Yuilop: Free to Mobile Calling and SMS

Yuilop is a peer-to-peer VoIP service that runs on your smartphone's data plan. Yuilop gives you a cloud-based, non-SIM telephone number that's dialable from the public switched telephone system; you can then make Yuilop-to-landline and mobile calls across the world. Your caller doesn't need the app. No money changes hands.

Yuilop is available for free in the Google Play Store.

I know, from correspondence that I receive, that readers of this column are pretty global, spread all over the world and in some pretty distant places. That's why I was intrigued when I came across VoIP Android app Yuilop.

Here's an app that promises to provide the hitherto unknown Holy Grail of international voice and text calling: free calls to overseas cellphones, or "mobiles" as they are called where some of you are.

Yuilop VoIP Android app

We all know about free peer-to-peer Skype-to-Skype calling, where friends and family install apps and make voice calls over a proprietary network system. We know about Google Voice, the U.S.-offered service with free U.S. domestic calls paired with its brother, the GrooveIP Android app, for full functionality on a mobile device.

We also know about permutations of the services, where it's possible to buy Skype-to-landline, or to-mobile minutes; and Google Voice international telco calling. Both are a couple of cents to a landline, and 20 or so cents to overseas mobiles.

That, in turn, is the rub. A couple of cents to a landline, who cares; for some countries, though, the 25 cents a minute at Skype and even 10 cents at Google Voice adds up.

It's not the days of the dollar-a-minute calls we saw just a few years ago, but it isn't free. And free is what Yuilop promises.

What Is It?

Yuilop is a peer-to-peer VoIP service that runs on your smartphone's data plan. Yuilop gives you a cloud-based, non-SIM telephone number that's dialable from the public switched telephone system; you can then make Yuilop-to-landline and mobile calls across the world. Your caller doesn't need the app. No money changes hands.

Topping Up

The service uses "credits" rather than cash. Credits are obtained by inviting friends to join and getting them to sign up; chatting; "top-up offers," which include downloading, installing and launching other apps; and participating in offers, which usually require you to enter personal details, like emails. Credits-gaining examples, which Yuilop calls "Energy," include 42 credits for the chance to win a free McDonald's lunch for a year -- in exchange for your email.

For perspective, mobile calls tend to vary widely, costing three credits a minute for some European countries, like France; one credit for China; and 10 credits for relatively expensive Philippines. A call to an Azerbaijan mobile via Skype would cost you US$0.30, or 22 credits with Yuilop.

Testing It Out

First up, I have to say that the call quality was excellent. I heard no static, white noise or other indications of cheapskate-ery on the calls. I was also able to successfully send a text to an overseas mobile.

Unfortunately, I have to advise of huge problems in the sign-up process, including a widely reported (by Google Play store reviewers) lack of activation code. Despite numerous e-mails to Customer Service, it took days to receive, and I still don't know where to enter the code within the app -- I am able to make calls though.

Or perhaps I should say, I'm able to make one call. I've already used up my app installing included 10 credits on a couple-of-minutes call to a European mobile and on the text I sent, which used up three credits. Additional credit for downloading and opening eBay's solid RedLaser shopping app never appeared in my account, and I don't want to eat McDonald's every lunchtime for a year, so I'm passing on the 42 additional credits, however kind, in exchange for more Yuilop calls.

The Conclusion

For U.S. mobile phone-terminating calls and texts in the U.S., free Google Voice, along with Android app GrooveIP, is the way to go.

If your calling is more global in nature and includes mobiles, you might want to spend a bit of time figuring out and configuring Yuilop. The developer claims 5 million users, so it should be doable. Free-to-mobile calling is a compelling proposition.

Want to Suggest an Android App for Review?

Is there an Android app you'd like to suggest for review? Something you think other Android users would love to know about? Something you find intriguing but aren't sure it's worth your time or money?

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Micromax Canvas Magnus A117 Snap Review

The Micromax Canvas Magnus A117 has been released in India in the mid-range phablet category and it will set you back by about U$238. The product page of the phone is yet to go live on the official company website, but that has not deterred Snapdeal to sell it on its shopping portal.

This smartphone is best suited for people who are on the lookout for a huge, wallet-friendly phablet. Its front panel is fitted with a 5-inch IPS touchscreen that is accompanied by multiple sensors and a 2MP webcam that facilitates video conferencing over the internet. On flipping the phone over, interested customers will find a 12MP camera with flash and of course, the ability to capture decent-quality videos.

Within the confines of the stylish exterior, resides a quad core processer that can clock in a maximum speed of 1.5GHz. It seeks assistance from 1GB of RAM to ensure smooth multitasking at all times. There’s 4GB of onboard memory which can easily be expanded by up to 32GB with the little assistance from a microSD card.

Furthermore, the Micromax handset operates with the assistance of the Android Jelly Bean 4.2 OS and should offer access to the Google Play store. The 3G-enabled device draws power from a 2000mAh battery that should keep it charged up for usage time of at least an entire day. Communication options like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have also been thrown into the mix.

Potential buyers can purchase the Micromax Canvas Magnus from Snapdeal for a price of U$238.

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Linksys PAP2T-NA 2-ATA Review

The Linksys PAP2T-NA 2-Line analog telephone adapter(ata) allows you to connect your analog telephones to voip servers. It supports the SIP protocol and has been reliable, loud and clear. It supports audible message waiting indicator(mwi) and also visual message waiting indicator so the message waiting light shows upon my Panasonic cordless phone. I have found a Canadian supplier(no brokerage charges) and it is available at a great price.

The web interface is clear and extensive. It is extremely configurable and I have not found any negatives yet. I highly recommend it.

The “NA” version is unlocked and is not tied to any specific service provider.

Linksys PAP2T

The Linksys PAP2T Internet Phone Adapter enables high-quality feature-rich VoIP (voice over IP) service through your broadband Internet connection. Just plug it into your home Router or Gateway and use the two standard telephone ports to connect analogue phones or use one of the ports for a fax machine.

Linksys PAP2T VoIP Adapter Overview

The Linksys PAP2T-NA Internet Phone Adapter enables high-quality feature-rich VoIP (voice over IP) service through your broadband Internet connection. Just plug the Linksys PAP2T into your home Router or Gateway and use the two standard telephone ports to connect analog phones or use one of the ports for a fax machine. Each phone port operates independently, with separate phone service and phone numbers, like having two telephone lines. You'll get clear reception and a reliable fax connection, even while using the Internet at the same time.

Linksys PAP2T Features and Functions

• Enables feature-rich telephone service over your broadband Internet connection
• Two standard telephone ports for analog phones or use one of the ports for a fax machine, each with an independent phone number
• High quality, clear sounding voice service simultaneous with Internet use
• Compatible with all common telephone features: Caller ID, Call Waiting, Voicemail, etc.

