Author: The Editor

Nokia 710 Review
Welcome to the 2012 Nokia 710 review. The 710 is one the latest Windows OS based phones to hit the market in 2012 aimed at the mid-range and inevitably lower end of the smart phone market. At the time of writing this post (2012) the Nokia 710 phone's specifications in general are excellent for the current outright price of around $350 outright. (We purchased one for $270 in May) The construction is typical Nokia which means it looks and feels good in the hand despite being made of plastic. The rubberized rear cover is a great and useful touch. The 710 is not the best looking phone but to be honest everyone has some sort of protective case that changes the look of the phone for the worse usually. It also included some of the most useful hardware features missing from the latest phones like a replaceable battery an FM radio and a standard mini-USB slot for charging. In terms of hardware the 710 has all the latest connectivity options and sensors. However due to price it is missing a high end screen and resolution but it is a relatively cheap phone it is hard complain - especially more so when you realise the phone has a high end 1.4Ghz CPU! It is a bargain in this respect. The only flaw with the phone is that is is missing at least a micro-SD card for memory expansion we believe it is a Windows hardware flaw - which is completely unacceptable. The other trade off for the high powered CPU is that its battery does not last very long. In terms of software the latest version of Windows Mobile (Mango) adds a number of features missing from the original version and closely matches the iPhone OS. However both are still behind Nokia or superseded Symbian OS and Android. Symbian may have been harder to use but everything is already there. We think Android has a slight lead in terms of functionality but for the majority of phone users these functions would not be of use. Other features include XBox LIVE and of course Microsoft Office which includes compatibility over a number of levels.The availability of off-line GPS maps in the Drive App is selling point. The latest version of Windows Mobile 7.5 is impressive and smooth but spartan to look at. It has the functions that the majority of phone users will want except the key customisation options (and selling point) like those on Android and other Nokia phones. The music player though still needs some work. The Windows App store does not have many apps that are the equivalent of those in the Apple store that are certainly useful enough. However the key thing missing is being able to save files on the phone and NOT sharing it with the rest of the world. That said the requirement to store all your details on the Hotmail account is disturbing but convenient. The Nokia 710 is a very good phone for the price and definitely on our best buys list. As one of the few Windows phones you can't go wrong giving it a go. That said, once it falls below the out right price of $300 price barrier and hit the $250 outright price you are looking at a sell out. Specifications
- Nokia 710
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Penta or Tri-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 HSDPA 7.2 Mbps data speed (download) HSUPA 5.7 Mbps (upload)
- Design Touch screen
- L119 x W62.5 x D12.5 mm
- Weight 125.5 grams
- Display/s 3.7 inch External 480 x 800
- Camera 5MP LED Flash
- Video Camera 720 HD pixel main video camera
- Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2.1
- CPU 1.4 Ghz
- Memory Up to 8 Gig on board
- Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
- Features Micro-SIM MS-Word, Excel and Powerpoint A-GPS Compass Accelerometer Windows Mobile Store for Apps Proximity Ambient Light Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email FM radio with RDS Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 13000mAh battery Up to 400 hours Standby Up to 7.4 hours Talk Time
- Price history Approx $350 AUS 2012 (Outright)
July 19, 2012
DORO Easyphone 615 Review
