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Will Nokia's much-hyped new music phone live up to expectations?

The persistence of manufacturers when it comes to touchscreen mobile phones has to be applauded.

It might be that only a few - notably HTC, Apple and Palm - have really cracked the marriage of hardware and software - but that hasn't stopped everyone else attempting to achieve the same success. Nokia's own efforts have been hit and miss.

The Nokia 5530 XpressMusic isn't without its good points, but all of Nokia's touchscreen phones so far have had resistive screens.

Among other things, that means they all came with old-fashioned styluses, and didn't work properly when you touched the screen with more than one finger. That meant reduced typing speeds, and user gestures that are so intuitive on other phones � pinching to zoom on the iPhone, for instance - were unavailable.

Nokia has heard its customers' complaints.

The X6 looks like a traditional slider phone - at 13.8mm thick it certainly looks like it could accommodate a physical keyboard. However, there are hardly any buttons to be found as the 3.2-inch touchscreen is capacitive, theoretically making a physical keyboard redundant.

There is a wealth of features besides. A whopping 32GB/16GB of internal storage and an FM radio make it tempting for entertainment even before you consider Nokia's intriguing Comes With Music service.

Even the camera has received the kind of attention you don't see on cheaper models - a 5MP sensor behind Carl Zeiss optics gives the X6 plenty of sheen.

But is the touchscreen a gimmick? The S60 operating system has a number of detractors, and just because a phone ticks all the right boxes on a specification sheet doesn't necessarily mean it'll make its users happy.

Now packing a QWERTY keyboard for touchscreen refuseniks

The Xperia X10 Mini Pro has recently been updated to Android 2.1, with Sony Ericsson finally getting around to modernising the antiquated Android 1.6 OS that powered the little Android QWERTY phone when it launched last year.
The changes are slight, but with an improved web browser, more Bluetooth connectivity and enhanced social network integration, the X10 Mini Pro is certainly a better phone with the update than it was when it first launched.


But is an upgrade to the already-outdated Android 2.1 enough to stay competitive in the cut-throat Android scene of 2011? Read on to see what difference Android 2.1 has made to this sweet little phone.

Only there's one rather obvious and glaring change � the addition of a slide-out QWERTY keyboard that's been bolted onto the underside of the X10 Mini Pro, for the benefit of those yet to take the brave leap into entirely touch-based mobile phone operation.

Amazingly, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro manages to remain the same physical size as the non-QWERTY X10 Mini � which leads us to presume the X10 Mini was filled with plenty of foam padding to make it bigger than actually necessary.


The Xperia X10 Mini Pro's QWERTY keyboard adds extra weight to the phone, giving us a handset that feels much heavier than the slightly lightweight X10 Mini, which somehow tricks the brain into thinking it's a more solid, high quality device. It's lovely in the hand. People will pass it around in admiration.


The keyboard flips out with a heavy clunk and is backlit, with light twinkling out through its keys to guide your thumbs when the automatic sensor thinks it's dark enough for you to need a bit of help finding the right buttons.


The keyboard is solid, doesn't bend or flex, and while it's obviously a little cramped given the minuscule nature of the phone itself, there's enough of a gap between the slightly raised buttons to ensure typing is possible to a good degree of accuracy.

There's actually a pretty big internal difference between this and the X10 Mini � the Mini Pro features a removable battery, while the regular X10 Mini's came sealed into its case. The Mini Pro's battery offers a rather tiny 930mAh capacity � but you wouldn't know it. It lasts for ages.


The USB connector has been placed along the side of the phone so it pokes out between your hands when you've got it connected, meaning it's easy to hold the phone easily when it's plugged in � nice thinking there, Sony Ericsson boffins. The 3.5mm headphone jack and power/lock button sit on the top edge.


There's a custom button for the camera along the right-hand edge, beneath the rocker button for volume. As with the X10 Mini, there's no optical button or trackpad. The QWERTY keyboard has a left and right cursor button placed either side of its keyboard's space bar, enabling users to page quickly through typed messages to repair typos and save embarrassment.


Inside the box came the phone, battery, charger, USB cable, 2GB micro SD card and charger.

The LG Optimus 3D Android phone offers 3D viewing without glasses, and also records 3D video

LG has unveiled the world's first 3D smartphone, the LG Optimus 3D, which is described by the company as its "most advanced smartphone to date."

The LG Optimus 3D has a 4.3in glasses-free LCD display for 3D viewing. The screen technology uses a series of slits on the front of the LCD screen that block light so that users' left and right eyes see different images, creating a 3D effect.

The LG Optimus 3D Android phone also comes with a dual-lens camera for 3D video recording. This means you can film 3D videos using the dual-lens camera, and watch them on a 3D-capable, high-definition television. The Optimus 3D has HDMI connectivity and DLNA for sharing 3D content. LG has also partnered with YouTube to make it easier for users to capture 3D images and video, and upload these directly to the Internet using a special 3D version of the YouTube application.

The LG Optimus 3D is powered by a 1GHz OMAP4 dual-core processor, has 512MB of RAM and comes with 8GB of internal memory along with a microSD card slot for extra storage. The LG Optimus 3D runs the 2.2 Froyo version version of Google's Android operating system, but LG has stated the phone will soon be upgradeable to the latest 2.3 Gingerbread version.