Linksys PAP2T Downloads

Cisco PAP2T, SPA-2102, SPA-3102, SPA-8000, SPA-8800 Admin Guide (Size: 2.7 MB)
Cisco PAP2T Datasheet (Size: 111.9 KB)
Cisco PAP2T User Guide (Size: 1.8 MB)
Cisco PAP2T Quick Start Guide (Size: 46.3 KB)

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THL W100 Snap Review

The THL W100 is a fascinating smartphone. What you find in the box, the spec sheet, and the features will really make you curious and want to test one out. For starters the box comes with two batteries (lol). This is the first time we’ve ever unboxed a smartphone with two batteries inside the packaging, hehe. It also has very competitive specifications for a budget offering: 4.5-inch qHD IPS display, quad-core CPU, 1GB RAM, and even a 5MP front-facing camera. Awesome that it sells for just Php6,999!

THL W100 Specification

• 1.2GHz MTK6589 quad-core CPU
• PowerVR SGX 544MP GPU
• 1GB RAM
• 4GB Internal Storage, expandable via MicroSD
• 4.5-inches IPS display, qHD 960×540 resolution
• 8.0-megapixels primary camera
• 5.0-megapixels secondary camera
• Dual-SIM, Dual Standby
• 3G, WiFi, WiFi Hotspot, GPS, Bluetooth
• 1,800mAh Battery (x2)
• Android 4.2.1

Packaging and Unboxing of the THL W100

The THL W100 came in a clean white hard carton box. Product shot was up front with the specifications at the back. While it’s not printed on the packaging, the in-store collaterals of the THL W100 carries the slogan “Your Selfie Mate”. It’s a play on “Soul Mate”. The “selfie” references to the 5MP front-facing camera which is supposed to take good photos of your glamorous moments. Anyway, specifications are listed on the back as we wrote it above.

Unboxing was the usual process. Removed the circular shaped tape (whoever makes these tapes is probably making a fortune since almost all gadget boxes have ‘em). Pulled the top lid. Greeted immediately by the phone.

We’ll get to the actual unit in a bit. Underneath the phone is the usual compartment for accessories and peripherals. The good news is that THL stuffed it with a few extras. Other than the micro USB to USB cable, wall charger, earphones, and manuals, they also put in a screen protector fit to match the screen of the THL W100 and… an extra 1800mAh battery. Yes folks, the box comes with two batteries (the other one is loaded already in the phone).

What’s the use of another battery? Lots. You can keep it charged at 100% and just swap it in and out once you need more power. This way you don’t need to bring a bulky power bank and just bring the slim battery with you. That’s really the beauty of having a smartphone with a removable back plate.

We definitely appreciate the extras! Two thumbs up to THL for a great unboxing experience!

Hardware Impressions

Now we get to the hardware. The THL W100 is NOT a slim and sezzy phone, hehe. It’s actually around 10.3mm thick which is just the medium size level of smartphones. It weighs in at 135g which is not really “hefty” but it’s enough to assure you that what you’re holding is solid, compact, and can probably take a mid-level drop or two.

In terms of materials the dominant one is plastic. Fortunately the manufacturers were able to squeeze it in as much as possible so that there’s little air in between the internals and the outer shell. You won’t feel and soft plastics if you press down on the THL W100. We also kinda dig the very thing silver band that runs along the sides of the THL W100. Usually the chrome band on smartphones is thick. The thin one is not only refreshing to see but it’s actually cool, hehe.

The back has a smooth and very fine matte finish. It’s not the cheap kind of matte finish that’s a magnet for finger prints and smudges. The THL logo is proudly displayed at the center and the 8MP shooter is on the top center part with the LED flash just under it. “Technology Happy Life” is printed at the bottom which is apparently the meaning of the letters “T”, “H”, and “L”.

Up front we have the 4.5-inch display. Resolution is qHD or 960×540 pixels. It’s not too bad but the quality difference compared to an HD display is definitely noticeable, much so if OGS technology is applied. What’s applaudable is that they were able to squeeze in IPS technology despite the low price. This makes viewing angles much better. Truth be told one can’t really complain with the resolution since this is being sold for just Php6,999. That’s already great value for money seeing as a lot of other smartphones past Php10,000 still have the same resolution.

Everything considered about the hardware we feel that the THL W100 is a solid, sturdy, and compact smartphone. It’s easy to manage and use thanks to the form factor and it delivers the punch you need because of what’s under its hood.

Performance Impressions

Now we get to software. The default ROM is MIUI, the same one used by Xiaomi and the same launcher we saw with the THL W100′s bigger brother, the THL W11 Monkey King. It’s the overly customized Android UI which does away with the Android app tray and offers multiple paid and free themes that you can download via the Miui store (pre-loaded). If you want to remove Miui you can either do a full reset or you can just download another launcher from the Google Play store.

So what can the THL W100 handle? Well pretty much everything! It has a quad-core processor with 1GB RAM and we all know that’s usually the base minimum for a good Android experience. We tried a variety of apps already ranging from games with intensive graphics to photo editing apps and your usual social networking tools. All of them ran smoothly and without any major problems. Note though that the graphics intensive games took a while to load. That’s the limitation of the Mediatek quad-core processor.

Initial Verdict: It Gives the Cherry Mobile Razor a Run For It’s Money

So what’s our initial verdict? Well for Php6,999 this is a kick ass phone! It’s so kick ass it can give the Cherry Mobile Razor a run for it’s money! It may not have the crazy thin build but it does offer a solid, reliable, and nice Android experience wrapped in a compact and sturdy body. Not only that, both front and back cameras actually take decent photos (unlike the Razor which has a crappy front-facing shooter).

Two thumbs up to THL for this awesome offering. If you guys are looking for an affordable quad-core smartphone with little compromises, this is it.

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Huawei Honor 3 Snap Review

Huawei has just released the third version of its popular mid-range phone. The Huawei Honor 3, or Glory 3 in some markets, is now available, but so far only in Chinese markets.

The Honor 3 first entered our radars back in May, when it was rumored to take on Samsung in the Chinese market, rivaling the Galaxy S 4. However, the specs that were later leaked revealed instead a mid-range phone, and it seems to have turned out that way indeed. The phone sports Huawei’s own quad-core K3V2 chip running at 1.5GHz and has 2 GB of RAM with 8 GB of internal storage, which is expandable with a microSD card. The Honor 3 runs Android 4.2.2 with Huawei’s Emotion UI on top.

That isn’t the end of the story, though. Huawei also threw in some rather interesting features. First, the Honor 3 features a 13.1 megapixel Exmor RS rear camera and a 1 megapixel front camera. It is also claimed to be water and dust resistant with a rating of IP55 or IP57, making it resistant not just to wet hands but to immersion under water. And finally, it has an infrared transmitter that the manufacturer claims is compatible with around 3,000 models of appliances ranging from TVs to set-top boxes, to even air conditioning units.

The Huawei Honor 3 is now available with a price tag of 1888 yuan, or around $310. If this smartphone has intrigued you, you might have to wait and hope for a while as there is no news yet whether it will be made available to markets other than China.

While we’ve ever covered the news about the new Huawei Honor 3 Android smartphone, is now we have a dozens picture of Huawei Honor 3 picture, this phone is very interesting since has IP57 certification, it’s mean the phone has water, dust and shock ressistant.