Welcome to the DORO Easyphone 615 mobile phone review and our first for this particular brand. The Easyphone 615 is a essentially a basic 3G capable phone design for the visually or hearing impaired. Note that this mobile phone is NOT for the completely blind or deaf just those who are impaired. The release price for the mid-2012 Doro 615 is $165 as a pre-paid package. The price is high for what is a basic phone but its obvious selling point is that it has been designed for 'Seniors' or older people. Mind you the limited features also make it great for younger children to use. The construction quality of Doro 615 is very good. When closed the Easyphone 615 the plastics on the outside feel good and on the inside in contrasting colors work together really well and the rubberised buttons and case make it easy to hold and use. The clam shell design allows for bigger buttons and a protection for the screen which will likely be essential for the intended purchasers. The large display on the shell is hidden when not in use but its quite bright and very clear to read. In terms of use the Easyphone 615 is relatively simple. It reminds us of the benchmark Nokia OS a mere 7 years ago. It has minimum customisation for the interface no web browser or multitasking and so forth, and the most advanced part of the phone is probably the camera! Aside from that there is really nothing to complain about - if all you want is a simple mobile phone. There are an increasing number of competitors in this category like the Easy Touch Discovery T3, but the Easy Phone 615 looks better and cheaper at this point in time due to being sold only as a pre-paid package. It would appear on the surface that Telstra is taking advantage of elderly in terms of offering only plan based T3 but who knows the true 'market' reasoning? If you don't mind going on pre-paid and on the Optus network than chose the 615. To conclude the Doro Easyphone 615 is basic phone for making calls and texting. The large fonts with minimal screen clutter make it easy for older folk to adapt to 2012. Furthermore the rubberised buttons make it easy to operate. There's not too much to go wrong. Specifications
- Doro Easyphone 615
- Network Dand UMTS 1900/2100 (dependent on country) Tri-band GSM 900/1800 /1900 MHz
- Design Flip L102 x W53 x D23 mm Weight 115 grams
- Display/s 2.4 inch screen Intenal TFT 320 x 240
- Camera 3.2MP main camera LED flash
- Connectivity USB Bluetooth V3
- Memory 48MB internal memory 32GB microSD
- Ring tones MP3, MMF, MIDI, Vibration
- Features ICE - In Case of Emergency Emergency dail FM Radio SMS, MMS MyWords predictive text JAVA MIDP 2.0 Speaker Phone/Hands free Customizable backgrounds Picture Viewer Video calling Voice memos Calendar and organizer
- Power 533 Hrs Standby 12 Hours Talk Time 1000mAh Li-ion
- 2012 Approx $165 (Pre-paid only)
June 11, 2012
Samsung Google Galaxy Nexus Review
Welcome to the 2012 Samsung 'Google' Galaxy Nexus review. The Nexus has been around for a few months now and we've finally managed to get some time with one hence this late review. The Nexus is a high end phone when released by Samsung on behalf of Google and showcased the latest version of Android OS (Ice-cream sandwich). It's now reasonably priced if you're buying off the internet, priced around the $400-450. Strangely retail shops are selling them at around $600 which is a significant markup - at the time of writing. In terms of construction the Google Nexus is very good. The pictures disguise the size of the phone and the curved screen adds an unexpected designer touch. The phone may be made of glass and plastic but it doesn't feel cheap, its solid construction and weight helps give the Nexus a more expensive feel. In terms of size the Nexus is on the large side of things but that's due to the large screen. The size works to its advantage as you can easily see the text on the screen and you can actually hold the phone securely. In terms of use the Nexus runs Android 4.0 in its basic format which is noticeable improvement over 2.3 and 3.0, everything is smoother, and faster. Since the interface can be modified there is nothing you can really complain about that can't be modded to your liking. There still a few micro lags every so often but we are now pretty confident to say that it is caused by slow 3G data speeds or poorly designed designed apps. Once again like the iPhone there is nothing really to dislike about the Nexus. The live backgrounds and widgets on the Nexus really help differentiate it from the iPhone and Windows Mobile and one of the key selling points. The web browser is excellent which is another selling point, as is the ability to play FLASH files. Unfortunately like all the other mobile phones Android's default internet browser still cannot run Facebook games - but at least it can play virtually any media file you choose to copy on it. The new Google Play store has plenty of Apps and other content you can download for free or pay for. However you do need to be careful as the privacy requirements of some apps are quite intrusive and often completely unnecessary. Lots a purely spyware in our opinion- however since you can see what sort of data they steal off you you get to decide if the App is worth the download. That said a lot of Apps in the Apple store are exactly the same spyware - unfortunately there is no way to know since Apple does not let you decide which is a big mistake. Overall the Nexus is one of the best mobile phones or rather the version of Android OS is a much improved. The only thing wrong with the Nexus is that there is nothing special about the internal hardware. However that is expected since the purpose of the Nexus is to introduce the world to Android 4.0 in the first place. Specifications