The Optimus 3D follows the launch of the original LG Optimus, the LG Optimus One, and the LG Optimus 2X; the latter being the first smartphone to run a dual-core processor for enhanced multimedia, gaming and Web browsing.

The iPod touch has had it too good for too long, dominating the world of portable media players. But, just as manufacturers have taken the fight to Apple with Android smart-phones and tablets, Samsung is now aiming to kick the iPod touch in the shins with the Galaxy S WiFi 5.0. It's like the Samsung Galaxy S phone, but it doesn't make calls and it's bigger.

If the price is right, the Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0 could be an attractive media player for those who want a slice of the Android pie .

While 2010 was undoubtedly the year of the Apple iPad, 2011 has a good chance of being the year that Android comes of age.
The original 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab was the only major iPad competitor to be released in 2010, but it was hampered by the inclusion of Android 2.2 � very much an OS designed for mobile phones rather than tablets.
However with the release of the tablet-tastic Android 3.0 this year, the iPad 2 is about to come up against some serious competition.

To clear up any confusion, there are actually two different versions of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

The original version was ditched in many territories before it even went into production, in favour of a slimmer, less highly spec'd version without the 8MP camera.

Promising new multi-tasking tablet has a serious app problem

With a name that sounds like something you'd use at a sporting event, the BlackBerry PlayBook is the latest � and most unique � Apple iPad 2 challenger.


Running a new OS called QNX, with quirky features like bridging to a BlackBerry phone for secure email and an oddly confusing initial setup, the PlayBook is a stark departure from the more iPad-like Motorola Xoom. Business-minded features such as built-in viewers for spreadsheets and word processing files are welcome, and the PlayBook gets extra credit for being fast and nimble on a dual-core 1GHz processor.


Throw in a 3MP front-facing camera, a 5MP rear-facing one, a bright and crisp 1200x600 resolution screen, a light 425g body and all the typical gyro, accelerometer and GPS sensors and you have the makings for a powerful 7-inch tablet.

The PlayBook is sorely lacking third-party apps, but does show promise.

The powerful multi-tasking, where you can run a video in one window and play a game in another with both apps running concurrently, is a first of its kind for a mainstream tab.
File storage capabilities, support for an HDMI connection for playing 1080p video and a slick interface make the PlayBook an interesting anomaly. Unfortunately, the overall experience can't compete with either the iPad 2 or the Xoom, and even falters compared to the original Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Dual-core power, beautiful screen - the Galaxy S II is the kind of sequel you want

The Samsung Galaxy S II is the phone the Korean firm deems the successor to its best smartphone so far. And with a 1.2GHz processor, super-slim chassis and feather-light innards, it's easy to see why.
The dual-core race is set to heat up massively over the next few months, with the LG Optimus 2X already released, and the Motorola Atrix, HTC Sensation and iPhone 5 all set to bring the tech to market too.

The Samsung Galaxy S2 is almost impossibly thin when you pick it up � dimensions of 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5mm mean it's one of the thinnest smartphones on the market at the moment, rivalling the likes of the iPhone 4 and Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc for the title.

It's crazy-light too � when we show you what tech is rammed under the hood, you'll be amazed that it all goes in a device that weighs only a shade over 100g (116g, to be precise).
Samsung clearly traded the premium feel an all-metal chassis might have brought to keep the grams off the Galaxy S2 � pop the battery cover off and you'll find you're holding a piece of pretty flimsy plastic.

However, most of the time you won't be removing this and it fits nicely into the contoured chassis � the mesh feel on the rear also helps keep your hand from getting warm during extended holding.
The other thing you'll notice when you first pick up the Galaxy S2 is the screen � at 4.3 inches it's hard to miss, and when you turn it on the Super AMOLED plus technology hits you square in the eyeballs (once it's got through the toughened Gorilla Glass).

The Samsung Galaxy S is called "the best phone on the market for media" when reviewed, thanks to its first-gen Super AMOLED screen. Now the Galaxy S2 has definitely improved on that, with a superbly crisp and vibrant screen.

The only problem is a slightly schizophrenic auto-brightness - if you try and save battery by having the sensor monitor ambient light levels, then the screen decides to bounce about with light levels even in same conditions.


UPDATE: Samsung has released a fix to solve this problem already, so forget about it. Un-read what you just read. I could delete it, but that would be lying to you.


In the hand, the Galaxy S2 sits much better than i'd have expected, given the whopping screen on offer, and that's mostly down to its slim depth.

The front of the phone is pretty sparse, with the home key the only piece of furniture on offer. This rectangular button flanks two touch-sensitive buttons � Menu and Back � so there's no room for contextual search here.


The volume keys are located on the left-hand side, and the power/lock key is on the opposite flank; both are easy enough to hit without error, and crucially the travel on the power key is softer so that it's much easier to hit when you're juggling it in the palm � compare that to its predecessor, where you could accidentally drop it trying to shut off the screen.

