Fujifilm FinePix F50fd

The Fujifilm FinePix F50fd has many of the features that are no standard on point and shoot cameras. It has an extremely good face detection, 12MP CCD sensor and a number of other great features. This is the first Fujifilm camera that we’ve reviewed here and so far I’m very impressed.

Here are a few of the technical specifications for the FinePix F50fd:

• Street price: $249.99 approx.
• 12MP
• 2.7″ LCD
• ISO Sensitivity: 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 / 6400
• Shutter Speed: 8 sec to 1/2000 sec
• Aperture:F2.8 - F8

Things I like
The thing I like most about this camera is probably its face detection function. I realize that most cameras have this now, but the FinePix F50fd’s face detection outperforms almost any other cameras version of face detection. Fuji has updated its face detection, and though most cameras need to find two eyes to detect a face, Fuji’s new Face Detection 2.0 can find a face even when it’s in full profile, just as advertised. Fuji’s system is also quite responsive, noticing a face in the frame very quickly, as long as face detection is enabled.

I also like the fact that this camera provides a number of different manual controls as well as image stabilization. These things just add to the value of the camera and make it feel more like a SLR than a point and shoot (when it comes to the ability to customize your photos).

Things I don’t like
This camera is a little sluggish between photos. Most people won’t notice this, because it really isn’t that big of a problem, but I’m used to my SLR’s with their quick shooting capabilities. On average, it took approximately 2.9 seconds for the F50fd to take multiple shots. While this isn’t too bad it is slower than a number of cameras we’ve reviewed before.

The final thing I don’t like (and have stated many, many times), is that this camera doesn’t have an optical viewfinder. In an attempt to make the camera as small as possible, Fujifilm has not included something that is extremely important if you’re shooting outside. In direct sunlight the LCD can be totally useless and I would have liked to have seen an optical viewfinder (othercameras are doing it).
Pros:

• Excellent face detection
• Lots of manual controls
• Image stabilization
• Inexpensive

Cons:

• A little sluggish
• No optical viewfinder

Final Thoughts
The Fujifilm FinePix F50fd should please most snapshooters and its above-average exposure controls should appeal to advanced photographers, too.

Rating: 3.8 / 5

LG KU990

LG mobiles hit the market a few years ago but they were not successful as they had their share of problems and consumers they time to build trust with a new handset manufacturer.All that is set of change with the introduction of the dashing LG KU990 Viewty, the 5.0 Megapixel camera phone from LG.The phone also boasts of VGA recording and QVGA recording at 120fps.Apart from that it also has loads of feature that will give serious competition to some of the Nokia heavyweights.

LG KU990 Viewty specifications:

• Dimensions : 103.5 x 54.4 x 14.8 mm
• Weight: 112g
• Display : 3″ with 240 x 400 resolution
• GPRS,EDGE
• 3G : HSDPA,3.6Mbps
• Bluetooth v1.2 with A2DP
• 5 MP camera with autofocus
• VGA recording at 30fps
• Approx Price : $550

Design and Display

The design of the phone is strikingly similar to the LG Prada and on the same lines as the iPhone.The large 3″ screen along with Flash UI will give iPhone a run for its money.The front panel has three keys only and rest is handled through the touchscreen which is very responsive.The three keys include Green,Red keys and the correction key.Secondary VGA camera is placed at top-right corner.The top and bottom parts are clean and no ports/keys can be found here.

The back panel holds the big 5.0 Megapixel camera based on Schneider-Kreuznach optics and having autofocus.The camera also has a jog wheel which can be used to control the digital zoom, a nice addition.The Viewty is powered by a 1000 mAh Li-ion battery,good enough to last 2 days with moderate to heavy usage.

The display is a stunning 3″ screen which accepts input not only through the stylus but also through your fingers or other metal keys etc.The clarity of the display is great and the brightness and saturation levels are good.The visibility under sunlight is good but certainly not at par with latest Nokia models which are exceptionally good.

User Interface and Browser

The user interface on the LG KU990 Viewty is Flash based.Though the phone is not a smartphone, LG has taken a few steps to fulfill the gap which includes the inbuilt task manager.The home screen features only the clock and the calendar but there is a shortcuts button which when tapped brings a set of customizable shortcuts.The bottom of the screen has four fixed shortcuts to main menu,Dial pad,messages and the Contacts.Tapping on the current profile brings up the profile manager.

The menu system has been subdivided by clubbing similar things together.This gives the main menu a clean look but does lose out on a bit of ease of use.The main menu has four icons ,first related to making calls/messages,second relates to entertainment,third one is for organizer and the four one contains all the settings options.A touch when accepted gives a gentle vibration which is a welcome move.