- Samsung 'Google' Galaxy Nexus
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Five-band 3G 850/900/1700/1900/2100
- Design Touch screen
- L135.5 x W67.9 x D8.9 mm
- Weight 135 grams
- Display 4.65 inch 1,280 x 720 AMOLED
- Camera 5MP auto-focus LED Flash 2nd forward facing video call camera 2MP
- Video Camera 1080p high definition 30FPS main video camera
- Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V3 GSM and 3G networks
- CPU Dual core 1.2 Ghz Separate Graphic CPU
- Memory 1Gig RAM 16 Gig for user Up to 32Gig micro-SD expansion
- Features A-GPS Compass Accelerometer Proximity Ambient Light Dolby Digital Music and Media player Ring tones: MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others AndroidApp store Free Google Navigator (requires data plan) MS-Word, Excel and Powerpoint, PDF, ZIP compatible Organiser/Calendar SMS, MMS, IM, Email Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 1,750 mAh battery Up to xxx hours Standby Up to xx hours Talk Time
- Price history Under $400-600 AUD early 2012 (Outright)
May 28, 2012
Nokia Asha 302 Review
Welcome to the Nokia Asha 302 review. The new 2012 Nokia Asha 302 is part of a series of value for money feature phones that Nokia started releasing to the world in November 2011. The selling point is the mini QWERTY keypad as there aren't many high end keyboard based mobile phones any more, apart from Blackberrys. Nokia has discontinued the E series Symbian OS phones so the S40 based phones are the only keypads you can buy new. So if you've always wanted a Nokia E-series get one now before they disappear forever. The Asha 302 is priced as around $129 as a pre-paid package but less than $200 outright. In terms of construction the 302 is very good. For a cheap phone there's real metal surround and back plate! You should not need to buy additional 'fancy phone cases' to protect it. The keypad feels OK but not as good as the E series. We don't understand why Nokia simply didn't re-use the old parts since they were some of the best out there. The screen looks Ok for the price and the only thing missing was GPS functionality. In terms of use the Asha 302 feels like a quality mobile phone. The speed and responsiveness is great, all the features are there for texting, email, and web browsing in a low priced package. With Wi-Fi capability and the updated web browser it works better that other 'cheap' mobile phones in the same price category and similar to the one in Symbian Belle. The final feature is the amazing battery life of any phone based on Nokia S40 interface - which equates to about 1 month left in standby mode. So far all the Android based qwerty phones we've tried have only been impressive due to cheap prices. These cheap phones may use the latest OS but their speed makes them impractical to use. The Asha 302 proves that you don't need Android or Symbian to be a genuinely useful and modern phone that can do everything and most of all have amazing battery life. Overall we liked the Asha 302 and only missed GPS functionality or an additional 'wow' factor. Apart from that it has all the key components and capabilities of a very good regular mobile phone. It is one of the best available in the price category. Specifications
- Nokia Asha 302
- Network Dual or Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (dependent on country) Tri or Quad-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 (dependent on country) HSDPA 14.4 Mbps HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
- Design QWERTY
- L116.5 x W55.7 x D13.9 mm Weight 99 grams
- Display/s 2.4 inch TFT 240 x 320 Resistive touch screen
- Camera 3.2MP Full focus
- Video Camera 640 x 480 pixel main video camera 15FPS
- Connectivity Bluetooth V2.1 Micro-USB
- CPU 1Ghz
- Memory Up to 100MB available to user MicroSD up to 32Gig
- Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
- Features JAVA Apps Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email JAVA MIDP 2.0 Music and Media player FM radio with RDS Speaker Phone/Hands free 3.5mm AV/headset BL-5J 3.7V 1320mAh Up to 34 days Standby Up to 9 hours Talk Time
- Price history Under $129 AUD November 2011 (Pre-paid only)
May 19, 2012
Samsung Galaxy Note Review
