hyp4mhz.com

Month: December 2010

  • Samsung Galaxy 5 (i5500) Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the Samsung Galaxy 5 review. The Galaxy 5 or Samsung i5500 was released in November 2010 and is one of the latest Android based phones on the Australian mobile phone market.  We think do not think that is coincidence that the HTC Wildfire was released just a few weeks before.  Anyway both phones on first glance have very similar hardware specifications but which one do we think is better? read on for the the HTC Wildfire Vs Samsung Galaxy 5 review. Firstly the differences - the Samsung Galaxy 5 ($199) is cheaper than the HTC Wildfire ($299 December 2010) as a pre-paid package.  The price difference between the two is due to the Galaxy having a smaller 2MP camera but it does have a faster CPU which is essential to experience all the features of the Android 2.1. The lower resolution camera, less on-board memory but 2 Gig microSD card, and the not quite so obvious smaller screen size.  We didn't notice the lower spec hardware but we did notice the not quite so zippy interface we liked on the Wildfire and even the Optimus. The Galaxy 5's construction feels cheaper than Wildfire but not the LG Optimus yet all the phones where easy to use in the hand and appeared quite sturdy.  Out of all the cheap Android based phones we prefer the HTC Wildfire that said the lower price of the Galaxy 5 makes it appealing too. The buttons on the panel are a good idea and the quality of the screen images was The Galaxy 5 has all the usual features included in higher end phones so GPS, radio, decent web browser and of course Apps.  However the biggest problem with the Samsung and ALL Android based phones is the requirement for having a Gmail account to activate the phone.  We do not agree with this compulsory login before we can even use the basic features of the phone Eg. calender.  This goes the same with Apple and Microsoft phone these days.  Requiring access to a wireless internet connection or a data plan is we guess the basic requirement for these types of phones. However we are consumers and we should say NO. Overall we like all the features you get on the Galaxy 5 but grow wary of the Android OS - just like Apple's iPhone. We don't think any of the touch screen phones really address all types of users but try to meet the bulk of users. The Galaxy 5 is cheap enough mobile phone that does work well but there are better phones for not much more $$$.  Likewise there are phones that are cheaper and work just as well. Overall the Galaxy 5 It is easy enough to use and stable.  So if you can't afford say the HTC Wildfire ($50-100 more) then the Galaxy 5 is a good alternative if you needs are not too demanding. Update: After using the Galaxy 5 for a few months we encountered some issues with 'slowing' interface.  The Galaxy 5 does become laggy and we began to encounter reduced battery life for some reason.  So our conclusion changed slightly in that it gives a good first impression but needs more work for long term stability. Specifications
    • Samsung Galaxy 5 (i5500)
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 (Dependent on country) HSDPA 7.2 Mbits data speed (download) 384kpbs data speed (upload)
    • Design Touch screen
    • L108 x W56.5 x D12.5 mm Weight 101 grams
    • Display/s External 2.8 Inch TFT 240 x 320
    • Camera 2MP LED Flash
    • Video Camera 480 x 320 video camera 15FPS
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2.1
    • CPU 600Mhz
    • Memory Up to 170MB available to user MicroSD up to 16Gig
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features A-GPS Accelerometer Light Sensor Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email FM radio with RDS Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 1300mAh battery Up to 690 hours Standby Up to 490 minutes Talk Time
    • Price history Under $199 AUS 2010 (Pre-paid)

  • Huawei G6600 Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the 2010 Huawei G6600 review. The Hauwei G6600 has been around for a little while, which we tried when released earlier in 2010 but we haven't bothered to do a writeup until now. The reasons are obvious as you will soon read. The G6600 is essentially a cheap GSM only but QWERTY phone.  However priced at under $60 as a pre-paid package it is a very good deal. Note that there is the G6600GD version which is dual SIM capable but the OS is the same for both so our opinion on the phone overall remains the same. They do not operate at the same time! The Huawei G6600 looks good in photos and in your hand.  Strangely, despite the metal accents it has a cheap feeling of lightness to it.  We suspect the accents are coated rather than solid metal. The Huawei's screen and image quality is good for say 2008 but average for 2010.  The keypad and buttons surprisingly feel like they belong on a more expensive phone. It also looks like a cross between the Blackberry and E71 which may help it in sales.  Overall it is probably better effort than the cheaper Telstra branded ZTE mobile phones. Since Huawei is a very cheap phone it's basic hardware is limited.  For example 32MB of memory standard but has a microSD for expansion, very poor 2Mp camera limited multi-media player and so forth. The G6600 is a quad band GSM phone so you can use it on any mobile phone around the world. The phone network reception appeared to be good but the call quality is tinny. The operating system used by the Huawei is a custom version designed to look like RIM's Blackberry OS but work like Nokia's S40 and a bit of Windows Mobile 6 thrown in just to be sure.  It all works and most people who get this phone will probably understand how it works quickly.  We don't know how stable the OS will be or long term reliability for the handset but every brand has to start somewhere. Since the G6600 is a GSM only phone it relies on the relatively slow GPRS speeds for any data downloads eg. for email or twitter updates.  The best comparison for the G660o would be the Nokia C3-00.  However the Nokia C3 has much more functionality including the magical Wi-Fi at a $99 price tag makes it hard to beat in this price range. Overall the Huawei G6600 is feature packed for phone costing so little.  The nice large screen, the solid QWERTY keypad and buttons and the basic menu system make it old school but easy phone to get used to.  If that's all you have in your budget ($59) to buy a new phone than the G6600 is a great choice. However stretch to $99 and you'll have a larger number of models that are easily better the Huawei G6600 (Eg. Nokia C3-00) and most importantly keep you much happier for longer. Specifications
    • Huawei G6600
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900
    • Design Touch screen and QWERTY
    • L112.5 x W60.5 x D11.5 mm Weight 102 grams
    • Display/s 2.4 inch External TFT 240 x 320
    • Camera 2MP
    • Video Camera 176 x 144 pixel main video camera
    • Connectivity Bluetooth V2
    • CPU xxxMhz
    • Memory Up to 32MB available to user MicroSD up to 16Gig
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, vibration and others
    • Features JAVA Apps Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email JAVA MIDP 2.0 FM radio Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-ion 1000mAh battery Up to 800 hours Standby Up to 380 minutes Talk Time
    • Price history Under $60 AUD 2010 (Pre-paid)