The phonebook has a capacity of 500 contacts and extensive details can be added for each contact. The phone features a QWERTY keyboard and when messaging the phone turns to landscape mode.The Viewty also features handwriting recognition.

The default browser on the phone is excellent and you won’t need to use a third party browser.The browser has tabbed browsing ,mini-map,landscape mode etc.The scrolling is not as smooth as you would expect.The browser delivers rich experience and handles sites well both in landscape and portrait mode.

Media Player and Camera

The music player is a much improved version found in the Prada.This one has track sorting according to artist, album, genre, playlist, recently played similar to what is found on Nokia phones.Surprisingly the player features no equaliser settings which might make few music lovers stay away from this phone.The player theme does nor change even on changing the interface theme which should have been the case.

The audio quality on the Viewty is very good.The handset scores well above expectations as it has been primarily advertised as a camera phone. The inbuilt memory of 100MB can be quite handy for storing a few tracks.Also you can transfer songs to the device using the USB mass storage mode.

The camera is the strong point of the phone and features one of the best 5.0 megapixel camera phones we have out there in the market.The big screen is a definite advantage when using as a viewfinder.A slider on the right side controls the various modes of the camera.Jog wheel as mentioned is used for controlling digital zoom.The shutter key is used for autofocusing and taking snaps.The strobe flash used on the phone is better than the LED flash but not as good as Xenon flash.

There are tons of settings to play around with in the camera.The camera has various preset modes which include landscape,party,beach,night,sport,portrait,high sensitive.Apart from that it has Panaroma mode and mode which does exactly what BestPic mode does in SE phones.Manual focus,white balance,color modes,ISO settings…you name it and you have it all.

The image quality is top class and will give entry level digicams a run for their money. The images are well lit and have apt levels of brightness and color saturation.The noise level does tend to rise in some snaps.The shot-to-shot time at 4 seconds is good though has scope for improvement.

The video recording is the best ever to be found in a camera phone.The QVGA recording at 120fps is not as you might perceive.The 120fps captured video is stores in 15fps making it a slow motion video.The VGA recording at 30fps is great and yields good results.The videos are stored in AVI format with DivX 5.0 encoding hence keeping a check on file size.No macro mode is present in video recording.

Pros:

• Big 3″display
• Light weight
• Excellent camera
• VGA recording
• TV-out support
• Nice UI
• Good sound quality

Cons:

• No hot swappable memory card
• Slow performer when memory card filled up
• No macro mode for video recording
• No Xenon flash

Final Thoughts

The LG KU990 Viewty sets new standards for upcoming 5.0 Megapixel camera phones.Although not a smartphone the Viewty does have a peppy and fun to use UI.The big display and its light weight is bound to make users think about buying this phone ahead of iPhone after seeing its camera performance.Though it would have been great if LG could have brought some more features like macro mode for video recording or xenon flash but even in its current avatar it is great.A must buy if you want a great multimedia phone!

Rating: 4.25/5

Sony Ericsson W960

Sony Ericsson W960 takes a Walkman series to a completely new level and offers a wide range of exciting new features. W960 was announced by Sony Ericsson some time back amidst much fanfare and it generated a lot of hype but its launch came only recently. A big display with touchscreen support, Symbian OS, WiFi,8GB space, you will find all these under one roof : Sony Ericsson W960!

Sony Ericsson W960 specifications :

• Dimensions : 109 x 55 x 16 mm
• Weight : 119 g
• Display : 2.6″ TFT with 240 x 320 resolution
• Storage capacity : 8GB
• 128MB RAM
• 3.15 Megapixel camera with autofocus
• GPRS and 3G enabled
• WiFi 802.11b
• Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
• Symbian OS 9.1, UIQ 3.0
• Approx. Price : $650

The specifications sheet of the W960 is truly amazing and it features almost every feature except for EDGE which is a bit of disappointment. The W960 has many characteristics found in Sony Ericsson P1i such as same processor, same amount of RAM etc. but it is essentially a successor to Sony Ericsson W950 which did not gain much popularity.

Design and Display

The W960 has got good looks and its dimensions also also small. The weight stands at a relatively low 119 g almost same as its predecessor. On the front panel you will find only the standard keys along with the big 2.6″ touchscreen display. The front camera and earpiece are above the display. But the fun starts when you get to know that there are a bunch of touch sensitive keys below the display which activate when Music Player is opened. The Jog dial is on the left side along with stylus holder. The right side is pretty much standard with the volume keys and the camera shutter key. The back panel hold the 3.2 megapixel camera which comes with dual flash and Sony has provided nice finishing to the setup.

