you're a BigPond e-mail customer.

Considering how similar the components of the F158 are to ZTE's F165 "country phone" we were not surprised to find comparable battery life of about three to four days with light usage of voice calling and messaging, and some mobile TV.

Web browsing is fast enough considering the screen size only lends itself to news headlines, sporting results and weather forecasts. As noted above the F158 is capable of streaming mobile TV through mobile Foxtel and BigPond TV, and while the small screen will have you squinting, the external speakers are loud enough to hear the jeering of Jerry Springer's audience clearly.

Overall
As a phone the F158 works well, but there's nothing really about the device or its features that justify its size. The F158 is remarkably similar to Telstra's "country phone", the F165, but at least the F165's superior reception gives it an advantage for Telstra customers in regional areas. The F158 doesn't share this attribute and, it should be noted, is not one of Telstra's "blue tick" phones.

The ruggedised exterior will appeal to people working outdoors, like tradesmen on construction sites, but we're guessing even tradesmen will agree the phone is too big, especially to take to the pub after work. If the F158 was feature-packed, with GPS, a screen twice the size, or could change the channels on your TV and do the dishes, then we wouldn�t mind lugging it around. But really, it's just a phone, and a very big phone at that.
Battery

* Talk time
* 5 hours

* Standby time
* 400 hours

Camera

* Camera resolution
* 1-megapixel

* Digital zoom
* 2 x

* Video capture
* Yes

Connectivity

* Networks
* GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900, UMTS 850, UMTS 2100

* Connectivity
* Bluetooth, Next G, 3G

* Data services
* GPRS, WAP, UMTS, HSDPA

* USB connectivity
* Yes

Display

* Main display: Number of colours
* 262K

Entertainment

* Video player
* Yes

* Games
* No

* FM radio
* No

* Music player
* Yes

Functionality

* Input method
* Numerical keypad

* Voice recorder
* Yes

* Ringtone options
* Monophonic, Polyphonic, MP3

* Push-to-talk
* No

* Java
* Yes

* Operating system
* Unknown/proprietary

* Supported audio file formats
* MP3

* Supported video file formats
* MPEG-4

* Supported picture file formats
* JPG

* Video calls
* Yes

* Web browser
* Yes

General

* Phone type
* 3G, TV, Rugged

* Form factor
* Candybar

* Dimensions (W x D x H)
* 51 x 23 x 123 mm

* Weight
* 160 g

Messaging

* Messaging options
* SMS, MMS, E-mail

* E-mail protocols
* POP3

Physical features

* Available colours
* Blue

* Included accessories
* Manual, Software (Windows), Charger, USB cable

The Telstra F158 is enormous by today's standards. While other phones appear to be shrinking, some becoming smaller than is practical, the size of the F158 hails back to phones of a decade ago. This extra girth does afford manufacturer ZTE a larger canvas for spacing out the keys and selection buttons on the front of the phone, and there's no doubt there's a market for easier to use phones, especially for people with failing eyesight or those, like Frankenstein's monster, with enormous digits. However, this seems to be a particularly niche market.

The body of the phone is protected by a rubberised plastic shell, and we've read that the F158 is resistant to shock, dust and water, though we haven�t been game to drop it into a pot of water ourselves. The phone is being marketed as the "Tradesmen's phone", who are no doubt going to have to throw away a hammer or drill to make space for the F158 in the bib of their overalls or on a hook on their utility belts.
Features
For such an enormous device the F158 is a very basic handset. Other oversized devices we're reviewed recently have included GPS chipsets and huge internal flash memory; however, don't expect anything so fancy in the F158. As a device on Telstra's Next G network the F158 is capable of HSDPA data speeds but there's nothing about the screen or navigation using the directional pad that makes the F158 particularly Web-friendly. Foxtel is available, but the onscreen viewing area, even in full-screen mode, is postage-stamp-sized.

The F158 sports a basic 1.3-megapixel camera on the back of the handset, which may not sound like much, however, we were reasonably impressed with the quality of the pictures taken. The colour reproduction is weak but on the whole the images looked sharp and seem adequate for happy snaps of kids, pets or birthday cakes.

Performance
Voice calls are loud and clear, and messaging is easy with predictive text. The F158 has support for POP e-mail servers which, like other ZTE products, are easiest to set-up if you're a BigPond e-mail customer.

