Author: The Editor

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Review
Welcome to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 GT-P1000 review. The Galaxy Tab 7 was released in late 2010 as one of the first phone/tablet to mount a challenge to the Apple iPad. We liked the Galaxy Tab from the start as it was a combination of a huge screen for tablet use and being able to use it as a regular mobile phone. In fact we liked it so much we bought one! However just because one of us uses it as a main phone doesn't mean that its perfect and there are a few things that can be improved. The construction of the Galaxy tab is solid and not too heavy compared to a regular mobile phone and it is quite light compared to other tablets like the iPad. It is made of plastic except for the screen which feels like glass. Down the side are the slots fro the SIM card and microSD while the top has the earphones and the bottom the stereo speakers and multipurpose connector. While the screen is huge and the thick bezel makes it bigger than it should - the latest 2011 HTC Flyer is probably what it should have been like from the start but then the Galaxy TAB is 12 months older. Overall not a bad effort for the first of its kind. In terms of size it is quite big but can easily be put in a satchel or hand bag. (We eventually did appreciate the large bezel because it allows for a place to put your thumbs.) Note that the screen does not use the latest technology like AMOLED and because it is huge and bright you don't really notice the difference. Sure the picture quality may not match the color reproduction of the N8 for example but the Galaxy TAB is still pretty good. The only issue you'll encounter is that the screen is quite reflective in daylight. In terms of OS our version runs Android OS 2.3 Gingerbread which is presumably upgradable with future Android OS for phones. There are rumors that it will be a 3.0 version for tablets, however considering that there isn't any phone functionally in 3.0 it is unlikely - but you never know. Regardless of OS the Galaxy is super responsive and works fast. The Samsung desktop software (KIES) is quite limited in functionality since Andriod is centered on online Google apps for data sync. In terms of every day use the Galaxy Tab is pretty cool, the large screen helps readability and the fully functioning phone software is excellent. The only issue is that you really need the wired headset or an optional bluetooth headset to make use of the phone functions - unless your at home and can use the hand free calling. Call quality is great and likewise signal reception. The integrated Goggle email, calendar and documents work brilliantly and no you don't need to sign up for Gmail to use the basic functions. The web browser works perfectly and quickly and can only improve in the future. The main problem is that if you use Outlook, which most do it is almost impossible to sync the two. The Galaxy Tab comes with a camera and flash for the odd occasion but the image quality is not impressive - it is just passable for a phone though. Strangely missing is a FM radio - we don't know why it's missing considering its size. The Galaxy's TAB battery life is OK but due to the large screen it sucks most of the power dry quite quickly. We estimate 3-4 hours if used on the middle setting. Standby time is 3-4 days since it is also a mobile phone and hence always on. Turn off all wireless and reduce the screen brightness and you could potentially get 6 hours continuous use. As we already said we liked the Galaxy TAB it so much one of us actually bought one and still uses it which speaks highly of the concept. Unfortunately it relative size will put the masses off buying one - which is fine with us. These days we carry so much gear that the combination of both tablet and phone works for us. However for the average user it may just a bit too big to be used as a phone and a little too small for a tablet but to just as many its the perfect compromise. Final words? it is the best 7 inch mobile phone you can get and a pretty good tablet as well. (Much better than the Telstra and Optus offerings) Specifications
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 7
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Tri-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 (dependent on country) HSDPA 10.2 Mbps data speed (download) HSUPA 2 Mbps (upload)
- Design Touch screen
- L190.1 x W120.5 x D12 mm
- Weight 385 grams
- Display/s 7 inch 1,024 x 600
- Camera 8MP LED Flash 2nd video call camera 1.3MP Forward facing camera for video calls.
