With Windows Mobile version 7 still lurking behind the shadows of Microsoft’s development offices, Acer has been busy making more mobile devices for the Window Mobile Professional 6.5. Seriously, we need version 7, no amount of version 6.5.1 or .2 or even .3 is not going to make a difference, the public is waiting and the delays are just making everyone more impatient. With that said, Acer designed some pretty interesting devices; let us just hope that they are all upgradeable to version 7 when it actually comes out.
The beTouch series is a set of three mobile devices. The beTouch E100 and beTouch E101 are 3G and 2G versions of what is practically the same mobile phone. The beTouch E200 on the other hand is the 3G version of the E100 series but only with a better camera and a nice slide out keypad. This is an advantage for the E200 since the beTouch line uses resistive touch screen technology instead of capacitive touch screen technology. Having a physical keypad takes away some of the reliance on needing to use a stylus all the time. The neoTouch is the fourth device for Acer in their Windows Mobile line, it acts as the high end smart phone in the set.
More Praise for the Slide Out Keypad
What makes a keypad so special that it deserves notable mention? There actually plenty of reasons. The first is mainly because having to rely on a stylus all the time is a real downer. Especially when you are on the go and you cannot afford to use both hands. The keypad itself looks stylish and contributes to the overall design of the device. Instead of having to be integrated into the look of the mobile phone, it seems more like the keypad actually belongs there. Another interesting thing to not is that the keypad itself has been designed to be easy to use. Each key gives a resounding click when pressed allowing you to get sufficient feedback nut not unnecessary noise. The metal finished grooves not only accentuate the black matte buttons, but they also give your fingers a guide to follow. Overall, the keypad is a sensible choice for the E200.
Technical Specifications
The Acer beTouch E200 has a 3 inch resistive touch screen capable of displaying 240 x 400 pixels of resolution. The input methods are touch screen and through the keypad and shortcut buttons on the face of the mobile phone. It runs Windows Mobile Professional 6.5 giving users access to Windows Mobile applications such as Outlook, Office, Media Player, Internet Explorer, Messenger and more. The Qualcomm MSM 7225 528 Mhz processor works nicely for this device giving it a smooth performance (though expect some noticeable loading times). The internal memory has 256MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM.
Network bands supported by the E200 are both 2G and 3G networks; internet connectivity options include 3G HSDPA, GPRS and EDGE. The device also has an A-GPS feature and we are looking forward to seeing what navigation applications will be present. The phone can play back most common video and music file formats, but music lovers will be disappointed to know that there is no 3.5mm audio jack. It does support Bluetooth allowing you to use your Bluetooth headset. Hopefully, a mini USB adapter will be enough to use your favorite head phones. The lack of an SD card slot also increases usage of the mini USB port.
External Features
Aside from the keypad, the backing of the E200 is also very impressive. It has a rubber finish allowing it to stick nicely on surfaces and still feel good to the touch. The screen is a fingerprint magnet, so you will be thankful for the stylus. Lastly, the 1140 mAh battery is pretty light making the phone easy to carry around.
Linux Mobile is one of the underdogs of mobile operating systems. Playing practically the same role they have with desktop computers, Linux systems tend to play more towards function and practicality over style and form. This is usually compensated by skinning and other customization options. With mobile phones, their position is a little more accepted than with computers. Since mobile applications are easily ported to other platforms, the Linux mobile operating system does not share the same problem as Linux based computers; direct compatibility with a lot of programs.
AMOLED and More
The Vodafone 360 H1 sports an AMOLED touch screen display, promising some serious graphic quality to its users. The screen itself is 3.5 inches and displays up to 16 million colors. This is complemented by the 5 mega pixel camera, so you can really take some high resolution images and view them instantly. Naturally, this mobile phone will also take good quality video. The whole set feels like a multimedia device and that is a great thing, hopefully, the audio hardware will be a good match for the awesome screen.
The External View
The device itself has an amazing external body. The face of the mobile phone is smartly designed, with the wide touch screen taking up a majority of the space. The screen is recessed slightly creating that Palm-type feel. The controls below the screen are nudged in nicely and are easy to reach with your thumb.