The display on the W960 is a 2.6″ TFT touch sensitive screen having a resolution of 240 x 320. The display supports 262K colors and has good visibility under sunlight. The contrast and saturation levels are although not upto the mark and do not bring out the crispness in the display clarity. The keypad is very ergonomic and comfortable to use and the backlighting complements the phone color nicely.

Symbian OS and Web Browser

The W960 comes loaded with Symbian OS 9.1 which is base of the UIQ 3.0 interface. It offers a whole lot of customisation options and also gives you the liberty to install 3rd party softwares apart from Java. The home screen itself brings the fact to life that this phone is a Walkman phone as you see a shortcut of Music player right is middle of the screen!

Apart from regulars like clock,battery,signal, the home screen offers you with a shortcut bar on which you can stuff upto 15 shortcuts. The home screen also is capable to displaying the visualisations associated with a music track which you would find only accessible through music player.

You find two pop-ups on the home screen for navigating you through the menus. The more softkey offers you the various connectivity options ,task manager, ring volume and other such stuff. The other triangular softkey gives access to more important tasks such as call management, contact management, organiser stuff etc. The options have been neatly organised and it is an ease to browse through them.

Opera Mobile 8.0 is the bundled browser with the phone. It is certainly one of the best you will find in mobile devices. It renders pages perfectly and is fast. It has support ranging from HTML,XHTML,CSS to Javascript,CSS,TSL and SSL. It has got all the armours in its kitty to make it a successful browser. Naturally the browsing experience is good on the phone!

Music Player and Camera

Music Player is a strong point of the phone which comes as no surprise. The touch sensitive multimedia keys on the display come in handy while operating the player. The interface on the player is very user-friendly and a fun to work with. Apart from custom playlists, the player hold the ability to create autoplaylists based on genre,latest addition,year,most played etc which is useful more often than not. The background visualisation really mesmerize you and you would keep gazing at them!

The speaker sound quality is soft but soothing. The bass is present but is limited. Overall the speaker is good only for casual listening while alone in a quite room. But Sony has compensated for that by providing a stereo Bluetooth headset which makes use of A2DP feature of the phone. You can plug in your own earphones too in it!

The Sony Ericsson W960 is equipped with a 3.2 megapixel camera compared to no camera in the W950. Landscape mode is the default mode for capturing pictures and videos. The toolbar at the bottom contains all the settings options for the camera. You get a dedicated macro mode in the autofocus settings. Some other manual settings include fixed focus, exposure control, white balance and the preset modes to choose from.

The camera quality of the W960 is very good and the pictures turn out pretty. The contrast and sharpness are upto the mark and the unit produces images better than Sony Ericsson P1i. The video quality is also good but is limited to 15fps at QVGA resolution. 30fps at QCIF resolution isn’t worth mentioning for its quality.

Pros :

• Touch sensitive display
• Excellent music player
• Great camera
• Symbian OS
• 8GB storage space
• WiFi enabled

Cons :

• Slows down when 8GB filled up
• No EDGE support
• No VGA video recording

Final Thoughts

The Sony Ericsson W960 is an excellent offering from Sony Ericsson and is surely bound to make some Nokia users turn its way. It offers unmatched features when compared to other Sony Ericsson phones. The excellent music player coupled with great camera is what will draw most users towards it. It you want a touchscreen phone will all the features then get this one.

My Rating : 4.25/5

HTC Touch Cruise

HTC released its latest Pocket PC ie. HTC Touch Cruise some time ago and it surely is a big improvement over HTC Touch that I reviewed on this blog some time ago. The Cruise also has better looks to go along with all the power that HTC has bestowed upon it! This one also has the revolutionary Touch-FLO interface but an improved version. It certainly will give other Pocket PCs a run for their money.

HTC Touch Cruise specifications:

• Dimensions : 110 x 58 x 15.5 mm
• Weight : 130 g
• Display : 2.8″ 65k color, 240 x 320
• 128MB RAM, 256MB ROM
• GPRS, EDGE, 3G
• WiFi 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
• 3.15 MP camera
• Built-in GPS receiver
• Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional
• Approx. Price: $700

Design and Display

The HTC Touch is one of the sleekest Pocket PCs in the market at just 15.5 mm. At 130 g it will hardly make your pocket heavier. The secondary camera is located on the top right side on the display and the earpiece has two LEDs attached to its edges which are used for giving the status of Bluetooth,WiFi and the battery. Below the big 2.8″ display are the regular Call and End keys along with the four navigation keys. HTC has also given preference to GPS and Internet Explorer by providing dedicated launch keys to them which are right below the Call/End keys.