- Video Camera 720 x 480 pixel 30FPS main video camera
- Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V3
- CPU 1 Ghz Separate Graphic CPU
- Memory 16 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 Approx $500 AUD late 2011 (Outright)
September 19, 2011
Huawei Sonic Review
Welcome to the Huawei Sonic U8650 phone review. The Sonic has been around for a little while but was un-interesting until it was released as an outright phone available through the big chain department stores like DSE, Big W and Safeway. The Huawei Sonic is a reasonable $188 at most stores but as usual there are a few issues that you should be aware of before you decide to buy. The Sonic is not a known quality in terms of reliability and support. Admittedly since it is sold by the major retailers you should be able to get your money back if something does go wrong. Note that it only has dual band 3G that works on the Optus/Vodaphone/Virgin etc.. so as long as your with any other carrier except Telstra the Sonic will work properly. In terms of construction the Huawei Sonic is a solid and reasonably looking handset. It feels good to hold and not too light or cheap. We have no complaints for most Huawei phone since it is quite cheap handset. The Sonics's screen is a capacitive model which is great for the price but with average resolution and size so nothing much to complain about. We feel that Huawei makes better quality mobile handsets than their rival Telstra/ZTE. The Sonic runs Andriod 2.3 OS which is the latest version you can get in mid-2011 and has more than enough features, it also has all the benefits and issues of any other handset that uses the same OS. However it does have a slower CPU so can get laggy when running lots of apps at the same time. However thanks to the screen tech (mainly) it feels better than phones with similar specifications. The Android store has an increasing number of decent free and paid apps you can try too. Apart from that the standard very good web browser you'll be able to access all the social networks like Facebook, Twitter and so forth without the need for additional apps. You'll be able to do everything even Skype and use Firefox! It also runs Flash files in the browser and videos. Overall we can't say anything bad about the Sonic. It is a very decent phone for the relatively low outright price. We would not rate it higher than the HTC Wildfire S though - which is available on the Telstra network for $199. Certainly after a taste of the Sonic you may want something faster - but faster models are at least double the price! That said Acer has reduced the price of the Liquid Metal phone to under $199. The Liquid Metal is the better phone than either the Wildfire S or the Sonic. See the review on the website. Specifications
- Huawei Sonic
- Network Tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 900/2100
- Design Touch screen
- L116.3mm x W60.5mm x D11.9mm Weight 120 grams
- Display/s 3.5 inch TFT 320 x 480
- Camera 3.2 MP
- Video Camera 640 x 480 pixel main video camera 15FPS
- Connectivity Bluetooth V2.1 Wi-Fi Micro-USB
- CPU 600Mhz
- Memory Up to 512 MB available to user MicroSD up to 32Gig
- Ring tones ACC, MP3, MIDI, vibration and others
- Features A-GPS Accelerometer Sensor JAVA Apps Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email JAVA MIDP 2.0 FM radio Speaker Phone/Hands free 3.5mm AV/headset Custom 3.7V 1400mAh Up to 9 days Standby Up to 6 hours Talk Time
- Price history Under $188 AUD August 2011 (Outright)
September 7, 2011
Huawei X1 Review
Welcome to the 2011 Huawei Ideos X1 review page. The Huawei is a relative new mobile phone brand from China but the company has been around for awhile there. They don't actually make any really top range phones or push the design edge but make mass market models for the cheapest prices. The Huawei X1 is a perfect example of their current market position, it is a cheap touchscreen mobile phone running the Android. The Huawei X1 is a pre-paid phone priced at $99 and released in mid 2011 and offered by Optus at the moment. It is a quad band GSM phone but only uses the common 3G 900/2100Mhz and in Australia. This means it will work on most country's mobile networks except for Telstra. That said the X1 is definitely the rival to the equally cheap Telstra T3020. Just depends on which mobile phone network you prefer. First of all, the key feature of the X1 is it's capacitive touch screen which makes it more responsive than any others in the price range we've tried to date. The construction is also very good, better than any of its competitors. While clearly not a premium model the X1 manages to look good at the same time. The conservative pebble shaped phone also feels nice to hold although missing the extra weight. The X1 uses Android 2.2 and comes with all the benefits and issues. The X1 feels quick purely thanks to the better screen technology however like all 'smartphones' once you start running apps and storing data it does slow down a bit. Lots of extras like Wi-Fi and GPS make the X1 a great little phone Overall its not bad though - for the basics of talk, text, emails, Facebook and some browsing it does work reliably just not too quickly. You can't complain for $99. Finally, the X1 in comparison to all the cheap Android phones - it wins! It is easily better than the T3020 which really the only other model you can compare it with. Specifications
- Huawei Ideos X1
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 850/2100
- Design Touch screen
- L101.3 x W59.4 x D12.4 mm Weight 105 grams
- Display/s External 2.8 Inch TFT 240 x 320
- Camera 3.2MP
- Video Camera 240 x 320 video camera 15FPS
- Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2.1
- CPU 528Mhz
- 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 Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email FM radio Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 1230mAh battery Up to 570 hours Standby Up to 430 minutes Talk Time
- Price history Under $99 AUS 2011 (Pre-paid)
August 25, 2011
Telstra T95 Review
Welcome to the Telstra/ZTE T95 mobile phone review. The Telstra T95 was released in mid 2011 and is a replacement for the T100. The market positioning for the T95 is pre-paid which is no surprise given the feature set. The introductory pre-paid price for the T95 is $49 which is less than the equivalent model offered by Nokia and Sony Ericsson. However there are notable shortfalls in its specifications that make the $10 more expensive Sony Ericsson Cedar or equivalent Nokia seem a complete bargain. The Telstra T95 is a very basic mobile phone. However even priced at $49 it is still not a convincing purchase. The T95 hardware specifications are not impressive even at this price point. It has only one 3G band and that is the Telstra NextG 850Mhz despite having quad band GSM capability. Its display is a mere 176 x 220 and even combined it's cameras resolution don't reach 1 megapixel! In the hand the T95's construction is light but solid and as usual a little cheap. Apart from the solid keypad feel there are few hints of high quality like other brands you can buy at this price but it is much better than the wobbly keypad on the older T100. The very shiny plastic back and the fake metal border is tacky in 2011. The functionality offered by the T95 is likewise basic and the same as the older T100. It's designed for calls and text and other notifications. The screen is just too small and lacks a keypad for proper typing of long or sensible replies. It is back to the 90's in terms of abilities with the T95 - its model number says it all really. We did not spend much time with the T95 to do the usual tests because there was no point. To conclude the review of the Telstra T95 we can say that it is a good phone but for very basic use. We also believe that it's price tag is unreasonable compared to similarly priced phones. Try the Sony Ericsson Cedar or even the Telstra T3020 if you want a true great value and cheap mobile phone. Specifications
- Telstra T95
- Network Single-band UMTS 850 Quad-band GSM 850 / 900/1800 /1900 MHz
- Design Standard L106 x W46 x D12.7 mm Weight 108 grams
- Display/s External TFT 176 x 220
- Camera Dual cameras 0.3MP main camera
- Connectivity USB Bluetooth V2
- Memory 64MB internal memory 30MB available to user Ring tones MP3, MMF, MIDI, Vibration
- Features SMS, MMS, WAP, EMAIL MyWords predictive text JAVA MIDP 2.0 Speaker Phone/Hands free Customizable backgrounds Picture Viewer Video calling Voice memos Calender and organizer 250 Hrs Standby, 150 Minutes Talk Time 1000 mAh Li-Po
- Package contents XP/Vista Compatible PC suite Mac OSX Compatible software Personal hands free kit Travel charger USB cable User manual
- Price history Approx $39 (2013 Pre-Paid) Approx $49 (pre-Paid)
August 7, 2011
HTC Wildfire S Review
Welcome to the 2011 HTC Wildfire S review page. The new HTC Wildfire S released in mid-2011 is the update to the original and one of the cheapest Android based mobile phones you can get in 2011. However in our opinion the Wildfire S even better and one of the best of the cheaper Android OS based touch screen phones. All the criticisms of the original version have been addressed and we think this will be the benchmark at the low to mid range market for smart phones on the market. Unfortunately you can't get a Wildfire S on Telstra pre-paid just yet (July 2011). However we guess that it will once they run out of the older Wildfire. The Wildfire S is priced around $350 outright, it is currently $390 from Telstra. Update November 2011 The Wildfire S is now available as a $199 pre-paid package.

The 2011 Wildfire S uses the Android 2.3 operating system and is feature packed in terms of hardware and software capability for a relative cheap mobile phone. It comes with A-GPS, Wi-Fi, and all the usual environmental sensors. In terms of operation the Wildfire S works with minimal delay and noticeably smoother than the older model. It also includes a App which allows the phone to be used as a Wi-Fi router/modem by other devices like tablets. Honestly, its not that far of 800Mhz CPU eqquiped models.

The Wildfire S construction brings it up to date with the top range HTC Sensation along with the capacitive touch screen and the faster CPU. The screen resolution has also been increased and now looks very good.

The short time we had to test the Wildfire S we all agreed that it is a mini version of the current top end HTC Sensation. Based on the expected lower outright price for the Wildfire S we can't think of another phone in this price range that is as good - for the time being.

The only criticism that can be made is aimed at the Android OS being a tad difficult to initially work out and of course the need to sign up with Gmail to use even the most basic functions like the calendar. Along with that the Wildfire is an internet centric phone that requires a data plan with the phone. Signing up for anything is optional on Nokia and iPhone.

Overall the Wildfire S is a probably the best phone and must buy (and the new benchmark compact Android mobile phone) if your after a small and well made phone that can do almost everything you want. However the price must be right whether purchased outright, on a plan or as a pre-paid package.