Packing Heat
Vodafone also gifted the 360 H1 with a whooping 16GB of internal memory. Forget expanding, the initial memory alone will store over 20 hours of excellent quality video files. Connectivity is mainly Wi-Fi and HSDPA, though we would really appreciate to see EDGE there as well. As per the name, this mobile phone naturally carries the Vodafone 360 service. You will also get GPS support too, thanks to the large screen; you can probably use the GPS function while driving.
The Acer beTouch E101 is being released alongside three other phones. These four Windows Mobile touch screen phones all varied in range and function (with the exception of the E101 and the E100), as they target different markets. The neoTouch, originally the Acer F1, is the high tier device with amazing hardware features and a proportionally hefty price tag.
The beTouch series are three mobile phones designed for the general market. The only difference between the E100 and E101 is that the E101 is a dedicated GSM device while the other is a 3G mobile phone. Both the E101 and E100 share the same specifications and is the runt of the litter. They possess the lowest specifications but are also the cheapest. While the E100 is scraping bottom in the 3G food chain, the E101 is a top device amongst GSM phones.
Good Phone, Bad Touch Screen
There are plenty of criticisms for resistive touch screen phones. The difference really is not all that bad; but in some cases, the old stylus-based nature of the resistive touch screen makes its capabilities and potential quite limited as compared to the functionality of the capacitive touch screen found in most devices today. The real deal with the little difference in technology does not rely on the fact that resistive touch screens are old technology, but due to the fact that capacitive touch screens are fast becoming the norm.
By choosing to use the old technology, the E101 feels more like an old stubborn mobile phone refusing to change for the better. Capacitive touch screens are the new standard; with multi touch at the immediate horizon of touch screen technology, resistive touch screens are fast becoming obsolete.
The beTouch E101 Specifications
Being a GSM device, the E101 has pretty impressive specifications. With its internal 256MB of RAM and 512 MB of ROM, the device sports more than enough memory to run Windows Mobile 6.5 and other applications. All software will be run by a Qualcomm MSM 7225 528 MHz processor. That is impressive technology, for a GSM. If you are 3G smart phone and you find yourself yawning at these specifications, you are not alone. Most people take for granted how far the functionalities of 3G phones are over GSM models, even new ones.
The beTouch E101 also has A-GPS capabilities so expect some navigation oriented applications. It supports Bluetooth accessories such as wireless headsets. Since the E101 runs Windows Mobile 6.5 it has both Pocket Office and Outlook Mobile for both documents and emails. The lack of wireless LAN restricts high speed net access, but you can still use GPRS and EDGE networks. The lack of 3G HSDPA is the most noticeable difference since 3G technology allows you to stay connected all the time.
Just in Time for Windows Mobile 6.5.1
With Windows Mobile 7 still remaining in the shadows of Microsoft’s development laboratories, we can expect that Windows Mobile 6.5.1 will be seeing a few more additions down the line. Most of us are compelled to believe that the beTouch and neoTouch were initially meant for the launch of Windows Mobile 7.
Since Mircosoft is showing no signs of releasing the new OS anytime soon, Acer may have opted to just use Windows Mobile 6.5. Still, there is hope, if the four units that Acer just made are Windows Mobile 7 compatible, then all users will need to do is upgrade their existing Windows Mobile device and get version 7. The biggest concern then would be that the E100 and E101 will not be fully capable of running Windows Mobile 7 properly.
At this day and age, average is the social equivalent of a dead end. The Samsung Omnia Pro B7330, sadly, fits all too well in this category. Even if you do not always follow what is new in the mobile phone industry, it does not take much to realize that this mobile device is badly lacking in terms of being special or unique. This, however, does not necessarily that the B7330 is a bad phone; it just needs some serious help.
Colors and Style
There is a lot of brown in this mobile phone. It is true that colors are pretty rare when it comes to mobile devices, but brown? There really should be more options for people to choose from. Aside from the simple fact that brown hardly makes the mobile phone more pronounced or even look better, it really feels like the phone was not properly thought of. At least the phone is physically ergonomic. The grip is solid and stable and you can use this mobile phone with just one hand. Now that in itself is a feat for the average smart phone
Functions and Capabilities
The Omnia Pro B7330 is not the best mobile phone on the market, but it is an average smart phone. This means you can expect the usual features to be present in the B7330. First off is the use of a full QWERTY keyboard –this is actually a primary factor since the B7330 has no touch screen. It connects to wireless LAN and HSDPA, has decent media capabilities, a 3.5mm audio jack, a camera and some pretty useful applications and widgets.