Considering how similar the components of the F158 are to ZTE's F165 "country phone" we were not surprised to find comparable battery life of about three to four days with light usage of voice calling and messaging, and some mobile TV.

Web browsing is fast enough considering the screen size only lends itself to news headlines, sporting results and weather forecasts. As noted above the F158 is capable of streaming mobile TV through mobile Foxtel and BigPond TV, and while the small screen will have you squinting, the external speakers are loud enough to hear the jeering of Jerry Springer's audience clearly.

Overall
As a phone the F158 works well, but there's nothing really about the device or its features that justify its size. The F158 is remarkably similar to Telstra's "country phone", the F165, but at least the F165's superior reception gives it an advantage for Telstra customers in regional areas. The F158 doesn't share this attribute and, it should be noted, is not one of Telstra's "blue tick" phones.

The ruggedised exterior will appeal to people working outdoors, like tradesmen on construction sites, but we're guessing even tradesmen will agree the phone is too big, especially to take to the pub after work. If the F158 was feature-packed, with GPS, a screen twice the size, or could change the channels on your TV and do the dishes, then we wouldn�t mind lugging it around. But really, it's just a phone, and a very big phone at that.
Battery

* Talk time
* 5 hours

* Standby time
* 400 hours

Camera

* Camera resolution
* 1-megapixel

* Digital zoom
* 2 x

* Video capture
* Yes

Connectivity

* Networks
* GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900, UMTS 850, UMTS 2100

* Connectivity
* Bluetooth, Next G, 3G

* Data services
* GPRS, WAP, UMTS, HSDPA

* USB connectivity
* Yes

Display

* Main display: Number of colours
* 262K

Entertainment

* Video player
* Yes

* Games
* No

* FM radio
* No

* Music player
* Yes

Functionality

* Input method
* Numerical keypad

* Voice recorder
* Yes

* Ringtone options
* Monophonic, Polyphonic, MP3

* Push-to-talk
* No

* Java
* Yes

* Operating system
* Unknown/proprietary

* Supported audio file formats
* MP3

* Supported video file formats
* MPEG-4

* Supported picture file formats
* JPG

* Video calls
* Yes

* Web browser
* Yes

General

* Phone type
* 3G, TV, Rugged

* Form factor
* Candybar

* Dimensions (W x D x H)
* 51 x 23 x 123 mm

* Weight
* 160 g

Messaging

* Messaging options
* SMS, MMS, E-mail

* E-mail protocols
* POP3

Physical features

* Available colours
* Blue

* Included accessories
* Manual, Software (Windows), Charger, USB cable

The design of the 112 is reminiscent of the HP iPaq rx19xx series with its rounded base and slim design. The metallic silver front panel is complemented by a black soft-touch finish around the sides and back, which makes it feel pretty good in the hand. Those who like their PDAs compact won't be disappointed by the 112. Measuring 69mm wide by 117mm tall by 13.6mm thick and with a weight of about 115g, it's pretty light for a device with a 3-inch display.

While 3-inch displays are nothing new, most current PDA smartphones have significantly smaller LCDs. So, by comparison, the one on the 112 is huge although the screen resolution is still only 320 x 240, which is a pity considering some PDAs from a few years back were already sporting VGA screens. We're sure HP made this decision to keep costs down. Nonetheless, the current panel displays text sharply and is suitably bright. Above the LCD is a light sensor which adjusts the brightness automatically -- increasing it under strong light and dimming it in dark environs to save both battery juice and eyes.
Dedicated PDAs are a dying breed. The demand for such devices is shrinking because hybrid PDA-phones make more sense for many who wish to reduce the number of items carried around. Granted, some organisations still need them for specific tasks, like inventory management. Certainly there are some consumers who still prefer to have a dedicated device because the lack of cellular radios equates to longer battery life. It takes a big organisation to cater to such a niche market, and they don't come much bigger than HP, which has one enterprise and one consumer model in its portfolio of non-smartphone iPaq handhelds.Below the LCD are four shortcut buttons and a five-way navigator, while on the right is the power button and a voice recorder button for instant access to voice memos. There's a grand total of two connectors on the 112, a 3.5mm audio jack on the top and a standard mini-USB port for charging and syncing.

Naturally a stylus is important for a PDA without a keypad. The metal stylus has a good weight and feel to it but we did find that it fit too snugly into its silo in the top right corner -- a problem that should solve itself over time as the stylus is used more.

