hyp4mhz.com

Month: August 2012

  • Telstra Urbane T22 Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the 2012 Telstra Urbane T22 mobile phone review. Finally we have Android smart phone from Telstra/ZTE that can compete with the other manufacturers on features and user experience and not purely on a cheap price.  Regular and non-smart phones from Telstra are usually basic but pretty good however all their Android smart phones so far have major performance flaws or interface issues that we could only recommend based on price. In some cases not recommend at all. The pre-paid Urbane T22 package is priced at cheap and tempting $149. The Telstra Urbane uses a 1GHZ CPU, decent sized screen but relatively low resolution that is OK to look at but the latest Android 4.0 software with minimal enhancements – which is good. The plastic case is definitely not high end but feels mid range and well made. However at this sort of price tag there are shortfalls in the other areas that include the basic screen resolution and quality, basic 3Mp camera and VGA video recording. In terms of operation the Urbane T22 is pretty smooth (there are noticeable lags) and not fast as you would expect. The 1Ghz CPU does wonders for the user experience compared to prior models. However it is still not as smooth as say the HTC Wildfire which has a slower CPU. However with the decent web browser, A-GPS and even an FM radio there's very little that majority will miss. Personally they should have included a better camera for the Facebook generation and possibly drop the FM radio. The standard web browser allows you to visit any site even with Flash based content - however it will not run complex games like those on Facebook. The Telstra Urbane is a pretty good smart phone and the best Telstra branded models we've tested to date. At a very cheap pre-paid price of $149 you can definitely consider it as replacement for your old keypad phone. The T22's hardware does not appear to be optimized for the latest Android due to the lags we encountered on it but not other Android phones. Sure Android has its issues but no more than the iPhone but at least it can do everything that a iPhone or Nokia's as examples can do. Forget all the other pre-paid mobile phones from Telstra the Urbane T22 is to date, one of the cheapest hence best value most fully featured mobile phone you can buy! Specifications
    • Telstra Urbane T22
    • Network Tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 Mhz Tri-band 3G 850/900/1900 (dependent on country) HSDPA 14.4 Mbps data speed (download) HSUPA 2 Mbps (upload)
    • Design Touch screen
    • L120 x W63.6 x D108 mm
    • Weight 140 grams
    • Display/s 4 inch 480 x 800
    • Camera 3MP LED Flash Forward camera 120 x 160
    • Video Camera 640x 480 pixels
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2.1
    • CPU 1 Ghz Single core Separate Graphic CPU
    • Memory Up to 2.5 Gig for user Up to 32Gig micro-SD expansion
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features A-GPS AndroidApp store Free Google Navigator (requires data plan) Compass Accelerometer Dolby Digital Proximity Ambient Light Music and Media player MS-Word, Excel and Powerpoint, PDF, ZIP compatible Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 1600 mAh battery Up to 200 hours Standby Up to 4 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Approx $149 AUD Mid 2012 (Pre-paid)

  • LG Optimus L3 Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the LG Optimus L3 review. A mid 2012 release from LG, this phone is targeted at the prepaid market and priced at an attractive $99. The Optimus L3 is one of the first in a new series of mobile phones from the company that has fallen way behind in the design and marketing of these devices. They even had the nerve to blame the OS in particular Windows Phone for their failure. This of course was only vaguely true since every single phone design they had was pretty sad along with outdated versions of their OS. In terms of construction the L3 one of the best built models priced so low.  The standout features include a great feeling and solid metal case despite the lightness and  the screen is more square than the normal rectangle. Unfortunately it is let down by the choice of a very basic screen resolution which is way out of date by 12 months. In terms of operation the Optimus L3 is quite fast and  slick. Just don't run too many apps at once though. It can do almost everything the more high end mobile phones can models can do. The LG Optimus L3 is a great little phone with the only issues of having an old version of Android and a low resolution screen. We wish LG had installed a better resolution screen. If it were at the same price point and had a 480 x 640 screen we would have it on our must buy list for 2012... Specifications
    • LG Optimus L3
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Tri-band 3G 850/2100 (dependent on country) HSDPA 3.2 Mbps data speed (download) HSUPA 2 Mbps (upload)
    • Design Touch screen slider
    • L190.1 x W120.5 x D12 mm
    • Weight 109 grams
    • Display/s 3.2 inch 240 x 320
    • Camera 3.2MP LED Flash
    • Video Camera 480 x 640 pixels
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2.1
    • CPU 800 Ghz
    • Memory Up to 2 Gig for user Up to 32Gig micro-SD expansion
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features A-GPS AndroidApp store Free Google Navigator (requires data plan) Compass Accelerometer Dolby Digital Proximity Ambient Light Music and Media player MS-Word, Excel and Powerpoint, PDF, ZIP compatible Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 1950 mAh battery Up to 400 hours Standby Up to 9 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Approx $99 AUD mid-2012 (Pre-paid)