Not the TouchWiz
As said, this mobile phone does not have a touch screen, but Samsung has created a version of the TouchWiz interface that actually works well with a directional pad; not quite advancement but a useful variation that makes things a little easier.
Great news for the UK markets, particularly iPhone fans. Hot on the heels of the recent Orange announcement that it is taking from O2 the marketing rights to sell the iPhone in the UK, Vodafone comes it to announce it too is selling the phone, but not until after the holidays.
It looks like the UK market will be seeing at least two carriers for the popular iPhone. Finally, UK iPhone fans will be getting the benefits of free market choices when sourcing for their iPhones.
O2 has clearly bade iPhone goodbye as it enters an exclusive deal with Palm to market the Palm Pre, considered iPhone’s direct rival in the upscale smartphone class. But it is highly doubtful that O2 can compensate for the loss in iPhone sales during the 2 years it held the exclusivity deal with the California-based computer niche player. At its height, O2 was selling more than 2,000 iPhones a day with a total of 17 million handsets sold to make O2 the number one carrier in the UK.
Right off the bat, O2 could lose 30,000 customers who had bought the iPhone 3GS under O2 contracts over the last few weeks. They are expected to shift to either Vodafone or Orange soon while the rest are expected to complete the contract price. There are literally hundred of thousands who were expected to complete the contracts and shift to either for an upgrade to the newer more powerful iPhone 3GS.
A Better Deal for Vodafone and Consumers
The iPhone 3GS on Vodafone is expected to benefit the market as well as Apple. Apple drops the exclusivity requirement and opens the market to more than one carrier. Market analysts are one in saying that in markets where there are more than operators carrying the iPhone, contracts prices are cheaper.
That’s an offshoot of the free market economy at play. The 16GB iPhone 3GS currently commands a £96.89 price on a 2-year £44/month contract with O2. While Orange, the UK carrier getting first shot at it before Vodafone, remains taciturn on the new pricing levels, the market can expect anywhere from ₤4 to ₤5 off the monthly which could bring the overall acquisition price for the iPhone ₤120 cheaper after 2 years.
The iPhone 3GS on Vodafone and Orange non-exclusivity deals takes out the revenue sharing provisions that O2 had with Apple. While not entirely welcome by Apple, this has been prompted by the marketing realities Apple now faces. A new business model has been created by iPhone with revenue streams coming right from the iTunes App Store months and years after the owners have bought the handset courtesy of the many apps they buy online.
The volume of online sales eclipses any revenue sharing that comes with any of its exclusivity provisions. Moreover, in countries with two or more operators carrying the handset, iPhones sales are generally higher for Apple and are cheaper to make it accessible to a wider market base. Apple can just do away with their exclusivity nonsense. The US remains the only country where the iPhone is exclusively carried by one company – AT&T.
The latest Motorola mobile phone set to run under the Android 2.0 operating system, the Moto Droid, was announced officially some time ago. Previously known as the Motorola “Sholes”, the device has a great name now, along with some great specs.
The Moto Droid arrives with a 3.7 inch capacitive touch screen display which sports a 854 x 480 pixel resolution, as well as a 16:9 aspect ratio, a very reasonable Arm Cortex processor which runs at 550 MHz, a 5 mega pixel camera with dual LED flash, auto focus and incredible TV quality video recording functionality, as well as a very slick slide out full QWERTY keyboard, and support for a microSD card in case you want some additional memory; this is especially relevant to those of you who use your mobile phone to film, as once you start it is going ot be hard to stop.
As far as connectivity goes there is Bluetooth 2.1, Wi Fi capabilities, a high speed USB 2.0, and the stock standard 3.5mm headphone jack. The Motorola Droid also has an inbuilt music player which supports all of your favourite formats, from AAC and MP3 all the way up to WMA and WAV.