Features
Memory-wise, this PDA comes with 64MB of RAM and 256MB of ROM. The Windows Mobile 6 Classic operating system and HP addons don't hog too much space as there's around 195MB of free ROM for users. Although 64MB of RAM may seem small compared to the 128MB found on many PDA-phones these days, the 112 didn't feel sluggish in operation. The fact that it didn't have to keep any phone applications running helps in this regard.

The 112's Home screen has a few HP enhancements, including the TodayPanel and iPaqWireless, which make it easy to get to commonly used items like memory and wireless settings. Unfortunately, there's no panel showing what Windows Media is playing. This would be useful since the 112 is potentially a viable replacement for an MP3 player given its standard 3.5mm audio jack and full-size SD slot, which supports up to 8GB SDHC cards.

Performance
Powered by a 624MHz Marvell PXA310 processor, the 112 feels responsive and there was more than sufficient processing punch for the applications that we ran on this unit.

To simulate its use as an MP3 player, we started a music playback battery life test. With the backlight off, a pair of headphones plugged in and music playing the 112 ran for 10.5 hours before shutting down. Though this won't rival most dedicated MP3 players, it should meet or exceed most users' expectations of a PDA.

Overall
The iPaq 112 is a pretty solid device and one of the very few new PDAs out there without phone capabilities. We do have to mention that it doesn't offer much more than any high-end non-cellular iPaq from two years back, other than the fact that it runs WM6 Classic and has a faster processor. However, if your old PDA has kicked the can and you need something basic, this PDA is a decent choice, thanks to its attractive AU$399 price tag.
Audio

* Built-in speakers
* Yes

* Built-in microphone
* Yes

Battery

* Battery type
* Lithium-ion

Connectivity

* Built-in wireless connectivity
* 802.11b, 802.11g, Bluetooth

* GPS receiver
* No

Memory

* ROM
* 256 MB

* RAM
* 64 MB

PDA Features

* Built-in camera
* No

* Data Input Method
* Touchscreen + Stylus

* Expansion slot
* SD

Processor

* Processor speed
* 624 MHz

Screen

* Max screen resolution
* 240 x 320 pixels

* Backlit display
* Yes

Software

* Installed OS
* Windows Mobile 6.0

Synchronisation

* Synchronisation method(s)
* USB1.1, Cradle

* Cradle
* Yes

The design of the 112 is reminiscent of the HP iPaq rx19xx series with its rounded base and slim design. The metallic silver front panel is complemented by a black soft-touch finish around the sides and back, which makes it feel pretty good in the hand. Those who like their PDAs compact won't be disappointed by the 112. Measuring 69mm wide by 117mm tall by 13.6mm thick and with a weight of about 115g, it's pretty light for a device with a 3-inch display.

While 3-inch displays are nothing new, most current PDA smartphones have significantly smaller LCDs. So, by comparison, the one on the 112 is huge although the screen resolution is still only 320 x 240, which is a pity considering some PDAs from a few years back were already sporting VGA screens. We're sure HP made this decision to keep costs down. Nonetheless, the current panel displays text sharply and is suitably bright. Above the LCD is a light sensor which adjusts the brightness automatically -- increasing it under strong light and dimming it in dark environs to save both battery juice and eyes.
Dedicated PDAs are a dying breed. The demand for such devices is shrinking because hybrid PDA-phones make more sense for many who wish to reduce the number of items carried around. Granted, some organisations still need them for specific tasks, like inventory management. Certainly there are some consumers who still prefer to have a dedicated device because the lack of cellular radios equates to longer battery life. It takes a big organisation to cater to such a niche market, and they don't come much bigger than HP, which has one enterprise and one consumer model in its portfolio of non-smartphone iPaq handhelds.Below the LCD are four shortcut buttons and a five-way navigator, while on the right is the power button and a voice recorder button for instant access to voice memos. There's a grand total of two connectors on the 112, a 3.5mm audio jack on the top and a standard mini-USB port for charging and syncing.

Naturally a stylus is important for a PDA without a keypad. The metal stylus has a good weight and feel to it but we did find that it fit too snugly into its silo in the top right corner -- a problem that should solve itself over time as the stylus is used more.

Features
Memory-wise, this PDA comes with 64MB of RAM and 256MB of ROM. The Windows Mobile 6 Classic operating system and HP addons don't hog too much space as there's around 195MB of free ROM for users. Although 64MB of RAM may seem small compared to the 128MB found on many PDA-phones these days, the 112 didn't feel sluggish in operation. The fact that it didn't have to keep any phone applications running helps in this regard.