Huawei Honor 3 built-in new 1.5GHz Hisilicon K3V2e processor, 4.7-inch incell IPS screen with 1280x720pixel display, 2GB RAM and 8GB ROM, and 13-megapixel/F2.2 rear camera, own 2230mAh battery. While the body of Huawei Honor 3 is more thinner than predecessor with only 133×67.2×9.9mm dimension.

Here are the picture of Huawei Honor 3 Smartphone :

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KakaoTalk Free Calls and SMS Review

KakaoTalk is a communication tool for smartphone users allowing them to make free calls to contacts using the same service and to send text messages for free. Many other features are included with the service. The most interesting point with it is that it does not require the user to register and use a nickname, and uses their mobile phone number for identifying them. KakaoTalk is available for the iPhone, for Android phones, for BlackBerry and Windows Phone, and works on Wi-Fi and 3G networks. At the time I am writing this, the user base of KakaoTalk is reaching 50 million.

Pros

• No need to register, use your mobile phone number.
• Unlimited free calls and text messages to other KakaoTalk users.
• Group text messages.
• Huge user base.
• Many other features.

Cons

• No calling and messaging to non-KakaoTalk users, not even paid service.
• Not available for most phone models including Nokia, Symbian etc.
• Dependent on Wi-Fi or 3G signals.
• No video.

Review

KakoTalk is a Korea-based VoIP service that resembles Viber a lot. Services like this that give free calls and other communication services for free to other in-network users are numerous, but what I find more interesting with services like KakaoTalk is that it uses your phone number to identify you and does not require you to register for a username.

The service can be used exclusively with people who are already users of KakaoTalk. You can’t place calls to other landline and mobile numbers, not even if you pay. So you will be happy and save money with the service only if you have buddies using it and with whom you communicate frequently. For this reason, the huge number of users using this service (reaching 50 million) makes it interesting.

KakaoTalk is also used as a social networking tool, as a means to meet new people and to chat. It has features that allow you to search for people using their names, their numbers and their email account. It manages to get hold of people and their information so easily that it makes me think a lot on security and privacy issues. For instance, when I installed and set up the app on my Android device, it automatically fed in one of my phone numbers. It was actually an old number that is no longer active. How did they get that kind of information?

One thing you need with the service is constant connectivity wherever you are. While it uses your mobile phone number to identify you, it has nothing to do with your cellular network. It relies exclusively on your 3G or Wi-Fi connection. If your smartphone is not connected, you just can’t use it.

Using the service with mobility is finally not fully free. You need to consider the cost of a 3G data plan. It is fully free when used in a Wi-Fi hotspot, but that limits you considerably in mobility.

KakaoTalk has some more features. The Plus Friend feature allows users to obtain benefits and multimedia content like songs and videos by adding artists and celebrities as their friends. The app integrates your contact list and adds friends automatically to your chat sessions once they are online. KakoTalk actually offers an ID for each user and you use it to identify your friends on the network. You can import and export friend lists, and view each friend’s mini profile. You can also register your favorite friends. The app provides funny voice filters that you can apply to your voice when engaged in voice calls. It also gives useless but funny emoticons, that are animated.

KakaoTalk also allows you to share your multimedia files like images and videos, but also links, contact information, and voice messages.

You can use your KakaoTalk account with only one phone number. If you change your phone number, you will need to complete another number registration process.

You will have to be cautious when making calls using KakaoTalk. If you select a phone number that is not recognized in the KakoTalk service, the app will let you place the call using your mobile minutes. Make sure before calling whether you are making free or paid calls.

Finally, a word about group chatting, which gives the app its social networking touch. The number of friends you can have in a group chat session in unlimited, and you can add friends therein at any time. If all the friends are KakaoTalk users, the whole session will be free for everyone. You can also choose to make voice calls to a friend in the chat session.

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Google Nexus 7 Review

I viewed Google I/O, Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) and the first Nexus tablet as Google's last chance to deliver a knockout in the tablet space before the onslaught of Windows 8 and Windows RT devices later this year. While the show was undoubtedly a success, I don't know that the market for $499+ Android tablets has a life after Windows 8/RT hit. We should see Windows RT tablets at $499, and Ivy/Haswell based Windows 8 tablets will handle the higher price points.

It seems that Google also realized this as the Nexus 7, its first Nexus branded tablet, starts at just $199. There's a huge market for tablets as a primary computing device, and I believe Windows RT/8 offers something unique and compelling for that usage model. At the same time however, there's decent demand for a tablet to augment your existing computing world. It's a far more specific usage model but one that really demands a lower price point. Users are willing to spend a lot for something that does everything in your life, but for something that's more nice than necessity, price matters even more.

The Nexus 7 is aimed at the latter. It's a device for users who need ultra portability and tons of battery life for content consumption. While Apple has been quietly empowering the iPad to be a content creation device, and dockable Windows 8/RT tablets will attempt to replace your notebook, the Nexus 7 is a more traditional ARM based tablet by default.

It's clearly Google that I have to thank because the Nexus 7 is the most solidly built ASUS tablet I've ever used. That's not to say that its predecessors were examples of shoddy workmanship, it's just that the Nexus 7 is damn near perfect. The back has a great grip to it. The whole thing actually feels like a well made book because of the soft touch plastic back. The book comparison is sort of hilarious because it's a feel that Amazon couldn't get right with its overly generic Kindle Fire. The book illusion stops once your hands touch the glass for obvious reasons, but man does it feel nice to hold.

The Nexus 7 feels considerably lighter than the Kindle Fire, but I still had to prop it up on something or hold it in two hands if I was going to use it for a long period of time.

The power button and volume rocker are placed much like they would be on a phone - at the top right edge of the device. The sole buttons on the device do feel a bit ambiguous, something I feel that I would get used to over time. I had the disadvantage of switching between several tablets during this review and never did get used to the position and feel of the buttons on the N7. That's probably the biggest gripe I have about the design of the device. In other words, there's not much to hate.

The Nexus 7 features two mics for noise canceling action (likely in support of Google Now). You get NFC, Bluetooth and 802.11n WiFi but there's no LTE option as of now. I know there's internal debate about releasing an LTE enabled version at some point in the future.

Cost is the major selling point for the Nexus 7: for $199 Google will sell you an 8GB version with a $25 credit at the Google Play store, along with some preloaded magazines, books and a movie (Transformers: Dark of the Moon). It's tough to buy a new tablet and not buy apps for it, so the $25 credit is likely to be incredibly useful - making the effective retail price of the Nexus 7 $174. If you want 16GB of storage the price does go up to $249 however. Unfortunately even Google is not above charging $50 for $4 of MLC NAND.

The limited NAND capacity prevents the Nexus 7 from being home to more than a single full length movie or a couple of TV shows. Streaming video content isn't a problem, Netflix works beautifully on the device but there's no hope if you want to keep a ton of content local. Unfortunately USB OTG isn't supported for storage, so you're left with no other option for expanding local storage (short of rooting the device).

In every sense outside of portability, a 10-inch display is much nicer to look at than a 7-inch one in my opinion. There's less zooming in you need to do on web pages or magazines. Text in general is just easier to read and perhaps I'm getting too old, but there's something nice about everything being comfortably bigger.