Welcome to the 2012 Samsung Galaxy Note (GT-N7000) review. This is the first ever Galaxy Note model made by the company with its amazing 5.3 inch AMOLED screen! - and it is a fantastic piece of mobile phone technology! Some seemingly reputable BLOGs and other reviews websites - you know who we're talking about dismiss it as a novelty or a stupid idea. We say you people are so out of touch or perhaps you are trying to stay in Apple's good books? Hmm regardless we think the Note is an excellent phone and perfect size for those wanting a very portable tablet and phone in one package. We even asked one lady owner while in Singapore why she bought one and answer was exactly what we expected - she said it was perfect size to use for a long time without getting eye strain like on her pervious iPhone. She was a petite lady and the Galaxy Note didn't look bulky at all! We agree and hence on our shopping list for our next phone purchase. When we told her that infra-red was on option on other Samsung models she that it would be perfect and started searching Google! Anyway we are digressing slightly... The construction of the Galaxy Note is pretty good, better than the Galaxy SII. It also looks good in Grey or Blue if you can find one. We were impressed by its lightness which makes it easy to hold for a long time. However we wished that Samsung would start making cool looking phones with equally cool materials like Nokia and now HTC. In terms of size everyone (incluing various so called reputable websites) initially thought the iPhone was way too big, now the same people dismiss any other screen size which we think is so pathetic. Incidentally the same people who said that getting rid of infra-red was the way to go. On the other hand we have and will always be disappointed at the lack of infra-red in any phone. The Galaxy Note's touch screen has also been optimised with software for use with a S-pen or stylus.We don't think that finger pointing or stylus use exclusively is not the answer to everything and that is why the Galaxy Note succeeds - it works great using both methods. University students will find this phone perfect for their daily lives as pen input is so much faster and neater than typing and all in one device. Older people and those with bi focal glasses will find the larger buttons and text easier to deal with as well. It even has changeable batteries which is a rarity these days. In terms of performance and use the Galaxy Note is quick and very responsive. There are slight micro second lags despite the fast 1.4 Ghz CPU, every so often as with all Android based phones, we believe it is caused by genuine multi-tasking of apps and poorly programmed and usually 3rd party widgets that require faster data connections rather than anything faulty with the OS. The updated widgets are cool too, along with the animated backgrounds. The calendar, email and news widget for example are live and are much more convenient than having to push different buttons to run apps all the time. It honestly makes the iPhone OS look dated. No wonder Apple is suing Samsung. To conclude, we like the Galaxy Note very much. It is an excellent phone and one that many people including those with regular sized hands like us will appreciate. It does everything you could want and more except for infrared! We still refer the 7 inch version purely due to the larger screen ie. used as an e-book reader but the Note is yet another model we can serious consider and so should you. We leave you with our final thought after putting down the Galaxy Note - anyone who claims that the Galaxy Note is too large has a really small mind and hands! Specifications
- Samsung Galaxy Note
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Quad-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 Single band 4G LTE
- Design Touch screen
- L146.5 x W82.95 x D9.65 mm
- Weight 178 grams
- Display/s 5.3 inch 1,280 x 800 AMOLED
- Camera 8MP auto-focus LED Flash 2nd forward facing video call camera 2MP
- Video Camera 1080p high definition 30FPS main video camera
- Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V3 GSM and 3G networks
- CPU 1.4 Ghz Separate Graphic CPU
- Memory 1Gig RAM 16 Gig for user Up to 32Gig micro-SD expansion
- Features A-GPS FM Radio with RDS Ring tones: MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others 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/Calendar SMS, MMS, IM, Email Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 2,500 mAh battery Up to xxx hours Standby Up to xx hours Talk Time
- Price history Under $800 AUD late 2012 (Outright)
April 25, 2012
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 Review