The retail package is decent but it was surprising not to find a microSD card in it.It had all the regulars such as the charger, miniUSB cable, carrying pouch and the spare stylus which was pretty much expected. The screen protector and manuals complete the rest of package.

Coming to the display, the 2.8″ display is good but far from best. 65K colors is another deterrent along with the fingerprint prone screen. The visibility under sunlight is low. The display quality is good and brightness level is good. The display could have been better and HTC needs to look at it in its next device.

Camera and Media Player

The HTC Touch Cruise comes with a surprise : A 3.15 MP camera which is a rarity to be seen on Pocket PCs. But since they are becoming the norm HTC seems to have realised that and gone ahead and integrated one in the Cruise.It is a pleasure to use the camera coupled with a 2.8″ viewfinder and gives you the feel of a digital camera but sadly same is not the case with performance. The camera has autofocus and also a macro mode. The interface can be operated through your fingers itself. You get quite a few settings to customise yourself such as white balance,color effects,various modes etc. The camera also has a Panaroma mode but its ability is limited to VGA resolution.The picture quality is average most of the times and certainly not at par with other 3 MP cameras we have seen in Nokia or SE counterparts. The video quality is also average.

Customary to Windows Mobile devices, Windows Media Player is the default audio/video player on the device. It can also stream TV if you like. Media management isn’t an issue at all and your collection stays well organised all the time. Apart from WMP, HTC has also included a Audio Manager music player which I didn’t find any better than WMP. The video playback of VGA resolution movies results in a lot-of dropped frames. QVGA resolution movies played smoothly though. Looks like HTC needs to seriously look at tweaking hardware to gain maximum performance out of the processor.The audio quality is good enough for casual listening.

Windows Mobile OS and Web Browser

Windows Mobile 6 Professional is the OS on the HTC Touch Cruise and it has been in business for quite some time now.Nothing path-breaking but a simple and user-friendly interface is what you get with this OS.There are many pre-installed applications with the OS which are very useful. In the Cruise you also find that the Home tab has five separate tabs for five separate applications. The Home screen has the usual other parameters like the signal strength,battery level which are always on display. The OS is strong at multi-tasking and also offers support for third party applications.

Touch FLO gets improved in the Cruise and is more fun to work with.It makes navigation more easy and takes you away from using stylus all the time. The sensitivity has definitely improved and Cruise can detect commands more swiftly. Touch FLO is definitely one of the best features of the Cruise.

The Cruise has both the Internet Explorer and the Opera Mobile browsers installed which eliminates the need to install any other browser on the device. The display makes the browsing experience rich and when you have good browsers at your dispense it only gets better. Opera Mobile is faster at rendering pages and also has couple of more features up its sleeve.

Pros:

• Light and sleek
• 3 Megapixel camera
• WiFi and GPS support
• Enhanced Touch FLO
• Great browsing experience
• Good battery life

Cons:

• Display could have been better
• Video playback at VGA is choppy
• Average image quality

Final Thoughts

HTC Touch Cruise is definitely one of the best Pocket PCs in the market and is worth the money.Although there are some issues with it but that should matter to business users who will mostly be the ones using it.It is definitely a step-up from HTC Touch.

My Rating : 4/5

Canon Digital Rebel XTi

There are two basic types of digital cameras. There’s the point and shoot camera for your average person and then there is the single-lens reflex ( or SLR) cameras for the people who demand more out of their cameras.

Digital SLR cameras produce far better pictures than your point and shoot camera, but cost a lot more as well. We’ve reviewed a couple SLR’s at Digit Geek like the Nikon D40 and the baby brother of todays review, the Canon Digital Rebel XT.

The Canon Digital Rebel XTi (also known as the EOS 400D) improves on its brother, the Rebel XT, by including a larger LCD screen, a higher resolution sensor and a number of smaller, less noticeable improvements. The XTi has an impressive specification list including a 10.1 MP sensor, an integrated cleaning system and a large 2.5″ LCD screen.

Here are a few of the technical specifications for the Rebel XTi:

• Street Price: $699.99
• Resolution: 10.1MP
• Continuous shooting: 27 shots @ 3 fps
• Selectable metering: Yes
• ISO range: 100-1600
• Custom functions: Yes, 9
• Interface: USB 2.0

Things I like
The Canon Digital Rebel XTi has an impressive feature list. The 10.1MP sensor will give you enough detail to blow your pictures up to basically any size you’d ever need. I think the thing I like most about the XTi is the fact that it has a self cleaning sensor unit. This low pass filter cleans itself automatically with ultrasonic vibrations, removing dust from the sensor assembly. Dust that has been missed by the Integrated Self Cleaning Sensor Unit can also be erased with software included with the XTi.