The 3.5mm headphone jack lives on the top of the phone, bucking the lower placement on other 4.3-inch screen phones, and the microUSB slot (which also doubles as an HDMI out port) lives on the bottom.
The only other element of note is the 8.1MP camera with single LED flash on the rear � it's slightly raised, but not so much that it disrupts the Galaxy S2 when you're placing it on a table, thanks to a rear lip to help you hold the phone.

A beautifully designed, well-built phone with an excellent camera and a full QWERTY keyboard, but as the OS is on the way out there's little point in buying a Symbian phone.

Despite announcing recently that it would be switching to Windows Mobile as its primary smartphone platform, Nokia is still releasing phones running the Symbian operating system. Its latest, the E7, has a 4in AMOLED screen, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and an 8-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash.

Nokia's hardware has always been impressively well engineered, and the E7 is another good example. It's basically a slab of densely-packed electronics tapered at each end into a flat surface. The screen fits perfectly into a cut-away in the slab, and with a bit of pressure on the bottom edge, it pops out and back, sitting at an angle of 30 degrees to the keyboard underneath.

Unlike some previous Nokia phones, the keyboard's sliding action is a bit clunky. A rugged slider on one side of the phone toggles the screen lock, while on the other side a similar slider controls volume. There's a small pull-out tray for your SIM card, and a dedicated camera button, while the ports - headphone, USB and HDMI - along with the power button are located on the top edge.

Performance is excellent; the capacitive touchscreen smooth and responsive, and saw no lag when opening multiple applications. The screen's 640x360 resolution is a bit disappointing compared to the 800x480 found on most other phones' 4in screens, so detail in images won't be quite as pin-sharp, but it's incredibly colourful and contrast is outstanding.

Photos taken with the 8-megapixel camera are great, with balanced colours and sharp edges. There was far less grain and noise in dark areas compared to other phones' shots, and the dual-LED flash did a good job of illuminating the scene. Videos were similar in quality, although zooming in produced tons of noise. There are plenty of options for the camera including face detection, white balance and manual ISO settings.

Will the world's first dual-core smartphone prove to be a powerhouse?

The world's first Tegra 2 smartphone, the LG Optimus 2X, has arrived for our delectation, sporting Android 2.2.

The key here is the impressive dual-core Tegra 2 1GHz CPU, coupled with an impressive low-power GPU from graphics specialist Nvidia.

So what's a dual-core processor good for? Why video, of course! That'll be why LG has outfitted the Optimus 2X with 1080p video recording on the eight-megapixel camera, 1080p playback over a mini-HDMI port (cable included) and DLNA media streaming.

There's also a 1.3MP front-facing camera, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, and a microSD card slot to compliment the 8GB of built-in memory.
Probably the most remarkable thing is the price. While the Optimus 2X looked set to come in at the top end of the market originally, that's not proved to be the case.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is the first major tablet release since the Apple iPad launched.

It's been a long time coming, too. The Galaxy Tab was one of the all-time worst kept secrets in tech until it was finally unveiled at Berlin's IFA show back in September, and as the first major Android tablet release, it holds a weight of responsibility on its shoulders.
With a tidal wave of Android tablets about to sweep through the tech world, it's possible that if the Galaxy Tab were to disappoint, it could damage the perception that Android tablets will be able to top the iPad on features and performance.
The price certainly indicates that Samsung believes the Galaxy Tab can topple the Apple iPad from its tablet tower.It is, however, exactly the same price as the cheapest 3G iPad, which is clearly no accident.

An Android 2.3 smartphone with a physical keyboard and proper video-out support?

Despite having a slide-out physical keyboard, the Xperia Pro doesn't feel much thicker or heavier than other Android phones. The plastic build felt a bit flimsy, but we'd put that down to the pre-production nature of the particular phone we were using. The slide-out mechanism itself feels better-designed as well as less fussy than the slide-out keyboards on HTC Android and Windows Phone 7 handsets we've seen.

The keyboard itself had a remarkable amount of travel for a smartphone keyboard. If you're used to a numeric keypad or touchscreen keyboard, then using the Xperia Pro's keyboard will take getting used to.

The 3.7in screen has a resolution of 854x480 pixels and looks bright too. There's a micro HDMI port so you can connect the phone to a high definition TV, projector or monitor. Unlike other smartphones we've seen, this video output features works with any app, including the web browser and the preinstalled Office Suite Pro app. It could therefore be used in place of a laptop to give presentations or even as cheap and cheerful digital signage.

Android 2.3 is preinstalled, but Sony Ericsson has also overlaid its own Timescape user interface on top.The app drawer can be sorted, showing your most frequently used apps or recently installed apps for example, which app hoarders will appreciate. Using the standard pinch-to-zoom out gesture on the home screen shows you a MacOS X Expose-style overview of all your home screen widgets.

Sony Ericsson claims its Exmor R technology enables the 8.1 megapixel camera to take better quality photos in dimly lit conditions that would outfox lesser smartphone cameras. In our brief tests, although the Xperia Pro's camera did indeed produce sharper, more evenly lit pictures than an iPhone 4, images still looked very grainy which tends to be a problem for smartphone cameras in dark environments.