Welcome to the 2012 Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 GT-P6800 review. This version of the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is the model up from the regular Tab 7 Plus which we are trying to buy - purely due to that model having infra-red. Despite not having infra-red the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is definitely worth a look if you want a mega sized mobile phone or small tablet. In fact this is the biggest question and problem you need to ask yourself. Thankfully you can buy a Wi-Fi only version! The Galaxy Tab 7.7 phone version would be used for the same thing as our current Galaxy 7 but thanks to its larger screen using it for typing up emails would be even easier. Like the majority of office workers we leave in the satchel during the work times and it comes out during lunch or on the train if not busy. Otherwise it's tethered to our main phone for internet data access. Yes it's a mobile hotspot and secondary phone, proper ebook reader and internet browser and thanks to the large battery it can work all day. In terms of construction the new Galaxy Tab 7.7 is very good. Although the 7 inch is probably the optimal size for mobility the 7.7 is not much bigger. The construction is mainly gloss plastic which does feel secure to hold. It still doesn't beat the HTC Flyer in terms of feeling expensive but at least once you use it that impression falls away. The internal hardware is very good too - all the features you'd expect in a high end phone and tablet! The screen resolution and AMOLED technology is excellent with great colors and contrast. It makes the iPad1,2 and even the iPad 3 screens appear cheap and under saturated or washed out in color despite their 'retina display' technology - which happens to be Samsung's anyway! See for your self which is true to life and which is not. The Galaxy 7.7 runs the latest version of Android 3 and includes a telephone dialer with integrated functionality the first we've seen for this version of the OS and we enjoyed using it. The galaxy Tab is fast and smooth - probably better than the 10.1 inch versions. There are no lags apart from the usual Android features but when combined with live wallpapers this thing looks like a working prop from Star Trek. Use a wired or blue tooth headset and you won't need two devices. With built in A-GPS it works brilliantly as a mobile GPS navigator you can actually read the screen You may enjoy repeating the often quoted disadvantage of the 7.7 being too big for a phone we say STOP following the crowd. A lot of arguably reputable websites claim this as a disadvantage and debase it because of size but we have lost any respect for them now and so should you. The same websites who said the iPhone was too big and missing the point of Netbooks and tablets! This is a short and sharp review because we understand the concept of the Galaxy Tab 7.7 phone/tablet. One device - a tablet and phone that's just about the right size for everything aka very portable. Install a infra-red transceiver and it can control any home theater system too! Sure Samsung should have designed the case to be more stylish but I'm sure they're working on that for the next version. Note we still prefer the Galaxy Tab 7 but this the next best thing. Specifications
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 (Phone version)
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Quad-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 (dependent on country) HSDPA 10.2 Mbps data speed (download) HSUPA 2 Mbps (upload)
- Design Touch screen
- L196.7 x W133 x D7.89 mm
- Weight 340 grams
- Display/s 7.7 inch 1,280 x 800 AMOLED
- Camera 3MP auto-focus LED Flash 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 GSM and 3G networks
- CPU 1.4 Ghz Separate Graphic CPU
- Memory 1Gig RAM 16 or 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 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 5,100 mAh battery Up to 1500 hours Standby Up to 10 hours Talk Time
- Price history Approx $800 AUD late 2012 (Outright)
April 2, 2012
Samsug Galaxy Y Review
Welcome to the 2012 Samsung Galaxy Y mobile phone review page. The Galaxy Y is one if the latest iteration of a cheap Android based phone from Samsung. We were not exactly thrilled to have to do a review but felt it was necessary as a public service. You see we couldn't fully recommend it on the simple basis that the screen is too low resolution. No you don't need glasses folks, the screen is actually fuzzy to look at. Less than 12 months ago (prior to March 2012) a touch screen phone priced at $129 in a pre-paid package would interest us but today and for not much more money you can get something that you would be happier with for much longer - eg. Huawei Vision. All Andriod OS phones are 90% the same so the main points of comparison are really simple. The