Does the Nexus 7's form factor make it feel substantially better than using a smartphone? Yes, I'd say so. The same reasons I gave above for a 10-inch tablet being nicer to use than a 7-inch tablet are equally applicable to 7-inch tablet vs. a smartphone. There's this size/usability optimization curve that requires some soul searching to figure out exactly where you land on it. I suspect most people fall into the small smartphone + large tablet dichotomy, but the beauty of this current mobile revolution is the availability of choice. The Nexus 7 in many ways is very much like the 11-inch MacBook Air. A bit impractical for many, but those who crave portability are drawn to it. The Nexus 7 still feels like you're using a tablet, just a small one.

I needn't dwell on the benefits of a 7-inch form factor for portability any longer. If I'm wearing baggy enough pants I can even pocket the Nexus 7, something I simply couldn't do with the iPad. I'm more likely to carry the Nexus 7 with me than I would the iPad, but the comparison isn't quite as open and shut as that. The iPad offers LTE, the Nexus 7 is more portable, the iPad is easier to look at, the Nexus 7 is more affordable...the back and forth is endless.

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Qwerty : What Makes You Say Yes to Touch Screen?

Since the release of Apple’s first iPhone in 2007, touch screen phones have become increasingly popular with smartphone users. Many smartphone manufacturers—from Samsung to Nokia—were quick to copy the new touch screen technology and include it on their devices, but BlackBerry has traditionally remained loyal to physical keyboards. With the release of the Z10 earlier this year, BlackBerry has finally moved to a touch screen model, encouraging users to adapt the new technology for the first time.

The move from Qwerty to touch screen on the BlackBerry Z10 is undoubtedly a response to complaints that BlackBerry lags far behind its competitors in terms of technology and innovation. Yet BlackBerry’s full Qwerty keyboard has traditionally been adored by faithful BlackBerry users who claim that typing speed and accuracy is much better on a physical keyboard than a virtual one. The new Z10 attempts to offer a solution that will please both BlackBerry loyalists and BlackBerry critics: it features a new virtual keyboard that boasts better accuracy than any of its competition. CNET’s review of the Z10 applauds BlackBerry for its new virtual keyboard, stating that “texting quality [on the Z10] is better than the GS3 or iPhone because of the predictive keyboard.” Apple may have invented the touch screen phone, but BlackBerry just may have perfected it.

So how are BlackBerry users responding to the switch from Qwerty to touch screen? Recent stats from Q1 2013 suggest that BlackBerry is slowly regaining ground in the global smartphone market, with sales of BlackBerry phones in Canada, the UK, and the U.S. seeing jumps so far this year. The verdict? Getting accustomed to the Z10’s virtual keyboard may not be such a hard change for BlackBerry users after all.

But that’s not to say that BlackBerry has abandoned physical Qwerty keyboards altogether. The new Q10, the second of BlackBerry’s phones to run on the new BB10 OS, features a full Qwerty keyboard, as does its mid-range successor, the Q5. Interestingly, the retail price of BlackBerry’s new touch screen model is higher than both of its new Qwerty phones; while the BlackBerry Z10 price for 29,990 PHP, the Q10 retails for 24,990 PHP and the new Q5 for just 18,900 PHP.

That’s quite a big price difference between the Z10 and the Q5, but smartphone users who want the latest technology—including BlackBerry’s new virtual keyboard—will likely spend the extra cash without much thought. While there’s little difference in terms of physical specs between the Z10 and the Q10, there’s just no denying that the Z10 looks and feels more like the type of smartphone users are accustomed to in 2013, with its sleeker build, larger screen, and yes, even its virtual keyboard. All of these features will make the Z10 the undisputed go-to choice for modern BlackBerry users who not only want to use their phone for business and productivity purposes, but also for reading, gaming, and streaming video content.

Simply put, users pay more for touch screen phones because they’ve come to associate these models with having newer, more innovative technology than their Qwerty counterparts. While some Qwerty phones do come with excellent hardware and impressive features, there’s no denying that touch screen phones dominate the global smartphone market—and will probably continue to do so in the foreseeable future.

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Talkatone: Talk and Text for Free Review

There are many apps that claim to allow you to talk and text for free. After doing some heavy research, I have come to the conclusion that Talkatone is the best option available. Below is a comprehensive review of this app.

Developers description: Unlimited FREE calls, texts and picture sharing to [...] any phone number in US & Canada.

Setting up: You must have or obtain a Google number which is absolutely free. It doesn't take long and is very easy. Go to Google’s website and select more -> even more -> Voice to get your free number. Be sure to follow all rules so you don’t have any problems using the app. When it requests a phone number, use any number that you can answer and punch in their verification code. You also want to go to voice settings->phone and have calls forwarded to Google chat and under voicemail & text have texts forwarded to your email address. This must be done on a desktop computer.

Talkatone automatically brings your contacts over to their dialer which i found very convenient. The app uses your Google number to make VoIP (voice over internet protocol) calls. All calls I made went through with no problem. I was able to call others who had Talkatone and i was able to call mobile and landline phones. Only a select few VoIP apps allow you to make calls to regular phone numbers. Most of them only allow you to make and receive calls from other people who also have their app. That ends their chances of truly replacing a carrier’ but Talkatone gets it right!

What sets this app apart from other voip apps is the ability to receive phone calls on your Google number. It works by forwarding the call from your Google number to your cell phone. This app doesn't use any of your minutes. It makes and receives calls via your 3g/4g service or over a WiFi network.

Talkatone also allows you to text from your Google number. You can even send pics. It also uses your data or a WiFi service to send texts. When you send a pic in a text, it sends a link to the recipient, not the pic. Once you press the link, it takes you straight to the pic and you can view it and save it to your phone from there. The texts went out and came in with no problems. It doesn't use any of your text messages from your carrier’s plan.

When you receive a text you will also receive an email. This was very annoying but i figured out a workaround. Do not sign up with a Google acct that is attached to your phone. If you must, disable the notification or deal with receiving 2 notifications for 1 text.

TALKATONE TURNED MY IPAD INTO A PHONE!

Oh Yes: I TRULY turned my iPad into a phone. The developers’ description was accurate and you CAN make free calls & texts and receive free calls & texts from mobile, landline and voip apps. I have a voip subscription and a paid voip app that i no longer use because of Talkatone, which is free. All features work like a charm. You can even change the ringtones, “textones” and wallpapers.

Oh No: Call quality was below average. There was a noticeable light static. It wasnt so bad that i wouldnt use it but it definitely needs an improvement. They do have settings that you can adjust to help but it didnt work for me. There were no dropped calls to report.

This app is a winner and it is certified for Newbies. Whether you want to use it to in case you run out of your regular minutes/texts or you want to use that spare phone/tablet and turn it into a phone, do yourself a favor and download it.

Price: Free

Platform: Download now: iOS , Android and rumored to be coming to Blackberry soon.