I also like the fact that the XTi can now take up to 27 continuous shots. The Rebel XT could only take 14 and this was kind of frustrating if you wanted to take more (like a sequence at a sports game). The overall design of the XTi has stayed consistent with the XT (which I liked), so that’s also a plus.

The final thing I like about the XTi is that all of the shooting information is displayed on the LCD (which seems a lot bigger than the XT’s). This information is nice to have on the LCD because it’s easier to see than before.

Things I don’t like
The only thing I don’t like about the XTi is the feel of it. For me, when I’m holding the XTi it seems that my right hand is positioned awkwardly. This may just be due to the size of my hand but I do not care for the feel of the XTi. Other than this however, the camera really has no flaws from my standpoint.

Pros:

• High resoultioin
• Self cleaning sensor unit
• Longer continuous shooting
• Large LCD with more information displayed

Cons:

• Awkward grip

Final Thoughts
The Canon Digital Rebel XTi has pretty much replaced its little brother, the XT. If you’re in the market for a new low-end Digital SLR I 100% recommend the XTi, it’s a great camera and you really can’t go wrong.

Rating: 4.8 / 5

Canon PowerShot A590

Canon is well known for their digital point and shoot cameras. They’ve had a number of extremely successful lines but I think the most popular of their cameras would have to be the PowerShot. We’ve done a number of reviews on different PowerShot models like the G9, SX100, and the SD750, among other models.

Today’s review is of another Powershot model, the PowerShot A590 IS. This point and shoot camera will astound you with its power-packed performance and impressive value. It’s got 8.0-megapixels, a 4x optical zoom, an Optical Image Stabilizer and a large 2.5-inch LCD, all for a low price.

Here are a few of the technical specifications for the PowerShot A590:

• Street price: $199.99 approx.
• 8.1MP
• 2.5″ LCD
• ISO Sensitivity: 80 / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600
• Shutter Speed: 15-1/2000 sec
• Aperture: F2.6-F5.5

Things I like
The PowerShot A590 surprised me greatly when I first started using it. I judged the book by its cover before ever giving it a chance. The A590 made me think back to the good old days when cameras were chunky, slow and the quality was rather low. This camera isn’t going to impress anyone with its looks and will certainly never win any design awards, but what it doesn’t have in looks it makes up in performance.

The picture quality was a great surprise. I was taking pictures that looked as good as my Digital Rebel XT. The pictures come out crisp and clear and the numerous on-board functions allow you to take the shot that you want. The shutter speed is another thing I like about this camera. Often times, p&s cameras can only acheive a shutter speed of 1/1000 or 1/500 and this is rather annoying if you’re taking pictures of sporting events or fast moving objects. The A590 allows you to capture the perfect moment with a maximum shutter speed of 1/2000 seconds.

I love all of the different manual functions. This camera really made me think that I was using a digital SLR. Which is great considering its low price tag.

Things I don’t like
I have one minor annoyance and one major problem with this camera. The problem that I have with it is its slow picture to picture shooting speed with the flash. The camera could capture a new picture once every 2.3 seconds with the flash disabled. With the flash turned on, that wait more than doubled to an anguishing 5.2 seconds. 5.2 seconds between pictures is absolutely ridiculous. I don’t want to wait that long for another picture.

The only minor annoyance I have with the A590 IS is its appearance. This camera is the ugly duckling of the PowerShot line. Most of the other cameras are sleek and sexy but the A590 IS just looks awkward.

Pros:

• Great picture quality
• Fast shutter speed
• Lots of manual functions
• Inexpensive

Cons:

• Not the sleekest device
• Slow shooting speed

Final Thoughts
The Canon PowerShot A590 IS is an excellent sub-$200 camera. It has a lot of manual features and the picture quality is excellent. It’s shooting time between shots is rather slow if the flash is turned on and it doesn’t look the best but overall its a great camera.

Rating: 4.2/5

Nokia N95 8GB

Nokia came out with their complete multimedia device aka. Nokia N95 exactly an year back an created a wake in the cellphone market.Nokia has taken a step further by improving the flaws in the device and bringing out a much improved version of the device name Nokia N95 8GB. Although Nokia N95 8GB is not perfect and has its share of defects but it surely is a hell of a device and certainly the best cellphone in the market right now according to me.