price is OK, the design is OK, the modifications to Android are OK, there are enough hardware features to keep most users occupied and dependent on your network the reception and call quality is OK too. The only thing not oK is the small and low resolution touch screen. In terms of construction the Galaxy Y is quite light and a reasonable size. While the buttons feels cheap to use it shouldn't break due to the larger sized components? The plastics would appear to scratch easily around the case but the capacitive touch screen should be a little more resistant. You pay for what you get in this model. However the Galaxy Y is infinitely better than the Telstra branded models released less than 12 months ago and even better than the latest effort the Active Touch T28, although the T28's screen is slightly better. In terms of daily use the Galaxy Y works in a relative fast and efficient switching between apps and menus thanks to the higher quality touch screen and for being low resolution hence less pixels to push around. Like all Android based mobile phones it does the lot, email, text, skye navigation with relative ease. The low speed CPU does not work with high def games but works well with Angry Birds. The low definition screen means that battery life is quite good for a touch screen phone. The Galaxy Y is an annoying cheap Android that could have been a little better ie. improve screen to make this recommended model in the low end mobile phone market and compete with the influx of 2nd hand iPhone 3G's and 3GS. Despite the screen the Galaxy Y does work well to cope with everything we tried with it. Specifications
- Samsung Galaxy Y
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 900/2100 HSDPA 7.2 Mbits data speed (download) 384kpbs data speed (upload)
- Design Touch screen
- L104 x W58 x D11.5 mm Weight 97 grams
- Display/s External 3.0 Inch TFT 240 x 320
- Camera 2MP LED Flash
- Video Camera 800 x 480 video camera 15FPS
- Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V3
- CPU 830Mhz
- Memory Up to 512MB available to user MicroSD up to 32Gig
- Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
- Features A-GPS Proximity Compass Accelerometer (G-Sensor) Light Sensor FM Radio with RDS Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email FM radio Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 120mAh battery Up to 850 hours Standby Up to 7 hours Talk Time
- Price history Under $129 AUS 2012 (Pre-paid)
March 18, 2012
Telstra Active Touch T28 Review
Welcome to the 2012 Telstra Active Touch T28 mobile phone review. This Active Touch otherwise known as the T28 is the latest release from Telstra to satisfy the bottom end of the mobile phone market. At release the Telstra network only Active Touch T28 is available on the cheapest plan of $20 a month which honestly is probably over priced! Read to to find out why we think you should think carefully! The Active Touch T28 is the replacement for the T3020 which we thought was the ultimate cheap smart phone. However it hasn't even been a year and over that time we found the T3020 to be a slow phone even if it was cheap. We hoped that the new T28 could do better - however the market is now flooded with similarly features cheap phones that are easily better than the Active Touch! Try any number of Samsung or LG models priced under $150 outright! In terms of construction the Active Touch T28 is solid but very basic. It looks and feels like a cheaply made model kit - we didn't like it at all. The only thing going for it was the industrial grade Gorilla glass screen surface which should keep it looking new for a long time and the high resolution for this class. Regardless you won't be showing this phone off to anyone in a rush. In terms of operation the T28 works well when not connected to a network but once it does be prepared for a noticeable reduction in performance. Even with the capacitive touch the phone borders on being too sluggish to use much like the bargain basement Android phones. The network reception 'blue tick' is classified as top of the range which means you should be able to get a signal most places, and an external antenna socket at the back should also help if you've also got the kit. Previously a cheap price will forgive most performance and feature issues but when there are other models with the same specification that work better, then this 'overriding' factor is negated. There are honestly plenty of phones available on the 'free phone on $20 plan' offer! We suggest to try the others eg. the Telstra Urbane T22 first and only if you are truly desperate to get the Active Touch T28. Specifications
- Telstra Active Touch - T28