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Truphone Snap Review

Truphone is a mobile VoIP service that allows users to make cheap local and international calls from their mobile phones. Calls between Truphone users are free. Truphone has cheap rates as strong point, but the service is also quite limited, mainly in terms of phone models it works on. Truphone service targets iPhone users, BlackBerry users and also those using high-end business phones or smart phones. Truphone is one of the first services to offer VoIP for the iPhone. It also brings VoIP to BlackBerry, which has somewhat been left apart by other VoIP services.

The rates are relatively low. Calls start for as low as 6 cents per minute, and prices hover around that for a set of common locations, known as the Tru Zone; but prices may go up to above a dollar for remote locations. For heavy international mobile callers, this can represent a save of around 80%. Truphone's rates are not the lowest on the mobile VoIP market - there are services that charge as low as 1 cent per minute, but these services have some rather consequent initial investments, such as a device or a monthly subscription. Truphone operates mainly on a pay-as-you-go basis - you top up and control your credit through their web site. This makes it therefore very competitive.

Truphone Anywhere allows you to use the service even outside a Wi-Fi hotspot, using your GSM network partly, the cost including the Truphone cost and that of the local GSM call. This small price addition gives perfect mobility anywhere.

The American TruSaver bundle gives 1000 minutes for calls to the US and Canada for $15. Anyone in the world can register for this bundle, but they can only make calls to the US and Canada with it. That's 1.5 cents a minute, but only if you use all of the 1000 minutes a month. Monthly leftovers are gone.

Guide Review

To get started with Truphone, visit their site, where you select your country and enter your phone number. You will be sent an SMS containing your download link, through which you will download the application on your compatible mobile itself and install it there. Once installed, you are already able to make a first free call with the free dollar credit you get. You can then carry on with your account for topping up credits. The installation process is really simple and easy. Using the application is also quite easy.

The Truphone application installed on your mobile phone integrates the phone well and works alongside the mobile user's GSM service. The application is kind of smartly versatile - in case you are out of Wi-Fi connection, you are asked whether to use your GSM service or that of Truphone for making calls and sending SMS.

If you are within a Wi-Fi hotspot, your phone uses the Internet connection to make and receive calls through the Truphone application. If you have no Internet connection, Truphone uses a mechanism called Truphone Anywhere, whereby your call is channelled partly through your GSM network until it reaches an Internet access point, from where it is routed to your callee over the Internet.

Truphone has been the first to develop an application and service for the iPhone, so most iPhone users who want to save money on phone calls have to consider it as a first option. Using VoIP over BlackBerry isn't very common as well, and as I am writing this, very few ways of doing so exist. Truphone service for BlackBerry comes to fill a large gap.

On the other hand, users of 'normal' (not to say low-end) mobile phones cannot use Truphone service as only very few models are supported. At the time I am writing this, only iPhone, BlackBerry and Nokia phones are supported. Would you believe they don't have an application for Sony Ericsson? Moreover, only a very small subset of phone models in each of these makes are listed in the service's list of supported devices. The supported phones are mostly business phones, like the Nokia E and N series. The Truphone web site says they are working hard on including other phone models into their list. So keep checking, specially if you have a high-end phone like a Sony Ericsson, HTC or Google phone.

In terms of connectivity, Truphone is limited to Wi-Fi. There is no support for 3G, GPRS or EDGE networks. But 3G support is coming soon.

The Cost

Calls through Wi-Fi between Truphone users are free and unlimited. Charges apply when you make calls to other landline and mobile phones.

Pros

• Cheap mobile international rates
• Usability everywhere, even where there is no Internet connection
• Easy to install and use
• Free calls between Truphone users, using Wi-Fi or 3G
• Works for iPhone and BlackBerry
• Possibility to make cheap calls even outside a Wi-Fi hotspot and without a data plan

Cons

• Service only supports a few high-end phones
• Does not on wireless networks other than Wi-Fi

Bottom Line

Given the fact that Truphone favors sophisticated phones like the iPhone, BlackBerry and Nokia N and E series phones, I am tempted to say it is a niche VoIP service. But it seems they realized that they are leaving out the great majority of mobile users to the competition. On ther other side, the so-far-deprived will surely find it too bad, thinking of the strong points of this service and specially its low rates. So watch out for considerable improvements in this good service. Via About.com Vendor Site

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Viber iOS Review

A few months back, I was introduced to an app on the iOS platform called Viber, developed by Viber Media Inc. It’s a free download from the Apple App Store, and not a lot people use it or even know about it. Which is a surprise really, since this app is a smart-phone owner’s dream: it lets you make free calls and send free text messages from your phone!

The app is a small download (at just under 13 MB), and is totally free on the App Store. It has multi-language support. Currently, Viber is only available on the iOS and Android platforms.

The best thing about the app is that it integrates with your OS perfectly. It supports multitasking as well, and we’ll get to those features in a bit.

Once installed, the app asks for your location and phone number. It then sends you an activation code via SMS (works worldwide, provided you entered a legit phone number) which you have to enter on the next page. After this, the app asks for permission to access your phonebook. Allow it to do so. Upon initialization, you’ll be taken straight to its contacts tab, where you’re in for a nice surprise.

Viber works in a way that’s different from all other such VoIP apps. With Viber, usernames and passwords are a thing of the past! Viber uses your phone number as your username, freeing you off making user IDs, remembering passwords and logging in every time you want to use the app. It’s such a wonderfully simple concept! And that’s just the beginning. Once Viber accesses your phonebook, it scans it for cellphone numbers and matches them with its own database to provide you with a list of people, from your very own phonebook, using Viber. I mean how neat is that!

What you end up with then, is a separate list of all your contacts using Viber. You can send them a text message for free, or call them up for free of course, using the app.

Like I mentioned before, the integration with your OS is seamless. The calling method and appearance on the iPhone is exactly the same as it is when you use the native iPhone ‘Phone’ app. The only difference being that Viber uses its purple theme for everything. Ditto for texting, the interface looks EXACTLY like a purple-version of the iPhone’s native Messaging app, uses the same display to show conversation and to write a new text, and even has the same conversation window. Each text message that you send out comes with a delivery status as well. There’s also the option to attach an image from the iPhone’s library with your text message.

The calling also works pretty much the same way, you tap on a contact from your ‘Viber’ list. From there you can make a free call to him or her using Viber, send a free text message, or even call them using GSM from here.

The app’s interface is brilliant, and uses the same tabular look that comes with almost all iPhone apps. The tab bar on the bottom has tabs for messages, recent calls, contact, the keypad and a button for accessing more options.

When you receive a call or a text, Viber alerts you in pretty much the exact same way that the iPhone Phone and Messages app alerts you. For messages, a window pops-up (or you get a notification in the notification bar if you’re on iOS5), and for a call, the phone rings and the purple background of the display lets you know that you’re being called over Viber. The app also has the ability to send you push notifications for when one of your contacts starts using Viber.

I’ve been using Viber since a while now, and I’ve got to say, the sound quality has always been top-notch, even though I get the worst speeds on EDGE, thanks to my service provider. It’s quite frankly, amazing how Viber is able to keep the quality good despite the slow speed.