Nokia N95 8GB specifications:

• Dimensions : 99 x 53 x 21 mm
• Weight : 128 g
• Display : 2.8″ TFT 16M colors, 240 x 320
• Memory : 8GB internal
• 5 Megapixel camera with autofocus
• GPRS,HSCSD,EDGE,3G
• WiFi: 802.11 b/g,UPnP
• Built-in GPS receiver
• Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• OS: Symbian 9.2 rel 3.1
• Approx Price: $700

Design and Display

The basic design of the phone goes unchanged and the phone is still a dual slider phone, a first of its kind which got down well with the users.The all black body is made of high quality plastic but is prone to fingerprints which thankfully are not much visible.The front camera and the light sensor are located at the top right side.The card slot is no longer present due to the huge inbuilt memory present.The slider mechanism is smooth in all the three directions.Power key is at the top as usual.The left side contains the speakers,audio jack and IR port.Right side contains the other speaker,volume keys and camera keys.The most noticeable change is with the camera as the lens cover is removed and the LED flash has been placed right below the lens.

The display has undergone a increment of 0.2″ to become a 2.8″ display.The display quality is remarkably good and you won’t find absolutely any difficulty even in bright sunlight.I did find the clarity of the display to be better than the N95-1.Display although is also plagued by the fingerprint problem.The keypad is the same expect for the fact that the backlighting color has been changed from blue to white which complements the black color perfectly.

Music Player and Camera

They have been the forte of the N95 that make it a complete multimedia device.The music player has not gone any transformations, which is a bit of disappointment as I had expected something new on this front.Although there are no grudges with the current music player as it is fully capable of doing all the expected tasks be it sorting tracks,setting equalizers or creating playlists.The audio quality goes unchanged over N95-1 which is a big disappointment.Newer phones such as N81 or N82 offer better music quality and it is a shame that Nokia did not provide same level of experience on its premier device.

The camera has not gone any major changes except of the removal of the lens cover and repositioning of the LED flash.Integration on Xenon flash would have been great.The changes that were brought about through firmware changes in N95-1 reflect on the N95 8GB.The image quality has not got any improvement , though it is still one of the best you can get from existing 5.0 megapixel cellphone cameras in the market.

OS and Web browser

The N95 8GB is powered by Symbian 9.2 OS with the Series60 3rd Edition user interface.The 128MB memory on the device is enough for all you multi-tasking needs.Demand paging has also been included in the OS though it is not a standard part of OS 9.2. Navigation through menus is quick and applications open up in a snap.

The screen rotation has got better but still no animation like iPhone.Multiple alarms,unlimited voice recording are now standard features.The phonebook can store unlimited contacts with great details of every contact.The gallery is a pleasure to work with as the 3D view is refreshing.Zooming in and out of photos is quicker and slideshow can be customized according to your needs.

File management is very good and sending multiple files is a breeze.Search has taken a step further as now you can start a search from active standby itself.Organizer as expected has everything that you need to manage your tasks.

The browsing experience on the device is great and the default browser does the job very well.The browser manages to fit every page perfectly well on the screen.Virtual cursor does it job nicely without any hiccups.Zooming level can be adjusted by a few key presses.Mini-map feature is also available which comes in very handy for large web pages.Overall it provides rich browsing experience.

Pros:

• Big 2.8″ display
• Great 5.0 MP camera
• Massive amount of RAM
• Audio jack
• Built-in GPS and WiFi
• TV-out function included
• Massive 8GB storage

Cons:

• No lens cover
• Unimproved audio quality
• Unimproved camera performance
• No Xenon Flash

Final Thoughts

Nokia N95 8GB is definitely an improvement over Nokia N95 , but it does leave room for improvement. A better camera quality and audio quality are my only complaints with this device but that’s how Nokia likes it. 8GB is huge and the fact that you can use the device as a removable drives makes it even more useful.Bigger display is another notable improvement.Nokia N95 8GB still is a device anybody would love to own, so if you have the money then go buy it!

Rating: 4.3/5

Top 10 Mobiles

Cellphones are released everyday but only few survive the fight to live long in the hands of the consumer! There have been many exciting cellphones that have been released off-late that not only take functionality to a new level but also add a lot of glamor to one’s personality. I have reviewed the best cellphones across various categories and I will list them all here to help you compare them and help you make your decision easier!