The 112's Home screen has a few HP enhancements, including the TodayPanel and iPaqWireless, which make it easy to get to commonly used items like memory and wireless settings. Unfortunately, there's no panel showing what Windows Media is playing. This would be useful since the 112 is potentially a viable replacement for an MP3 player given its standard 3.5mm audio jack and full-size SD slot, which supports up to 8GB SDHC cards.

Performance
Powered by a 624MHz Marvell PXA310 processor, the 112 feels responsive and there was more than sufficient processing punch for the applications that we ran on this unit.

To simulate its use as an MP3 player, we started a music playback battery life test. With the backlight off, a pair of headphones plugged in and music playing the 112 ran for 10.5 hours before shutting down. Though this won't rival most dedicated MP3 players, it should meet or exceed most users' expectations of a PDA.

Overall
The iPaq 112 is a pretty solid device and one of the very few new PDAs out there without phone capabilities. We do have to mention that it doesn't offer much more than any high-end non-cellular iPaq from two years back, other than the fact that it runs WM6 Classic and has a faster processor. However, if your old PDA has kicked the can and you need something basic, this PDA is a decent choice, thanks to its attractive AU$399 price tag.
Audio

* Built-in speakers
* Yes

* Built-in microphone
* Yes

Battery

* Battery type
* Lithium-ion

Connectivity

* Built-in wireless connectivity
* 802.11b, 802.11g, Bluetooth

* GPS receiver
* No

Memory

* ROM
* 256 MB

* RAM
* 64 MB

PDA Features

* Built-in camera
* No

* Data Input Method
* Touchscreen + Stylus

* Expansion slot
* SD

Processor

* Processor speed
* 624 MHz

Screen

* Max screen resolution
* 240 x 320 pixels

* Backlit display
* Yes

Software

* Installed OS
* Windows Mobile 6.0

Synchronisation

* Synchronisation method(s)
* USB1.1, Cradle

* Cradle
* Yes

LG's TU500 is a rugged looking little beast of a mobile phone, and an interesting counterpoint to the LG Chocolate U830. Where the U830 is all sleek style and shiny piano black casings, the TU500 is solid lines, physical buttons and a stark (some might say ugly, but that's highly subjective) shiny steel-like inlaid keypad. Measuring in at 96.5 by 49.6 by 19.3mm and with a carrying weight of 104 grams, the TU500 isn't the lightest or slimmest of phones — but on the other hand, it's not a brick, either.

A single rotating 1.3 megapixel camera sits above the TFT screen. The keypad is essentially unremarkable, save for the external music controls on the face of this flip-top phone; like the U830, the TU500 has simple playback controls, but they're actual buttons as opposed to touch panels in the TU500's case.
Features
The TU500 is an HSDPA phone designed for use on Telstra's Next G network — the inlaid Telstra symbol on our test sample was rather a dead giveaway of this. The internal display is a 176x220, 262,000 colour TFT, while the external 96x96 pixel display is a 65K colour TFT.

or a phone with supposed multimedia functionality as a key selling point, the TU500 comes with a surprisingly low store of internal memory; only 14MB on board, and only 7.8MB of that is actually available for user storage. The TU500 supports microSD memory, and realistically you've got to include the price of a decent sized microSD card into the TU500's asking price to make it a useful phone in any way — or hector your phone vendor into bundling one in with the phone.

The camera on the TU500 is a functional but unexciting 1.3-megapixel model. Rather like the plain styling of the phone body, this is entirely suitable for simple shots and video messaging, but not that good for precise photography, and arguably a bit behind the times for a high-end mobile phone.

Performance
While the comparison with the LG U830 seems the most apt — they're both out of the same design factories and share some very marked similarities — we were surprised to note that while the TU500 is definitely the ugly duckling of this particular phone family, in actual physical use it fairly shines compared to the often-fiddly U830. The front-mounted multimedia playback buttons are a good example of this. Both phones require multiple presses to activate playback, but the physical buttons on the TU500 are far more responsive and easier to use than the U830.

LG also makes some note of the TU500's speakers and their virtual surround sound feature. Like most virtual surround sound, the actual effect can sound a bit on the hollow side, but it's certainly loud. Thankfully, the TU500 supports A2DP Bluetooth stereo headphones, so you don't need to annoy your fellow passengers. Remember — a little courtesy goes a long way.

