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Phone Reviews: Nokia N82

Short Reviews

Specs:
Size: 112 x 50 x 17.3 mm
Weight: 114 g
Make/Model: Nokia N82
Network: GSM (Quad-Band)
Display: 2.4” Color LCD, 320 x 240 (QVGA) resolution, 16.7 Million Colors
Memory: 100 MB built-in, microSD card slot
Data: EDGE, WiFi (802.11 b/g); 3G (WCDMA 2100 - not for U.S. market)
Carrier: Unlocked GSM
Form Factor: Candybar
Notable Features: 5MP Camera with Auto-Focus and Xenon Flash; VGA video capture @ 30fps; Integrated GPS with location based services; 3.5mm headphone jack w/TV-Out; Auto-Rotating Display; Front-facing secondary camera

Plus:
Incredible Camera w/Xenon Flash; Full VGA Video Capture; Excellent Web Browser; WiFi; Extendable Operating System; 3.5mm Headphone Jack

Minus:
Cheap-Feeling and Plasticky; Small Keys; Music File Sort Issues; S60 OS Too Complex for Average User; Device is Bulky; Very Expensive

Nokia N82 may be the best camera phone on the market right now, but it is a voluminous, complicated, expensive device for Geeks and not the average consumer. Would you like characteristics? N82 has' em and then some. You want a sleek phone that fun to use? Look elsewhere.

Phone Reviews: BlackBerry RIM Pearl-8120 Titanium

Short Reviews

Specs:
Size: 107 x 50 x 14 mm
Weight: 91 g
Make/Model: RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120
Network: GSM
Display: 2.25” Color LCD, 260 x 240 resolution, 65,000 Colors
Memory: 64 MB built-in, microSD card slot
Data: EDGE, 802.11 b/g WiFI
Carrier: T-Mobile (Locked)
Form Factor: Candybar
Notable Features: SureType QWERTY keyboard; Trackball navigation; Push Email; IM Clients; HotSpot@Home (UMA calling); myFaves support; 3.5mm headphone jack; 2MP camera;


Plus:
Integrated WiFi for Web, Email, and HotSpot@Home UMA Calling; Trackball is easy to use; Integrated IM Clients; Second-to-None Push Email; 2MP Camera with Flash; 3.5 mm Headphone Jack; Compact Size

Minus: OS Menus and Fonts Remind me of 1989; SureType QWERTY board will be too small for some; Video capture quality is mediocre

T-Mobile the new pearl is a good thing and makes it better through the integrated Wi-Fi networks for data access and T-Mob's HotSpot @ Home. Some other minor improvements to the handset's media player and the keyboard a little better. Pearl still too small for my hands, but the functionality and features packages smartphone saving money on a large device that looks and feels like a phone - not a brick. RIM's gotta revise its user interface soon, however. The icons and fonts are feeling more and more each day's date.

Phone Reviews: LG Venus

Short Reviews

Specs:
Size: 102 x 51 x 15.7 mm
Weight: 107 g
Make/Model: LG Venus (VX-8800)
Network: CDMA
Display: 2” Color LCD, 320 x 240 resolution, 262,000 Colors
Data: EV-DO (1x EV-DO r0)
Carrier: Verizon Wireless (Locked)
Form Factor: Slider with Half-Touchscreen
Memory: 64 MB built-in, microSD card slot
Notable Features: Touch controls with content-sensitive menus; VCAST Music and Videos compatible; 2MP camera

Plus:
Beautiful display; Context-sensitive menus; Extensive feature set; VZ Navigation works very well

Minus:
Half a touchscreen sometimes feels gimmicky and frustrating; Touch controls sometimes unresponsive; Poor voice quality with unacceptable hiss on some calls; Somewhat bulky overall

Venus' half-touch/half-not screen is an interesting idea that ultimately frustrated me more than it charms me. The screens are beautiful and morphing large menus, but I found myself wanting to play the entire screen and not just the bottom. Some of them do not mind, however, and for which Venus can be a dream come true: a feature-rich skid with a beautiful high-resolution display and access to all multimedia offerings save Verizon VCAST TV.

Phone Reviews: LG Rumor White

Short Reviews:

Specs:
Make/Model: LG Rumor
Size: 109 x 51 x 17.8 mm
Weight: 117 g
Network: CDMA
Data: EV-DO (1x RTT)
Display: 2” Color LCD, 176 x 220 resolution, 262,000 Colors
Carrier: Sprint (Locked)
Form Factor: Candy bar with Horizontal Slide-Out QWERTY Board
Memory: 16 MB built-in, microSD card slot
Notable Features: A-GPS with location based services; 1.3MP camera; Email and IM clients; Auto-Rotating Display


Plus:
Compact, rugged design with full QWERTY keyboard; Easy to use; Auto-rotating display; Good SMS, IM, and Email integration

Minus:

Limited functionality beyond voice calling and messaging; No Power Vision access makes for slow Web browsing; Reports of laggy software and keyboard issues (I encountered none); Weak camera

Rumor is a candy bar phone with a focus on messaging, and in this sense that really shone in my tests. I found the headset easy and fun to use so long as he kept his strengths: Messages and more messages with voice calls and a shortage of media and Web functionality thrown in Rumor of comfortable QWERTY board, rugged design and soft finished grip, and self-rotating screen make it a solid choice for cellular phone users that the value of both text (or more) as voice calls.