Specifications
- HTC Wildfire S
- Network
  Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900
  Dual-band 3G 850/2100
  HSDPA 7.2 Mbits data speed (download)
  384kpbs data speed (upload)
- Design
  Touch screen
- L101.3 x W59.4 x D12.4 mm
  Weight 105 grams
- Display/s
  External 3.2 Inch TFT 320 x 480
- Camera
  5MP
  LED Flash
- Video Camera
  800 x 480 video camera 15FPS
- Connectivity
  Wi-Fi
  Bluetooth V2.1
- CPU
  600Mhz
- 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
  Music and Media player
  Organiser/Calender
  SMS, MMS, IM, Email
  FM radio
  Speaker Phone/Hands free
  Li-Po 1230mAh battery
  Up to 570 hours Standby
  Up to 430 minutes Talk Time
- Price history
  Under $199 AUS November 2011 (Pre-paid)
  Under $350 AUS 2011 (Approx outright)
July 31, 2011
Motorola DEFY Review
Welcome to the Motorola DEFY review. The DEFY was released in late 2010 into a very crowded Android based phone market. It's selling point was the ruggerised case and screen and a slightly faster 800Mhz CPU than the base models but slower than the top end models. It has been awhile since we reviewed a Motorola phone because since they started using the Android operating system they are basically the same apart of hardware variations. The once industry leading Motorola used to make really cool looking phones all the latest technology - hampered by the short sighted networks installing crap software that often made them poor to use. We can be thankfully for Apple for releasing us from the phone networks - unfortunately that meant that we are now being locked into the Apple 'network'. We like freedom so there must be a better solution our there - perhaps Android OS is our savior? Android in its standard form works really well but again Motorola has not understood that tinkering with the core of the operating system simply does not result in a better experience! Why couldn't they just put an App in? Maybe it was a model we tried but we came away thinking that the DEFY was not sluggish but more a tad unresponsive. Overall though it feels faster than the 600Mhz CPU but definitely slower than the 1Ghz. Th model comes with Android 2.1 so your missing a few features most will not miss. The DEFY can be purchased for any 3G network including Telstra 850Mhz NextG however outright DEFYs can also be bought for other networks. So before buying make sure you know which network it will In terms of construction the DEFY is light and solid but lacking any design flair. The ruggerised case feels good enough and hard wearing to carry around without extra protective cases but being completely honest it looks like a cheap phone. If you're clumsy, then its water and scratch resistance will help you out but you may need a case to hide it from the public. BTW the publicity pictures makes the phone look better than it actually is. There is nothing else exceptional about the DEFY but for the unnecessary Motoblur application which is annoying. We couldn't get it work properly for your information, some updates just wouldn't happen. Seriously Motorola, get your act together and put in a turn off button. If Motoblur does work it's still less useful than the dedicated apps or the web browser versions for Facebook, Twitter and other types of social networking accounts. Other than that the phone works as expected In the end we didn't want to write up too much more because we were already let down by the lack of any improvement to the interface compared earlier models. It is the only ruggerised Android which we've seen to date so this is the key selling point. However a decent case will make any other touchscreen closely match the DEFY. Overall only gave the Motorola DEFY a passing grade. Sure it does everything OK but that's it. We felt that the company wasn't even trying when it sent this one out to the public. Specifications
- Motorola DEFY
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 850/900/1900//2100
- Design Touch screen
- L107 x W59 x D13.5 mm Weight 120 grams
- Display/s 3.7inch TFT 480 x 852
- Camera 5MP Auto focus LED Flash
- Video Camera 640 x 480 pixel main video camera 30FPS
- Connectivity Bluetooth V2.1 Wi-Fi Micro-USB
- CPU 800Mhz
- Memory Up to 2 GIG available to user MicroSD up to 32Gig
- Ring tones ACC, MP3, vibration and others
- Features A-GPS Accelerometer Sensor Ambient Light Sensor Compass JAVA Apps Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email JAVA MIDP 2.0 FM radio with RDS Speaker Phone/Hands free 3.5mm AV/headset Custom 3.7V 1540mAh Up to 9 days Standby Up to 6 hours Talk Time
- Price history Under $488 AUD 2011 (Outright)
July 23, 2011
Nokia E52 Review