LG rates the TU500 as being capable of up to three hours talk time and 250 hours standby time. In our tests, we found that it fell short of the 250 hours standby -0- we had to recharge after around five days of virtually no use, roughly half the stated battery life. Talk time figures fared more evenly, with the phone requiring a recharge roughly every 2.5 days under moderate usage patterns.
Battery

* Talk time
* 3 hours

* Standby time
* 250 hours

Camera

* Camera resolution
* 1-megapixel

* Digital zoom
* 4 x

* Video capture
* Yes

Connectivity

* Networks
* GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900, UMTS 850

* Connectivity
* Bluetooth, Next G, 3G, HSDPA

* Data services
* GPRS, UMTS, HSDPA

* USB connectivity
* Yes

Display

* Main display: Screen resolution
* 176 x 220 pixels

* Main display: Number of colours
* 262K

* Secondary display: screen resolultion
* 96 x 96 pixels

* Secondary display: number of colours
* 65K

Entertainment

* Video player
* Yes

* Music player
* Yes

Functionality

* Input method
* Numerical keypad

* Voice recorder
* Yes

* Ringtone options
* Polyphonic

* Java
* Yes

* Supported audio file formats
* AAC, AAC+, MIDI, MP3, WMA

* Supported video file formats
* MPEG-4, WMV

* Video calls
* Yes

General

* Phone type
* 3G

* Form factor
* Flip

* Availability
* Telstra

* Dimensions (W x D x H)
* 96.5 x 49.6 x 19.3 mm

* Weight
* 104 g

Memory

* Internal memory
* 14 MB

Messaging

* Messaging options
* SMS, MMS, E-mail

Physical features

* Available colours
* Black

LG's TU500 is a rugged looking little beast of a mobile phone, and an interesting counterpoint to the LG Chocolate U830. Where the U830 is all sleek style and shiny piano black casings, the TU500 is solid lines, physical buttons and a stark (some might say ugly, but that's highly subjective) shiny steel-like inlaid keypad. Measuring in at 96.5 by 49.6 by 19.3mm and with a carrying weight of 104 grams, the TU500 isn't the lightest or slimmest of phones — but on the other hand, it's not a brick, either.

A single rotating 1.3 megapixel camera sits above the TFT screen. The keypad is essentially unremarkable, save for the external music controls on the face of this flip-top phone; like the U830, the TU500 has simple playback controls, but they're actual buttons as opposed to touch panels in the TU500's case.
Features
The TU500 is an HSDPA phone designed for use on Telstra's Next G network — the inlaid Telstra symbol on our test sample was rather a dead giveaway of this. The internal display is a 176x220, 262,000 colour TFT, while the external 96x96 pixel display is a 65K colour TFT.

or a phone with supposed multimedia functionality as a key selling point, the TU500 comes with a surprisingly low store of internal memory; only 14MB on board, and only 7.8MB of that is actually available for user storage. The TU500 supports microSD memory, and realistically you've got to include the price of a decent sized microSD card into the TU500's asking price to make it a useful phone in any way — or hector your phone vendor into bundling one in with the phone.

The camera on the TU500 is a functional but unexciting 1.3-megapixel model. Rather like the plain styling of the phone body, this is entirely suitable for simple shots and video messaging, but not that good for precise photography, and arguably a bit behind the times for a high-end mobile phone.

Performance
While the comparison with the LG U830 seems the most apt — they're both out of the same design factories and share some very marked similarities — we were surprised to note that while the TU500 is definitely the ugly duckling of this particular phone family, in actual physical use it fairly shines compared to the often-fiddly U830. The front-mounted multimedia playback buttons are a good example of this. Both phones require multiple presses to activate playback, but the physical buttons on the TU500 are far more responsive and easier to use than the U830.

LG also makes some note of the TU500's speakers and their virtual surround sound feature. Like most virtual surround sound, the actual effect can sound a bit on the hollow side, but it's certainly loud. Thankfully, the TU500 supports A2DP Bluetooth stereo headphones, so you don't need to annoy your fellow passengers. Remember — a little courtesy goes a long way.