1. Nokia N95 8GB

The complete multimedia device with all the looks that money can buy! It has everything ranging from 5 megapixel camera to 8GB internal memory. The phones excels at imaging and multimedia tasks and the big 2.8″ screen is sheer pleasure to work with . WiFi,GPS,3G, this phone has it all. The phone is a fast performer and has all the ingredients that make it a ‘mini-computer’.

2. Nokia N82

The Nokia N82 is a bar phone and is very much similar to the N95, but it has a few more tricks up its sleeve. The phone is a first from Nokia to feature Xenon flash which delivers amazing performance in night shots and can be considered as a replacement to entry level digital cameras in the market.Average looks do not go well with its personality but that will change when the all black Nokia N82 comes out soon.

3. Sony Ericsson W960

This one is revolutionary phone from Sony Ericsson and has loads of features starting from touchscreen to a 3.2 megapixel camera. The device excels at playing music as well as taking great images.8GB internal memory is an added advantage along with integration of WiFi. All in all it is great device and being Symbian it will attract lot of Nokia users also.

4. LG Viewty KU990

A LG phone made it to the list! The phone takes the imaging in cellphones to a new era with support for VGA recording at 30fps which is really cool and the images taken are also amazing. The interface on the phone is flash based and different from the rest and is operated through the stylus or your fingers. TV-out support also comes with this cellphone. A ‘different’ phone that sets it apart from the crowd.

5. Sony Ericsson P1i

P1i is an excellent offering from Sony Ericsson in the PDA department. Sony Ericsson has always come out with great Pocket PC devices and here is yet another example. The device manages to get almost all the things right. A 3.2 megapixel camera does a good job at imaging but lacks in the video department. Handwriting recognition , Symbian UIQ 9.1 OS , WiFi are some of the nifty features of the P1i. It is one the best Pocket PC devices and absolutely worth buying.

6. Apple iPhone

Apple has done a remarkably good job on its first cellphone it introduced in the market. The device has generated a lot of hype and interest all over the word and selective availability has resulted in ‘unlocked’ versions selling all over the world. A lot has changed with the device after a series of firmware upgrades and various annoying restrictions were removed. But what set the nail on the head was the announcement of the iPhone-SDK that sets the path for development of 3rd party Apps on the device which will take the experience to a new level. All of you would already know about its features like Multi-Touch, huge 3.5″ display, accelerometer etc. It is the device with the highest flaunt value and increasing functionality!

7. HTC Touch Cruise

A strong competitor to the Sony Ericsson Pi1 , the phone is an improved version of the HTC Touch which had a few drawbacks. TouchFLO interface is fun to work with and makes navigation easier. Camera quality is not a strong point of the phone and display also could have been a bit better. Otherwise there are no drawbacks with this device and performs all the tasks a PocketPC can with utter smoothness.

8. Nokia N81 8GB

This device is aimed at music lovers who do not want to compromise on music quality. Apart from being a music phone the N81 is also a gaming device and belongs to the Nokia N-Gage gaming platform. The display is breathtaking and will leave you spellbound. NaviWheel is another great invention by Nokia. Inbuilt 8GB memory will never hurt. Bulky weight and average keypad are its only deterrents.

9. Sony Ericsson K850i

Sony Ericsson has done a great job by integrating almost a lot of features in this phone. Although the display is not big but you get a plethora of features like GPRS,EDGE,3G, 5 megapixel camera with xenon flash,motion sensor etc. WiFi is one thing which you will miss in this phone.Motion sensor is a cool feature aka. accelerometer of iPhone. The 5 megapixel camera with xenon flash paves the way for great imaging experience. Sound quality is another strong point. Only if it has symbian!

10. Sony Ericsson W910

Looks are of prime importance with this phone. Big display, good keypad, extremely thin, new Walkman 3.0 player are some of the positive points of this phone. Camera is not a strong point of this phone.The speakers are pretty loud and ShakeControl and ShakeMe are excellent additions. The phone also comes with a good accessory bundle. There are other phones with better functionality but they don’t look as sexy as W910!

Lenovo ThinkPad X300

Lenovo ThinkPad X300 is light weight and ultraportable offering Lenovo and aims at giving serious competition to the recently released Apple Macbook Air. Although the X300 can not be compared to Macbook Air in terms of thickness but that can also be attributed to the fact that it comes pre-installed with a DVD-RW drive. The laptop is aimed for professionals who do not want to lose out on productivity when on the move.