Like mentioned above, it runs in the background on your multitasking-enabled phone, so it works as sort of an alternative to your actual phone, only it’s free! ‘Free’ however often means ads, you might be pleased to know that I couldn’t find a single ad of any kind in the app. The only downside is that there’s no video option with this app. And while it might not be always useful, it doesn’t hurt having the security of putting the iPhone 4’s front-facing camera to use and switching to video-chat mode. I do hope they add this feature in the upcoming iterations.

This has to be, hands-down, one of the ‘must-have’ apps out there. It’s all totally one-hundred percent free: the app itself costs nothing, calling costs nothing and text messaging costs nothing. It does however use your data, so keep a watch out if you’re using it on EDGE or 3G. Works all over the globe, with anyone from anywhere in the world! You can use Viber to keep in touch with friends, or make free international calls and/or text messages using this. Get it here for free, right now!

What do you like about Viber? Let me know in the comments below!

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SingTel Fiber Broadband Review

I am selected to conduct a trial on the SingTel Fiber 200Mbps Broadband aka exStream. 5 x SingTel technicians came to install the devices on the 17 Sept 2010 @ 1700hrs. Yes, 5 of them, I was surprised why they need so many people to do it. Anyway, service was not activated at time of installation. Only able to use it 1.5 day later. A total of 3 devices were given:

1. Optical Network Terminal (Ericsson T063G)
2. Mio Gateway (2Wire 5012NV-002)
3. MiO TV Set Top Box

The specification of the fiber connection stated on SingTel website claimed to be able to achieve up to local 200Mbps download / 100Mbps upload, international 25Mbps download / ? Mbps upload. Did several speed test using speedtest.net and ftp, I am unable to achieve the stated max speed. (You can refer to the results at the bottom of this post). However, i manage to get 1ms ping for local. Haha… It will be good for gaming i suppose. During the test, I am using a 3m Cat6 LAN cable connected directly to the 2wire gigabit port. This router has 4 x LAN ports. Unfortunately, only one of them is a gigabit port. How strange. Should have made all 4 ports gigabit. Also asked my friends to test my upload speed. He is using StarHub 16Mbps MaxOnline and he manage to download files at his max speed @ 2250KB/sec from my FTP. Cool….

The internet connection is quite stable, has been up for 3 days and I did not encounter any disconnection so far. As for the IP, it is classified under the same range as the SingNet ADSL BroadBand’s IP. I can’t determine whether it is static or dynamic assignment yet. Till now, my IP has not yet changed. It could be static, or it could be the DHCP lease time is configured to a long period?

Have attempted to bypass the 2wire router and connect my laptop directly to the ONT. However, my laptop’s LAN adapter was unable to grab any IP. Inspected the 2wire router WAN configuration and saw that it is using DHCP for WAN. But i got no idea why I can’t grab any IP using my laptop. Tried to configuring PPPoE…failed. Even tried cloning the 2wire WAN’s MAC address, also failed. Tried to set static IP using a few well know range, also failed. Lastly, also tried setting static public IP leased to the 2wire router, also failed. Can’t seem to find any administrator manual online for this ONT. If anyone got any idea what is wrong and how to bypass the 2wire router, please do let me know.

In order to bypass the 2wire router, you have to assign VLAN ID to receive the respective traffic:

• Internet: 10
• IPTV: 20
• VoIP: 30
• Management: 40

Unfortunately, DIR-655 do not support WAN VLAN tagging. Guess have to stick to 2wire.. =( Thanks to xieliwei from HWZ who found out that the packets are vlan tagged using wireshark.

Speedtest.net – Singapore

Speedtest.net – Los Angeles

Speedtest.net – Hong Kong

The fiber broadband service comes with Mio TV and Mio Voice. So far, Mio TV was quite good, no freeze, no lag. This is the first time i use Mio TV after it has launched for so many years. I am surprise they do not have Net Geo and Discovery channel. They are my favorite documentary channels. Furthermore, they also don’t have my favorite Taiwan channels to watch all the lame variety shows. Nevertheless, they do have Video On Demand (VOD) for movies, MobTV etc. However, these shows are not free… Have to pay on a monthly subscription basis or per view basis. Conclusion for Mio TV, i still prefer Starhub CableTV. The boot up time for Starhub set top box is much faster, they have more channels, more HD channels, better GUI and lastly they have net geo and discovery.

FTP download from ftp.singnet.com.sg – 1GB file in less than 1minute… COOL!

FTP upload to ftp.singnet.com.sg – 1GB file

As for Mio Voice, no comments so far. I didn’t really use it because I also have Starhub Digital Voice and my mum friends do call the Starhub number. I don’t want to purposely buy another phone just to test it out. Anyway, I did made a few phone calls. No voice lag, sound quality is normal. I do not have the device to test the video call.

Optical Network Terminal Modem (Ericsson T063G)

Rear view of the modem

SingTel’s 2Wire 5012NV-002 vs StarHub’s Motorola SB5120v VeCM

Mio TV Set Top Box

In conclusion, I feel that the fiber broadband is not necessary for home users unless you need to use Mio TV or you are a heavy file leecher. I cannot feel any difference when I use it to surf the net. It is because surfing net doesn’t consume much bandwidth and also international traffic are throttled at 25Mbps, which ADSL/MaxOnline are also able to achieve. I would think more than 95% of my traffic are channeled to overseas, unless i surf HWZ/VRZ. And for the price starting at $85.90/month, IMO it is too expensive.

This article was written by technet posted by guest blogger you can also post yours contact me!

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HTC Butterfly Snap Review

A Smartphone that apparently makes the tagline of Taiwanese manufacturer HTC – “quietly brilliant”- true to the core. With the launch of this costly Smartphone, the company has geared up for the battle of Androids.

Design:

The phone is sort of sophisticated and elegant, which is made using plastic coated with soft rubber and boasts of uni-body construction. It has three touch-sensitive keys- Home, Back and Task Switcher- below the display, while the sensors and secondary camera reside above it. It is IPX-5 certified and can withstand water at low pressure. Even though it is plastic, the build quality is good. 

Everything seems solid and there are no loose parts. The phone heels quite comfortable to hold in hand and weighs 140 grams. However because of the larger surface area and good weight distribution, the device feels lighter than the S III. Even though the device is a bit long, it will easily slide into pockets because of its slim profile.

Inserting SIM in the device is a bit complicated. Since the same location fits the microSD card as well, HTC was not able to fix the SIM tray onto the plastic cover. Instead of a cover that opens up, it is attached to the body. Hence, while ejecting the tray out of the socket, it is a bit difficult but the microsD is much simpler to insert.

Processor and operating system:

The Butterfly runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system and features the updated version 4+ of the HTC Sense User Interface and has 1.5GHz quad-core processor. Unlike the stock user interface, Sense uses more colorful icons, more elaborate animations and fancy widgets.

Screen:

The phone comes with a 5-inch Super LCD 3 1920*1080p display with Corning Gorilla Glass 2 and a pixel density of 441 pixels-per-inch, which is the highest in industry. A display of that size and resolution gives crisp text and images. In terms of sharpness, it is the main attraction here. It’s really good for people who like to read a lot. The display is extremely smooth and it’s great to use especially with the curved edges.