LG rates the TU500 as being capable of up to three hours talk time and 250 hours standby time. In our tests, we found that it fell short of the 250 hours standby -0- we had to recharge after around five days of virtually no use, roughly half the stated battery life. Talk time figures fared more evenly, with the phone requiring a recharge roughly every 2.5 days under moderate usage patterns.
Battery

* Talk time
* 3 hours

* Standby time
* 250 hours

Camera

* Camera resolution
* 1-megapixel

* Digital zoom
* 4 x

* Video capture
* Yes

Connectivity

* Networks
* GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900, UMTS 850

* Connectivity
* Bluetooth, Next G, 3G, HSDPA

* Data services
* GPRS, UMTS, HSDPA

* USB connectivity
* Yes

Display

* Main display: Screen resolution
* 176 x 220 pixels

* Main display: Number of colours
* 262K

* Secondary display: screen resolultion
* 96 x 96 pixels

* Secondary display: number of colours
* 65K

Entertainment

* Video player
* Yes

* Music player
* Yes

Functionality

* Input method
* Numerical keypad

* Voice recorder
* Yes

* Ringtone options
* Polyphonic

* Java
* Yes

* Supported audio file formats
* AAC, AAC+, MIDI, MP3, WMA

* Supported video file formats
* MPEG-4, WMV

* Video calls
* Yes

General

* Phone type
* 3G

* Form factor
* Flip

* Availability
* Telstra

* Dimensions (W x D x H)
* 96.5 x 49.6 x 19.3 mm

* Weight
* 104 g

Memory

* Internal memory
* 14 MB

Messaging

* Messaging options
* SMS, MMS, E-mail

Physical features

* Available colours
* Black

Finding an interesting-looking handset amongst the dozens of Samsung releases each year is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Samsung does release a few stunners; however, if the previous statement is true, then the A551 is just another handful of hay. Like the A811, J700, J750 and the G600 (to name a few), the A551 is a conventionally designed plastic slider and sure to be lost amongst the glam and glitter of its competition.

Though the exterior finish is nothing to write home about, the A551's utilitarian design certainly feels right, with a satisfying weight and a sliding mechanism that clicks into place when both opened and closed. Under the slide we find a flat numeric keypad with the digits divided by thin raised strips � again similarly designed to many of Samsung's brethren. The keypad design could be improved with raised buttons, but it's easy to use nonetheless.
Features
The big drawcard here is HSDPA (3.6Mbps) data transfers on Telstra's Next G network. In truth, if you were to take away its Next G capabilities then the A551 would be a $150 budget-priced handset, left with only a 1.3-megapixel camera and basic raft of organiser and media playback applications. Next G connectivity does obviously elevate the functionality of this handset, allowing users to access Foxtel and BigPond TV, amongst other standard Next G services.

The A551 also features a front-facing VGA resolution camera for video-calling and a microSD card slot on the side of the handset gives you access to your memory cards without having to power down first.

Performance
Not only is HSDPA the major drawcard for the A551, it's also the strongest performing aspect of this device. Loading Web pages is lightning fast, and when we logged into a Foxtel channel it buffered briefly then played back the streaming video content seamlessly. The only downside to this excellent online experience is that the colour display has a terrible vertical viewing range, with images turning negative at slight angles off-centre. This is compounded when you want to watch mobile TV in landscape mode, making it the horizontal viewing axis which suffers, and requiring the user to hold the screen straight and still.

Reception during calls was a bit patchy, and the internal speaker is a tad quiet and crackly, making calls difficult to hear. Reception is a difficult feature to test effectively, with there being a range of reasons for disturbance and only some of these pertaining to this phone's hardware.

Battery life is above average with the cycles lasting between three and four days with light usage. However, we struggled to monitor the batteries' remaining charge, with the on-screen icon displaying two-thirds remaining power only minutes before the phone shut-down in some cases.

Verdict
Telstra currently offer approximately 35 handsets, and if we were to rate these against one another, the A551 would sit at about halfway; not the best in show, but not the worst by far.

In terms of outright expense, the A551 sits in the middle of Telstra's current range. At the time of writing, Telstra offers the A551 on a $30 plan or for AU$559 as an upfront cost. This seems a hefty charge for what is essentially a basic handset with HSDPA, but then Telstra has never been known for bargain-basement pricing plans. That said, those who buy the A551 will be treated to a solid Next G handset
Camera

* Camera resolution
* 1-megapixel

* Video capture
* Yes

Display

* Main display: Screen resolution
* 176 x 220 pixels

Functionality

* Supported audio file formats
* AAC, AAC+, MP3, WMA

Memory

* Expansion slot
* microSD

Finding an interesting-looking handset amongst the dozens of Samsung releases each year is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Samsung does release a few stunners; however, if the previous statement is true, then the A551 is just another handful of hay. Like the A811, J700, J750 and the G600 (to name a few), the A551 is a conventionally designed plastic slider and sure to be lost amongst the glam and glitter of its competition.