Lenovo ThinkPad X300 specifications:

• Dimensions : 12.5 x 9.1 x 0.73 inches
• Intel Core2Duo 1.2 Ghz
• 2GB 667Mhz RAM
• 64GB solid state hard drive
• Display : 13.3″
• GPS, Wireless USB
• Graphics : Intel GMA X3100
• Weight : 3.4 pounds
• Operating System : Windows XP Professional
• Base Price: $2476

The ThinkPad has undergone a few cosmetic changes to make it look more attractive.The laptop although has the regular ThinkVantage button,fingerprint reader,keyboard light etc. The ports from the front edge have been shifted to the back edge to reduce the thickness.

The ThinkPad also features a 1.3 megapixel webcam along with noise-cancelling microphone for web conferencing.The display has a native resolution of 1440 x 900 which beats Macbook Air’s resolution.The high resolution on a 13.3″ screen does sometimes cause a few problems in reading small text but that can be sorted out by zooming in a bit on those pages.

The keyboard found on this ThinkPad is similar to ones you would find on 14″ or 15″ models from Lenovo which to say the least is good.Although the keyboard is a touch better on Macbook Air but ThinkPad x300’s keyboard is good enough for day to day usage.

The touchpad is quite smooth to use but your wrist might accidentally touch it when using the wrist rest sending the cursor awry.The laptop lacks an memory card reader but compensates much more by adding GPS ,Wireless USB,mobile network WWAN.The Thinkpad puts Macbook to shame by incorporating two USB ports,a Ethernet port and a DVD burne, none of which can be found on the Macbook Air.

The ThinkPad X300 is strong performer as it couples a C2D processor with 2GB RAM.The Macbook Air takes the lead in the processing department due to its 1.8Ghz processor.The ThinkPad has a six-cell battery which lasts above 4 hours on average usage and is comparable to Macbook Air’s battery life.The warranty has been dropped to a single year with extended warranty coming at a premium of $119.

Pros:

• Extremely Thin
• Light Weight
• High Resolution
• Built in GPS,Wireless USB,WWAN
• Two USB ports,Ethernet port
• Good performer

Cons:

• Expensive
• Awkward touchpad location
• Slower processor compared to Macbook Air
• Only 1-year standard warranty

Final Thoughts

The Lenovo ThinkPad X300 is a brilliant offering from Lenovo and gives serious competition to Apple Mackbook Air.It also corrects the various shortcomings of the Macbook Air like the integration of Ethernet port and the DVD burner.The laptop comes at an expensive price tag.

Rating: 3.3/5

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W90

One of the most important features on a camera is how quickly it can take a photo. Some of the other cameras we have reviewed have had relatively slow picture to picture speeds (time it takes to take two pictures successively). This can be important when you’re taking pictures in a sequence or trying to capture something that’s moving quickly.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W90 has a fairly quick picture to picture speed of 1 second and can take up to 15 pictures at a rate of 2frames per second. From the outside, the W90 looks almost indistinguishable from its 7-megapixel sibling. Its slim metal body measures less than 0.9 inch thick and weighs only 5.3 ounces with battery and Memory Stick Duo. Unfortunately, just like the W80, its small, flat buttons can feel uncomfortable to large-thumbed users.

Here are a few of the technical specifications for the Cyber-shot DSC-W90:

• Street price: $199.99 approx.
• 8.1MP
• 2.5″ LCD
• ISO Sensitivity: 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200
• Shutter Speed: 1/4 - 1/1600
• Aperture: F2.8-F14.8

Things I like
The thing I like most about the Cyber-shot DSC-W90 is all of the included on-board software. Sony went all out including, double “anti-blur” which reduces both subject shake blur and camera shake blur through an intelligent combination of an optical image stabilizer and high sensitivity shooting up to ISO3200. Theres also face detection software and a number of tools to edit pictures, change the dynamic range and a number of other things.

I also like the size of this camera. It’s really small so it won’t be a burden if you’re going on long trips where you don’t want a lot of weight. I was able to put this camera in my pocket while I went on a roller coaster and it didn’t feel awkward. The other thing I like about this camera is the fact that it produces good pictures even at low sensitivity levels.

Things I don’t like
To me the buttons on the DSC-W90 feel a little weird. While the size of this camera is definitely a plus it is also a negative for me. I don’t have large hands but holding this camera often felt awkward. That really is the only problem I have with this camera. While it doesn’t have the performance of the Canon Powershot G9, it’s $300 cheaper so you can expect that.

Pros:

• Quick Response time
• Respectable resolution
• Small size
• Lots of on-board functionality

Cons:

• Small, awkward buttons

Final Thoughts
For everyone wanting to buy a inexpensive, but high-quality point and shoot camera, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W90 is a solid choice. With a quick response time and generally good picture quality you really can’t go wrong.