Battery life:

The HTC butterfly is powered by a non-user-replaceable 2020 Li-Ion battery which can stand its charge up to 45 hours.

Camera:

The phone is packed with an 8MP camera which captures images of 3264*2448 pixels in 4:3 mode and 3264*1840 in 16:9. It also captures 6 MP images during video recording. The HTC ImageSense or the camera interface is the same for both the still camera and the video camera and the camera functions as a UI shared between both functions. The 8MP camera delivers quality photos under daylight as well as low-light conditions. The front 2.1MP camera does a good job during video calls and clicking photos.

Storage and Connectivity:

The phone has 2GB RAM and packed with 16GB of in-built memory and microSD card support of 32GB. Connectivity features of the device include Wi-Fi, 2G, 3G, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0. The Wi-Fi works perfectly well and the device isn’t affected by any grip issues like HTC Sensation. The phone can be used to convert cellular data connection into a Wi-Fi hotspot as well as supports Wi-Fi direct and DLNA.

Wrap-up:

HTC Butterfly, one of the most expensive Smartphones in the market is one of the best Android phones to combine best features like brilliant HD screen and great build quality. The device is a brilliant mix of hardware and software along with good looks, a beautiful display and classy build.

Pros:

The Smartphone offers a stunning display with full-HD of 1080p and runs on 1.5GHz quad-core processor which makes its performance much faster. It shines in excellent build and solid water resistance ratings.

Cons:

It loses image especially in the high price which is kind of pretty-expensive for Smartphone users and its confusing SIM tray mechanism and disappointing camera.

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Samsung Galaxy Ace Snap Review

With the Samsung Galaxy Ace, Samsung has set their sights on conquering the all important mid-range market. The Galaxy Ace isn’t for geeks, it is for people who are looking for a smartphone that just works well and aren’t interested or impressed in features they do not need.

With the Galaxy Ace, Samsung has designed a phone that is not only elegant, but also simple to use. There are two touch sensitive buttons on the front with a directional pad in between them. The buttons are backlit and disappear when not in use. This gives the Galaxy Ace a simple design. The reasonably sized screen is bright, sharp and is sensitive enough to detect any finger swipes. The device on a whole is solid and well built.

Two battery covers are included for some form of personalisation, one of which is black and rubbery and the other in glossy white. A 2GB microSD card for installing applications and any music and videos is included. Also included in the box is a USB cable, a wall charger and a stereo headset.

A 5 Megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash is on the back. While the camera will not replace a dedicated digital camera, images captured are printable, provided there is reasonable lighting. The camera interface is excellent and provides easy access to a number of features, including manual control for photography buffs. It also supports face and smile detection, macro feature for close-up shots and geotagging.

Samsung has customised the Google Android operating system with their own user interface. The homescreen has up to seven panels that users can populate with widgets like clock, news and weather and Google Search. As a now mature ecosystem, Android offers users plenty of features, including easy access to Google’s many online services.

Applications are easy to get to and if a user needs more, they can easily access the Android Market where thousands of free and paid-for applications are available. The Galaxy Ace is reasonably quick though it slows down a bit when running many applications concurrently.

As expected from a phone that runs on Android, the Galaxy Ace is an excellent messaging device. The default messaging application supports SMS and MMS, while there is also a generic email application that handles POP and IMAP email services. Threaded messaging is included as standard giving the user a conversational style interface.

The Android browser is one of the best available on a smartphone. The browser works like any modern smartphone browsers do – it’s pinch to zoom, as well as tap to zoom. Text reflow makes it easier to browse websites that are not mobile optimised. Because the Galaxy Ace is on Three’s fast 3G network, web browsing on the go has never been quicker.

All in all, I am surprised by how much I liked about the Samsung Galaxy Ace. Despite being light on high-end features, the Galaxy Ace is a great all rounder and easy to use smartphone that anybody can pick up and use right away.

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Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II Snap Review

The Samsung Galaxy S II (also known as the Galaxy S2) is Samsung's flagship mobile device, their fastest veer selling smartphone. This isn't surprising, the Galaxy S II improves over the original Galaxy S by a huge margin. When the Galaxy S II was announced, it was the thinnest smartphone in the world with a dual-core processor. Even today the specs of the S II is still considered market leading, rivalled only on paper by phones that aren't yet on the market.

Read on to find out what I think of the Galaxy S II.

Specifications:

• Exynos SoC with 1.2 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 CPU and Mali-400MP GPU
• 1GB RAM and 16GB built-in flash storage
• 4.3" Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen with 480 x 800 resolution
• Quad band GSM and 3G
• 21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
• 8 Megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and 1080p30 video recording
• 2 Megapixel front camera
• Bluetooth 3.0 and WiFi 802.11b/g/n
• GPS with A-GPS
• Digital compass

Despite being made entirely of plastic, the Galaxy S II's built quality is great. It feels great in my palms, and at 116g, is very light. The plastic does make it feel cheaper than say the HTC Sensation. Regardless, the Galaxy S II is also very thin, measuring 8.49mm at its thinnest point. A solitary 3.5mm headphone jack sits on the top, while the microphone and microUSB port, which supports Mobile High Definition Link (MHL) and USB On-The-Go, are found on the bottom. Unfortunately the MHL adaptor, required for HDTV-out, is not bundled with the device. On either side of the devices you will find the power button and volume rocker.

I have had my doubts in the past, but after a month of using the S II, I have grown to love the large 4.3" Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen capacitive display. The display, which is covered by Gorilla Glass and has oleophobic coating, is absolutely gorgeous. This is the same screen as seen on the Galaxy II, except that the pixels are now made up of RGB stripes rather than the much maligned PenTile stripes. While the resolution is still 480 x 800, the screen remained sharp, with strong contrast and black levels and colours so over saturated I had to reduce the colour levels in the settings.

Below the display are three hardware buttons. One, the Home key, is physical and the two (Menu and Back) are touch sensitive. By pressing it down, the Menu key also doubles as a regular Android Search key. Not being a fan of touch sensitive buttons, I am glad that the buttons are not too sensitive. You will find the earspeaker, 2 Megapixel front camera, ambient light sensor and proximity sensor.

At the back of the Galaxy S II resides the 8 Megapixel camera with auto-focus and macro capability. The camera is capable of full HD (1080p) video recording. A single LED flash sits next to it. While some may prefer Xenon flash, I found the LED flash to be more useful as it you can use it as a video light. Near the bottom of the back you will find a small speaker grill. The single speaker itself gives out a loud, but unfortunately unfulfilled audio experience. Best to stick with headphones. Underneath the thin textured battery cover you will find the none hot-swappable microSDHC card slot, a full size SIM card slot and a removable 1650 mAh battery. See Apple, this is how it's done.