  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the 2012 Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 review. The Galaxy Tab 2 is the replacement for the original TAB which is we think was a pretty good tablet to begin with. You CAN NOT possibly mistake it for Apple's iPad unless you are just plain brainless - let's face it even a blind person can tell the difference. (Surely I don't need to explain!) We are not anti-Apple just tired of hype and monopoly style tactics and lack of any innovation for the past 2 years unless you call bouncing icons - just like what Microsoft used to do. Do something truly innovative like the original iPhone. The Android OS has been customized by Samsung and for tablet use, so its missing mobile phone functionality even in the 3G version. It also does not have infrared which is disappointing. The TAB2 10.1 construction is plastic with metal like panels but it feels solid in the hand. Until they can make plastic feel like metal this perception or at least educate us that plastic does not always mean cheap the iPad will have the upper hand in this area. Since almost everyone will purchase a cheap plastic cover for their tablet especially the iPad we DO NOT see the construction material as a disadvantage. The best part of the Android and the TAB 2 is the ability to expand its user memory by a microSD card AND the ability to play virtually any video file format DViX, MP4, FLV or whatever common format you want. No need to convert or understand just copy the file over and the play it. Sure you may need additional software but the Google Play store has everything you need just download the most popular player. The only thing missing is the phone functionality even if you have a 3G version. The interface is smooth although it depends on whether your running a cool animated wallpaper or have widgets accessing the internet for updates. In this situation there can be micro lags as they update but left alone and without these interactive widgets running the interface is pretty slick. The standard web browser is noticeably faster than Safari on the iPad left is standard settings too! There are plenty of customisation settings to play with and all are quite logical. However it will take a longer time to get used to all the available features but at least they are already there. Overall the Samsung Galaxy TAB 2 is a very good tablet and if the 10.1 inch size is what you're after then this is perfect. There is room for improvement in that a faster CPU and future software upgrades will no doubt address. It is a little expensive at this point in time if can still buy one... Specifications
    • Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
    • Network GSM 850/900/1,800/1,900MHz Quad-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 (dependent on country) HSDPA 21 Mbps data speed (download) HSUPA 5.76 Mbps (upload)
    • Design Touch screen
    • L257 x W175.5  x D9.7 mm
    • Weight 587 grams
    • Display/s 10.1 inch 1,280 x 800
    • Camera 3MP auto-focus 2nd video call camera 2MP Forward facing camera for video calls.
    • Video Camera 720p high definition 30FPS main video camera
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V3 3G networks
    • CPU 1.0 Ghz Dual Core Separate Graphic CPU
    • Memory 1Gig RAM 16 or 32 Gig for user Up to 32Gig micro-SD expansion
    • Features A-GPS AndroidApp store Samsung App store Free Google Navigator (requires data plan) Compass Accelerometer Proximity Ambient Light Dolby Digital Music and Media player MS-Word, Excel and Powerpoint, PDF, ZIP compatible Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 7,000 mAh battery Up to 2650 hours Standby Up to 8 hours
    • Price history Approx $500-800 AUD late 2012 (Outright)

  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the 2012 Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 GT-P3110 review. The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is the 2nd update to the original Tab 7 version, the 7 Plus being the 2nd update which was not available globally. The Tab 2 7.0 is a slight downgrade to the Plus version in some ways but many will not really notice any difference due the same up to date Android OS. Australia's version is called the GT-P3110 which includes the 850 Mhz Telstra 3G frequency but missing infrared so be careful which version you order. The Tab 2 7.0 construction is very good with a nice curved back, minimal gaps and great finish.  Sure plastic doesn't look 'expensive' as per the iPad but lets face it everyone hides their tablet with an often hideous case. In terms of hardware features the faster dual core CPU, more efficient electronics and updated OS does make the tablet work smoother with a flashier interface. The Tab 2 may not have as many features of say the Samsung Galaxy S3 but it is much cheaper and certainly a match than any of it's few competitors. The Tab 2 7.0 is easily a match for the current iPhone 4S in terms of functionality but obviously bigger and more useful than the Amazon Kindle or any other tablet without phone functionality at this point in time. We like the TAB 2 due to its smoother interface and speed but since our original TAB is still working perfectly I think we'd wait till the next version. If you have not got the TAB then the TAB 2 is a perfect starting point. Final words? The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is the new and  best 7 inch tablet and mobile phone you can get for a great price too. Specifications
    • Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 GT-P3110
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Quad-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 HSDPA 21 Mbps data speed (download) HSUPA 5.8 Mbps (upload)
    • Design Touch screen tablet
    • L193.7 x W122.4 x D10.5 mm
    • Weight 341 grams
    • Display/s 7 inch 1,024 x 600
    • Camera 3 MP LED Flash 2nd video call camera 1.3MP Forward facing camera for video calls.
    • Video Camera 720P 30FPS main video camera
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V3 *Infraed on some models
    • CPU 1 Ghz Dual Core Separate Graphic CPU
    • Memory 8 - 32 Gig for user Up to 32Gig micro-SD expansion Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features A-GPS AndroidApp store Samsung App store Free Google Navigator (requires data plan) Compass Accelerometer Dolby Digital Proximity Ambient Light Music and Media player MS-Word, Excel and Powerpoint, PDF, ZIP compatible Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 4,000 mAh battery Up to 1000 hours Standby Up to 10 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Under $400 AUD mid 2012 (Outright)