The device measures 60 x 115.8 x 13.7mm and weighs 169 grams; which is quite reasonable considering the battery inside is a 1400 mAh which will last for up to 6.4 hours of continual usage before needing a charge, or up to 11 days on standby.
The Motorola Droid is looking better and better, and we can’t wait to see what other surprises are in store for us when it comes out of its box.
Music streaming service Spotify is continuing its expansion in the mobile phone industry, this time by creating an app to be used with the BlackBerry.
It is has been reported that the Swedish company are hoping to be accepted into BlackBerry’s BlackBerry App World, which will give them a greater audience and contribute to its growing number of premium subscribers.
From what we have heard, Spotify is hoping to have the application approved and in the app store sometime near the start of the new year, and is currently seeing a lot of growth in the number of paying subscribers since the release of similar apps for the Android OS and the Apple iPhone.
Spotify is also hoping to release an app that will run under Symbian’s S60 operating system, which is no surprise as it remains the most popular OS amongst smartphone users. The company has stated previous that Symbian is an important area for them, so we expect we could see the app around the same time as the BlackBerry one.
Some of you might be wondering what will happen when more and more Nokia mobile phones start coming out under the Maemo 5 operating system, which the Nokia N900 is already running; however it seems quite likely that the app will be ported in the future to work with these devices as well, only strengthening Spotify’s grip on the mobile world.
Of course there are a whole multitude of upcoming launches, which are network specific, such as the recent partnership between the company and 3 UK – so expect to see several new mobile phone bundles that include a subscription to the Spotify Premium mobile music service.
Those of you who use the Ovi Store have a reason to smile today, with one the long awaited and very exciting features of the store finally becoming official. This feature is of course the ability to re download your apps if you happen to somehow lose them, or just ditch them for extra space and then regret it later.
The service is intended to let those of you who buy premium content find piece of mind in the fact that lost applications can be returned to you easily. The number of apps in the Ovi Store is growing rapidly, so a lot of people tend to fill up their handsets quite fast; and as a result many users need to make more room, which can mean ditching an app that they paid good money for.
An official announcement from the company states; “With this latest Store release, we’ve added a simple way for you to restore content that you purchased and downloaded through Store to your device. We take very seriously the fulfilment of content that is acquired through the Store, and while we can’t prevent certain events that may cause damage or the loss of content, we can make it easier for you to re-acquire it. Please watch this short tutorial below to learn more about how to re-download previously purchased content.”
Given that Nokia has such a loyal following this shouldn’t come as any great surprise; especially since customer satisfaction is vital in not only gaining new customers but keeping old ones – something that is even more important in today’s market given the tough competition between mobile manufacturers.
The best thing that the E100 has going for it is its clean simple look. True, most touch screen smart phones look pretty much the same; big screen, manufacturer logo, thin borders, and the like. The beTouch E100 creates a soft edged contour on the top and the bottom of the device.
It’s a simple design, but it works. The touch sensitive buttons below the screen are all crammed up neatly in a line. Casing design aside, there really is not much special to be said about this device, particularly concerning its mediocre specs and resistive touch screen. In theory, the concept of the beTouch E100 was that it would serve as an alternative device to the neoTouch (previously named the Acer F1). These devices are to be released in conjunction with Windows Mobile 6.5.1 operating system. The F1 is the high end mobile smart phone with all the features, while the beTouch provides a mass market alternative at a lower cost and with lesser features. The problem with the E100 is not that it is lesser, but because it is lacking.
The need for a Capacitive Touch Screen
Given a choice, there is no reason to go with a resistive touch screen when capacitive touch screen technology is readily available. The biggest problem with resistive touch screen technology lies in its reliance on a stylus. Its inability to detect finger input commands limits the resistive touch screen’s functionality.
Direct touch input commands with capacitive touch screens tend to be intuitive and has a more natural feel as compared to stylus based menus. In the end, stylus based technology practically belongs in the previous decade. The biggest drawback of resistive technology’s stylus-reliant nature is the fact that you will need two hands to operate the device. Since the E100 lacks a keypad, there are no other alternatives available. You can still try to use your finger on the touch screen, but do not expect decent responsiveness.