Though the exterior finish is nothing to write home about, the A551's utilitarian design certainly feels right, with a satisfying weight and a sliding mechanism that clicks into place when both opened and closed. Under the slide we find a flat numeric keypad with the digits divided by thin raised strips � again similarly designed to many of Samsung's brethren. The keypad design could be improved with raised buttons, but it's easy to use nonetheless.
Features
The big drawcard here is HSDPA (3.6Mbps) data transfers on Telstra's Next G network. In truth, if you were to take away its Next G capabilities then the A551 would be a $150 budget-priced handset, left with only a 1.3-megapixel camera and basic raft of organiser and media playback applications. Next G connectivity does obviously elevate the functionality of this handset, allowing users to access Foxtel and BigPond TV, amongst other standard Next G services.

The A551 also features a front-facing VGA resolution camera for video-calling and a microSD card slot on the side of the handset gives you access to your memory cards without having to power down first.

Performance
Not only is HSDPA the major drawcard for the A551, it's also the strongest performing aspect of this device. Loading Web pages is lightning fast, and when we logged into a Foxtel channel it buffered briefly then played back the streaming video content seamlessly. The only downside to this excellent online experience is that the colour display has a terrible vertical viewing range, with images turning negative at slight angles off-centre. This is compounded when you want to watch mobile TV in landscape mode, making it the horizontal viewing axis which suffers, and requiring the user to hold the screen straight and still.

Reception during calls was a bit patchy, and the internal speaker is a tad quiet and crackly, making calls difficult to hear. Reception is a difficult feature to test effectively, with there being a range of reasons for disturbance and only some of these pertaining to this phone's hardware.

Battery life is above average with the cycles lasting between three and four days with light usage. However, we struggled to monitor the batteries' remaining charge, with the on-screen icon displaying two-thirds remaining power only minutes before the phone shut-down in some cases.

Verdict
Telstra currently offer approximately 35 handsets, and if we were to rate these against one another, the A551 would sit at about halfway; not the best in show, but not the worst by far.

In terms of outright expense, the A551 sits in the middle of Telstra's current range. At the time of writing, Telstra offers the A551 on a $30 plan or for AU$559 as an upfront cost. This seems a hefty charge for what is essentially a basic handset with HSDPA, but then Telstra has never been known for bargain-basement pricing plans. That said, those who buy the A551 will be treated to a solid Next G handset
Camera

* Camera resolution
* 1-megapixel

* Video capture
* Yes

Display

* Main display: Screen resolution
* 176 x 220 pixels

Functionality

* Supported audio file formats
* AAC, AAC+, MP3, WMA

Memory

* Expansion slot
* microSD

Finding an interesting-looking handset amongst the dozens of Samsung releases each year is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Samsung does release a few stunners; however, if the previous statement is true, then the A551 is just another handful of hay. Like the A811, J700, J750 and the G600 (to name a few), the A551 is a conventionally designed plastic slider and sure to be lost amongst the glam and glitter of its competition.

Though the exterior finish is nothing to write home about, the A551's utilitarian design certainly feels right, with a satisfying weight and a sliding mechanism that clicks into place when both opened and closed. Under the slide we find a flat numeric keypad with the digits divided by thin raised strips � again similarly designed to many of Samsung's brethren. The keypad design could be improved with raised buttons, but it's easy to use nonetheless.
Features
The big drawcard here is HSDPA (3.6Mbps) data transfers on Telstra's Next G network. In truth, if you were to take away its Next G capabilities then the A551 would be a $150 budget-priced handset, left with only a 1.3-megapixel camera and basic raft of organiser and media playback applications. Next G connectivity does obviously elevate the functionality of this handset, allowing users to access Foxtel and BigPond TV, amongst other standard Next G services.

The A551 also features a front-facing VGA resolution camera for video-calling and a microSD card slot on the side of the handset gives you access to your memory cards without having to power down first.

Performance
Not only is HSDPA the major drawcard for the A551, it's also the strongest performing aspect of this device. Loading Web pages is lightning fast, and when we logged into a Foxtel channel it buffered briefly then played back the streaming video content seamlessly. The only downside to this excellent online experience is that the colour display has a terrible vertical viewing range, with images turning negative at slight angles off-centre. This is compounded when you want to watch mobile TV in landscape mode, making it the horizontal viewing axis which suffers, and requiring the user to hold the screen straight and still.