The design of the Galaxy S II is simple, almost understated. Overall I liked the design, though I do wish Samsung has put in a bit more effort in differentiating their products. The Galaxy S II reminds me greatly of a couple of phones from Samsung's own portfolio as well as this one popular phone from a competitor of theirs... ;) Overall I liked the design, though I still preferred Sony Ericsson's effort with the XPERIA Arc a little bit more. Continue reading.....

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Nokia Lumia 920 Snap Review

It's not the newest kid on the block, but Nokia's Lumia 920 is still the current flagship in the Windows Phone range.

Other manufacturers might disagree, but Nokia has packed the 920 with some enhancements to give it an edge over other models that have similar-sized screens and processing power.

The most notable of these improvements is the PureView camera technology that offers a low-light performance others can only dream of, but the other Nokia exclusive applications can't be ignored either.

Design

The design of the 920 isn't really anything new, given the release of the 800 and 900 models before it that had the same polycarbonate unibody design. However, that's not a bad thing, and the 920 is more a natural progression - a process that works fine for Apple.

The plastic casing allows Nokia to release the phone in a range of bright colours (as well as black, if the loud colours are too extravagant for you) and I certainly couldn't help but get noticed with the yellow model I received!

Side by side with HTC's 8S, or the 8X, which also comes with a choice of colours, Nokia still comes out top for making the boldest statement, with the whole rear casing sporting your chosen hue, complete with colour-coded in-ear headphones to match.

A large, 4.5-inch, 768x1280 pixel HD display completes the package, with illuminated buttons below that are also reflective to stand out even when not lit.

The 920 is a nice phone to look at, and the curved casing makes it even nicer to hold. It is quite weighty, but not in a way that makes it uncomfortable or hard to carry in a pocket.

Key Features

Powering the 920 is Qualcomm's dual-core S4 processor, clocked at 1.5GHz. This is accompanied by an Adreno 225 GPU and 2GB of RAM to aid multitasking.

It's not quite as powerful as the latest quad-core variant in use in the Android Google Nexus 4, or many other new smartphones shipping this year (including the HTC One with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 600 CPU), but it's still more than capable of ensuring that the operating system is always slick and smooth.

What the phone lacks, however, is a memory card slot - limiting you to internal storage only, although 32GB should keep most people happy.

The screen benefits from a higher level of sensitivity than ordinary screens, so you can operate it with a fingernail, or even when wearing gloves. Nokia has also used a 'ClearBlack' display, which is basically a polarised filter on the screen to reduce glare and reflections.

Along with 4G support (which is also ready to be used on the other networks launching 4G in the summer of 2013), the phone is also packed with a 2,000mAh battery so you should be able to make it through a whole day without being caught short.

And then there's that PureView camera, which leads me on nicely to...

Camera

For some years, Sony Ericsson ruled the roost by introducing better image sensors, improved lenses, post-processing software to enhance photos (contrast, saturation etc), and the Xenon flash to make it possible to take snaps in all conditions.

Nokia lagged behind until the N95 came along and showed it too was serious about imaging. In addition to its tie-up with Carl Zeiss, Nokia launched the PureView name in 2012, used for any device that offers exceptional camera performance.

In the case of the 920, this means optical stabilisation and incredible performance in low-light - of a level that would be impressive even for an expensive DSLR. It means there's no need for a battery-killing Xenon flash for indoor shots, or relying solely on an LED lamp that barely lights up things more than a metre or two away.

The performance is quite stunning, with very little light required to produce a photo that's clear of noise and amazingly well-defined. Sure, it can't work miracles and take photos in total darkness, but you really can turn the lights down low before the photos start to fade out.

So low that you'll find it hard to see anything until a soft press of the camera button illuminates the LED to aid focussing.

Unfortunately, the low-light ability doesn't extend to video recording, but you do still have an LED lamp that can help. The phone records in full HD at 30 frames per second.

Photos and videos can also be set to automatically upload to your free SkyDrive cloud storage space, but by default the phone is set to reduce photos to 1280x720 pixels to reduce data consumption. If you're using wi-fi, or have a high data allowance, you can opt to upload your media in full resolution.

Gaming

Thanks to Xbox, Microsoft has been gradually building up quite a large range of Windows Phone games, but they can be quite hard to find on the app store. Looking at the top games for January reveals titles that have been out, in some cases, for well over a year.

Games that have been available for some time will have more downloads, yet - great as the original Angry Birds is - newer users (and existing ones) might want to find something new.

Fortunately, Nokia has its own app recommendation service that offers up an ever-changing list of things that you can simply sit and watch until something catches your eye.

I did feel that an over-sensitive accelerometer made some games, such as Asphalt 5, a bit hard to play, but many games allow you to adjust the settings. Not every title has yet been optimised for the higher resolution, though, having originally been designed for Windows Phone 7 devices maxing out at 480x800 pixels.

Thanks to the phone's large screen, powerful processor, and super-sensitive touchscreen, I was able to enjoy a number of games without having to spend a penny. One big benefit of Windows Phone is the ability to get a trial version of just about everything (a developer would be mad not to offer this).

It's quick and easy to select a game to download and then go off to do something else while it downloads in the background, or you go and find something else to try.

Very soon you'll have the Games menu full of games, and with 32GB of storage space you shouldn't run the risk of running out of space unless you want your 920 to double up as a portable media player too.

When you're signed in with your Xbox LIVE account you can also enjoy multiplayer games, and interact with your avatar.

The good

Besides the above-mentioned features, Windows Phone now has more customisation options on the start screen, with adjustable sizes for icons. Live tiles continue to relay useful information, and a unified inbox delivers your email, Tweets, Facebook updates, and more in a single location. There's also a mode to offer restricted access to selected apps or games for your children.

[You can see more of the Windows Phone 8 features here]

Nokia has kitted out the 920 with plenty of its own apps, from Nokia Drive (its turn-by-turn navigation software) to Nokia Music, Creative Studio (picture editor), Maps (with high-quality Navteq maps), City Lens (an augmented reality app to show nearby locations), and two more apps to supplement the camera - Smart Shoot and Cinemagraph.

These apps, some of which will be made available to all Windows Phone users in the future, currently give potential customers of Microsoft's OS a very big incentive to buy a Nokia device.

Although still struggling to build up a large share of the market, Windows Phone has a pleasing and easy to understand user interface and plenty of the main apps you might expect to find on rival operating systems.

The bad

The Lumia 920 is pretty heavy at 185g, but this isn't really enough to be a deal-breaker, especially for anyone who is used to carrying a tablet or has owned a mobile phone more than a few years ago.

Then there's the lack of a card slot, although the problem is greatly reduced by having 32GB of storage space inside.

Summary

The Lumia 920 trounces every other Windows Phone on sale sale today, primarily because of the awesome camera and a very bright and high-definition display.

With Windows Phone set up so well for social networking, it's the perfect phone for use at parties, bars, and clubs. Those activities may well be the main reason for choosing this phone.

As ever, the problem facing Nokia and Microsoft is the relatively poor sales and the feeling that Windows Phone 8 isn't a major player.

But, with some new apps being released on Windows Phone at the same time as Android and iOS, this might be changing, and if there's a solid future for Windows Phone I can't think of any better phone to be enjoying it on.

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