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 850/2100 HSDPA 7.2 Mbits data speed (download) Not mentioned data speed (upload)
- Design Resistive Touch screen
- L114.5 x W57.6 x D12 mm 114.5 x 57.6 x 12mm Weight 118 grams
- Display/s External 3.5 Inch TFT 480 x 800 pixels
- Camera 5MP
- Video Camera Yes - no specifications
- Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2.1
- CPU 600Mhz
- Memory Up to 150MB available to user 2GB MicroSD card included MicroSD up to 32Gig
- Ring tones MIDI, MP3, vibration and others
- Features FM Radio Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 1200mAh battery Up to 200 hours Standby Up to 180 minutes Talk Time
- Price history Under $xxx AUD 2012 (Plan only)
February 26, 2012
Huawei Vision Review
Welcome to the 2012 Huawei Vision mobile review. The new Huawei Vision is the brand's first reasonably high end mobile phone at an affordable price. Well that's what the marketing materials say anyway. The price of the Huawei Vision is under $280 - which is pretty much the cheapest Android based phone with a 1Ghz CPU on the inside. Read on if you want an honest opinion. Construction quality of the Vision is overall quite good. Its pebble shape does differentiates it from the latest batch rectangular smart phone slabs. The rear panel reminds us of what HTC does with its backing which is quite stylish. The Vision in the hand is pretty good too. It's nicely weighted and sized not too big or small. Unfortunately despite the real metal like the rest of the phone still doesn't look like a premium phone like the iPhone. That said and in terms of aesthetics even Samsung can't seem to produce a case that is a match for the iPhone. If you want a decent case go for Nokia or Motorola. Regardless overall very good quality for a reasonably priced phone just needs some creative artists and designers to give their phones 'it' factor. That said there is very little wrong with the Vision and probably one of the best in the price range. In terms of hardware the Vision has mostly up to date technology, featuring a separate graphics processor, A-GPS, Wi-Fi and even a FM radio. The headphone and loud speaker sound good but flat. The only thing really missing is more mobile frequency bands which means it won't work on all phones networks, specifically Telstra. Admittedly while the resolution of the screen is great it is still a little small - we think 4 inches is just about perfect for a touch screen mobile phone. There's plenty of memory on board for extra apps and the expandable memory means you will have It terms of operation the Huawei Vision which runs the latest version of Android and works really well. There does not seem to be any enhancement apart from the 3D menu system which is the same SPB skinning or 'desktop' software you can download from the Android store. The software works really well and we did not encounter any errors or problems. Everything about the way the Vision works was great for a reasonably priced phone. As usual we won't go into the details as there no additional features worth mentioning. The main question we asked ourselves when comparing the less known brands is: Is it as good as a mobile phone with similar hardware specifications but with a better known brand eg. HTC or Samsung? The answer is yes! The only issues would be reliability (being relatively new to the market) and whether there are any hidden 'features' that enable hackers or the government of a foreign country to take over your phone...:-) Just joking! To conclude we like the Huawei Vision as a reasonably priced mobile phone. It's all about out-right price and in this respect we can highly recommend it. There's not much else in this price range that offers so much for so little. If you're on any network apart from Telstra the Vision would be the perfect for those who want it all as a fair price then go for it - definitely a best buy model. Even if you're looking for a cheaper mobile phone we think you should stretch to this one - worth every cent! Specifications
- Huawei Vision
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 850/2100 HSDPA 7.2 Mbits data speed (download) Not mentioned data speed (upload)
- Design Resistive Touch screen
- L120 x W60 x D9.9 mm 120 x 60 x 9.9mm Weight 130 grams
- Display/s External 3.7 Inch TFT 800 x 480 pixels
- Camera 5MP
- Video Camera Yes - no specifications
- Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2.1 Micro-USB
- CPU 1 Ghz
- Memory Up to 512MB available to user 2GB MicroSD card included Ring tones MIDI, MP3, vibration and others
- Features A-GPS AndroidApp Store FM Radio Li-Po 1400mAh battery Up to xxx hours Standby Up to xxx minutes Talk Time
- Price history Under $280 AUD 2012 (Out-right)
February 24, 2012