Reception during calls was a bit patchy, and the internal speaker is a tad quiet and crackly, making calls difficult to hear. Reception is a difficult feature to test effectively, with there being a range of reasons for disturbance and only some of these pertaining to this phone's hardware.

Battery life is above average with the cycles lasting between three and four days with light usage. However, we struggled to monitor the batteries' remaining charge, with the on-screen icon displaying two-thirds remaining power only minutes before the phone shut-down in some cases.

Verdict
Telstra currently offer approximately 35 handsets, and if we were to rate these against one another, the A551 would sit at about halfway; not the best in show, but not the worst by far.

In terms of outright expense, the A551 sits in the middle of Telstra's current range. At the time of writing, Telstra offers the A551 on a $30 plan or for AU$559 as an upfront cost. This seems a hefty charge for what is essentially a basic handset with HSDPA, but then Telstra has never been known for bargain-basement pricing plans. That said, those who buy the A551 will be treated to a solid Next G handset
Camera

* Camera resolution
* 1-megapixel

* Video capture
* Yes

Display

* Main display: Screen resolution
* 176 x 220 pixels

Functionality

* Supported audio file formats
* AAC, AAC+, MP3, WMA

Memory

* Expansion slot
* microSD

Finding an interesting-looking handset amongst the dozens of Samsung releases each year is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Samsung does release a few stunners; however, if the previous statement is true, then the A551 is just another handful of hay. Like the A811, J700, J750 and the G600 (to name a few), the A551 is a conventionally designed plastic slider and sure to be lost amongst the glam and glitter of its competition.

Though the exterior finish is nothing to write home about, the A551's utilitarian design certainly feels right, with a satisfying weight and a sliding mechanism that clicks into place when both opened and closed. Under the slide we find a flat numeric keypad with the digits divided by thin raised strips � again similarly designed to many of Samsung's brethren. The keypad design could be improved with raised buttons, but it's easy to use nonetheless.
Features
The big drawcard here is HSDPA (3.6Mbps) data transfers on Telstra's Next G network. In truth, if you were to take away its Next G capabilities then the A551 would be a $150 budget-priced handset, left with only a 1.3-megapixel camera and basic raft of organiser and media playback applications. Next G connectivity does obviously elevate the functionality of this handset, allowing users to access Foxtel and BigPond TV, amongst other standard Next G services.

The A551 also features a front-facing VGA resolution camera for video-calling and a microSD card slot on the side of the handset gives you access to your memory cards without having to power down first.

Performance
Not only is HSDPA the major drawcard for the A551, it's also the strongest performing aspect of this device. Loading Web pages is lightning fast, and when we logged into a Foxtel channel it buffered briefly then played back the streaming video content seamlessly. The only downside to this excellent online experience is that the colour display has a terrible vertical viewing range, with images turning negative at slight angles off-centre. This is compounded when you want to watch mobile TV in landscape mode, making it the horizontal viewing axis which suffers, and requiring the user to hold the screen straight and still.

Reception during calls was a bit patchy, and the internal speaker is a tad quiet and crackly, making calls difficult to hear. Reception is a difficult feature to test effectively, with there being a range of reasons for disturbance and only some of these pertaining to this phone's hardware.

Battery life is above average with the cycles lasting between three and four days with light usage. However, we struggled to monitor the batteries' remaining charge, with the on-screen icon displaying two-thirds remaining power only minutes before the phone shut-down in some cases.

Verdict
Telstra currently offer approximately 35 handsets, and if we were to rate these against one another, the A551 would sit at about halfway; not the best in show, but not the worst by far.

In terms of outright expense, the A551 sits in the middle of Telstra's current range. At the time of writing, Telstra offers the A551 on a $30 plan or for AU$559 as an upfront cost. This seems a hefty charge for what is essentially a basic handset with HSDPA, but then Telstra has never been known for bargain-basement pricing plans. That said, those who buy the A551 will be treated to a solid Next G handset
Camera

* Camera resolution
* 1-megapixel

* Video capture
* Yes

Display

* Main display: Screen resolution
* 176 x 220 pixels

Functionality

* Supported audio file formats
* AAC, AAC+, MP3, WMA

Memory

* Expansion slot
* microSD