Nokia N900
Initially available at £469.99 SIM Free, the Nokia N900 is the first-ever Linux-based mobile phone and could possibly be the manufacturer’s most advanced handset to date.
For a start, it’s a lot faster than most in bringing up applications and runs on the new Linux-based Maemo browser which means you can get 24-hour connection with wireless broadband, Wi-Fi and HSPA connections. Being powered by Mozillla technology, the device displays websites exactly as they are seen on a PC with a full browsing history available and, for the more myopic, there’s a zoom facility that adjusts text to the size of your screen. The panoramic, touch screen is used to switch between applications and can also be customised with short cuts, widgets and applications up to four different desktops, or if an email needs to be typed, you can swiftly slide out the QWERTY keypad and bang it out straight away.
The 5-megapixel camera with high-quality Carl Zeiss optics comes with tag clouds to label and share photos with friends. With Maemo OS and Adobe Flash 9.4 support, online videos and interactive applications are a synch and the Nokia N900 is capable or recording 16:9 video with a resolution of up to 848×480 pixels at 25 fps. Plus, you can watch your favourite videos on the high-resolution WVGA screen and display your photos with stunning clarity.
Communication wise, you can make voice calls, VoIP calls as well as SMS, emails and instant messaging. With up to 48GB of memory available via a microSD card, other features include a GPS receiver with Ovi Maps to find your way in over 150 countries, an FM transmitter, 3.5mm audio jack with TV-out function, Bluetooth and DivX/Xvid video playback support.
And priced at £469.99, now seems like an excellent time to get your mitts wrapped around the Nokia N900 before everyone else does.
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The Sony-Ericsson Satio is available to buy now
The Sony Ericsson Satio places all everything at your fingertips with an exceptional 12.1 megapixel camera, a superb widescreen for unparalleled TV and video viewing and a full range of multi-media playback options and it’s out now.
Featuring a minimalist and economical design, the phone is surprisingly lightweight considering all the technology that’s packed into it. It’s undoubtedly an industry-leader with Xenon flash, intuitive touch-focus and face and smile detection so you can capture that perfect moment every time. The stunningly sharp shots can then be viewed on the 3.5 widescreen display. Controls are easily accessed too via the touchscreen with zoom buttons doubling up as volume up and down keys and a front facing video camera.
Once you’ve taken your photos you can tap directly into music, games, movies, mobile videos and TV with sharp, high resolution images in 16 million colours.
The frontage of the phone is minimal with only a hang up, call and menu key but you can customise your home page as you wish to call up your favourites with one touch. There’s also a Walkman and stereo FM radio, HSDPA and built-in GPS navigation, a port for USB and headphone connection, Bluetooth and Smartphone – the phone’s features are simply too numerous to mention. And, if you’re racking your brains trying to remember the name of a certain song – simply ask the Sony Ericcson Satio – it features a TrackID that will instantly name any tune for you.
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Sony Ericsson W995
Sony Ericsson’s new Walkman phone leads the way in market technology. Small and slim, its slider mechanism makes it easy to use and in a stylish, brushed black metal casing, it looks good too.
It more than satisfies all your media requirements but also has an 8.1 megapixel camera which delivers crisp, top quality photos with image LED flash, stabiliser, auto focus and face and smile detection. Other functions include geo-tagging which allows you to tag your photos with descriptions of where they were taken and live photo blogging so you can upload your pictures or videos straight onto social network sites or update your status any time you want.
With built in HSDPA and Wi-Fi, speeds are pretty impressive and other features include Bluetooth and an M2 memory card slot that’ll let you store up to 16 GB of stuff. Instant access to YouTube can be gained with up to 69 films available from PlayNow™ arena movies, with a 256K TFT colour screen, the quality of viewing is excellent and three free film downloads are available per month. There’s even a stand available that lets you watch the movie at a 45 degree angle.
Also incorporating latest version of the Walkman® 4.0 player, you can save and play hundreds of tracks with the musical quality for which Sony Ericcson is renowned. It’s possible to create playlists according to genre, tempo and mood. Don’t know what a song is? Simply ask TrickID and you can find out. As you can turn the radio function off, it’s also possible to use it on flights and in hospital and there’s also a docking station for the attachment of a speaker.
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