Almost a GSM Device
The hardware specifications of the Acer beTouch E100are decent, but not enough when you compare it to other devices in its price range. The 256MB of internal storage and 512MB of ROM is more than enough at least. You can run a lot of programs and you do not need to worry about the needs of Windows Mobile.
That 512Mb is dedicated to Pocket Office and other useful software. The 3.2 inch display can show images of up to 240 x 400 pixels of resolution. What does not easily add up is the fact that the battery is 1140 mAh yet the talk time is only up to 5 hours straight.
The processor only runs up to 528 MHz so we are really wondering where all that excess battery power goes off too. As a smart phone, you can expect this device to support both 2G and 3G networks, have Bluetooth (what doesn’t?) and go online using 3G technology (it has HSDPA).
The bonus is that it also supports EDGE and several media file formats, but we have not had a chance to confirm whether it can handle streaming video. It does not have wireless LAN support so it cannot access your media hub at home.
Not Cheap Enough
The current price range for the E100 puts it on the same tier as several low end smart phones. At this price you could always just opt to get another model. For those excited to try the new Windows Mobile 6.5.1, try the other beTouch mobile phones instead. Of the four devices Acer is launching with WinMo 6.5.1, only the neoTouch is worth trying out. With its low end specs and Windows Mobile operating system, users might be better off with a cheap, last-generation Android phone instead.
Samsung has always been a visionary when it comes to their mobile phone designs. The decision to lose a touch screen and make do with a QWERTY keyboard is a pretty bold move when you can have a touch screen instead; for some odd reason, this risky maneuver actually works with the Omnia Pro B7320. The first thing Samsung users would notice about this device is the fact that it actually uses a non-touch version of the Samsung TouchWiz interface. That sounds rather disappointing at first, but the directional controls work and respond really well.
Transition of Controls
For quite some time now, smart phones with both touch screen and full QWERTY keyboards have been pretty common; to a point that you would actually expect the certain device designs to incorporate those functionalities. Recently, Samsung has been trying to penetrate the market of the professional crowd. Along with their Genio series of mobile phones, Samsung’s been pretty adamant about getting their mobile devices more presence in offices.
Why Omnia Lacks a Touch Screen
This mobile phone is meant for sending and receiving emails and other long messages, for creating and editing documents such as text files, spread sheets and presentations. It runs Windows mobile and it pretty much functions like a mini office. Mind you, a lot of other smart phones have these functionalities as well, but the Samsung Omnia Pro B7320 is specifically designed and tweaked to do these tasks. All in all, the presence of a touch screen does not really benefit a user in terms of these functions.
The Final Score
The Omnia Pro B7320 has a very specific purpose and it does that job well. If you need a decent smart phone just for office work then this might be a good fit. Otherwise, users are definitely better off buying other phones that have more capabilities.
With Windows Mobile version 7 still lurking behind the shadows of Microsoft’s development offices, Acer has been busy making more mobile devices for the Window Mobile Professional 6.5. Seriously, we need version 7, no amount of version 6.5.1 or .2 or even .3 is not going to make a difference, the public is waiting and the delays are just making everyone more impatient. With that said, Acer designed some pretty interesting devices; let us just hope that they are all upgradeable to version 7 when it actually comes out.
Linux Mobile is one of the underdogs of mobile operating systems. Playing practically the same role they have with desktop computers, Linux systems tend to play more towards function and practicality over style and form. This is usually compensated by skinning and other customization options. With mobile phones, their position is a little more accepted than with computers. Since mobile applications are easily ported to other platforms, the Linux mobile operating system does not share the same problem as Linux based computers; direct compatibility with a lot of programs.
The 
At this day and age, average is the social equivalent of a dead end. The 
Great news for the UK markets, particularly 
The latest 
Music streaming service Spotify is continuing its expansion in the mobile phone industry, this time by creating an app to be used with the 
Those of you who use the Ovi Store have a reason to smile today, with one the long awaited and very exciting features of the store finally becoming official. This feature is of course the ability to re download your apps if you happen to somehow lose them, or just ditch them for extra space and then regret it later.
The best thing that the E100 has going for it is its clean simple look. True, most touch screen smart phones look pretty much the same; big screen, manufacturer logo, thin borders, and the like. The 