Welcome to the Nokia E52 review. The Nokia E52 was released in late 2010 to cater for the customer who wanted a relatively featured business mobile that wasn't a touch screen. It comes with all the usual business software like word, excel and powerpoint editors, PDF reader, ZIP expander, Flash viewer, email software, a good web browser, Wi-Fi and A-GPS. It's plain exterior designs hides a powerful mobile phone. Like a few other Nokia's in the last 12 months we didn't bother writing about it because while it's a great phone there is nothing that we could promote as a key selling point... The E52's construction quality is typical Nokia which means very good. The keypad has the right amount of feedback and feels like it will last forever, the screen is bright and the sound quality loud and clear. However we did not like the lightness of the E52. It would be all too easy to lose the phone and not know it. The network reception for the E52 is noticeably better that the old RAZR 3V which has great reception, that we had along as a comparison, the RAZR showed 5 and the E52 2 more! (Meanwhile the iPhone was struggling at about half - as usual.) The E52 has a fast user interface and works at the speed you work at. There are also many customization options in terms of interface and hardware settings that you play with that it does get confusing but it is hidden away so that to most people it is not necessary to manually adjust - unless you really want to. The other features that you will enjoy using include Wi-Fi and the free navigation software and maps. Overall we liked the E52. It can do everything we wanted in a speedy and reliable fashion. However the Nokia E72 or E71 are still available at very reasonably prices so it is easy to over look the E52 because the other two are even better. Specifications
- Nokia E52
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900
- Tri-band 3G 850/900/2100
- Design Candybar
- L116 x W49 x D9.9 mm Weight 98 grams
- Display/s 2.4 inch TFT 240 x 320
- Camera 3.2MP Auto focus LED Flash
- Video Camera 640 x 480 pixel main video camera 15FPS
- Connectivity Bluetooth V2.0 Wi-Fi Micro-USB
- CPU 600Mhz
- Memory Up to 60MB available to user MicroSD up to 16Gig
- Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
- Features A-GPS Accelerometer Sensor Ambient Light Sensor Compass (Magnetometer Sensor) JAVA Apps Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email JAVA MIDP 2.0 FM radio Speaker Phone/Hands free 3.5mm AV/headset BP-54L 3.7V 1500mAh Up to 28 days Standby Up to 8 hours Talk Time
- Price history Under $xxx AUD 2011 (Plan only)
July 9, 2011
Nokia 6720 Classic Review
Welcome to the Nokia 6720 review. The Nokia 6720 Classic version was released in late 2009 to cater for the customer who wanted more than just the basics in a phone but didn't want a business focused phone. It was launched at a time when the iPhone and Apps wars was just beginning. We did not post this review earlier because there was nothing interesting about the 6720 until now - specifically its low plan price vs its features and its improved reliability. It is basically given away for free on any sort of plan however the legacy of the initial batch of faulty 6720's continue to haunt it. Regardless for a reasonable amount of money the 6720 has GPS built in and access to free maps (but no voice guidance) an OK camera and one of the best web browsers on a non-touch screen mobile phone. Construction wise the 6720 Classic is well built and looks good. All the curves including the edge at the base does actually give it a sense of style. However the all plastic and shiny at that doesn't make it a 'bespoke' style impression. Nokia and the public don't seem to be willing to buy phone that are made of real metal - at least in this price range. The 6720 works very well as a regular mobile phone, it is responsive and lag free. In the end though the phone doesn't have any features that stand out from the rest. We really need an amazingly designed phone to capture the attention of buyers these days (Eg. the old RAZR and 3210), especially since most are considering an iPhone of some sort. The Nokia 6720 is perfect for those who only want a basic 3G capable phone with some ability to add new software. The relatively large buttons on the surface of the phone will make it easy for those who if the fiddly buttons on other types of phones including touch screens happy. The slightly large screen will definitely make it easier to view what ever information on the screen. The menu system is standard Nokia so you will be able to use it without resorting the the manual. Overall we liked the 6720 and quite sure you will be happy with it too. It can do all the basics easily with all the functionality for most of your communication needs like email, SMS, Skye and so forth.. There are also plenty of apps from the OVI store or carrier network store you can download for free or cheaply to keep you happy until the next model arrives. The 6720 is unlikely to appear as pre-paid phone since it can't really complete with the better Nokia E71 at the moment. Specifications
- Nokia 6720
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 (Dependent on country)
- Design Candybar
- L110 x W45 x D14 mm Weight 110 grams
- Display/s 2.4 inch TFT 240 x 320
- Camera 5MP Auto focus LED Flash
- Video Camera 320 x 240 pixel main video camera 8FPS
- Connectivity Bluetooth V2.1 Micro-USB
- CPU xxxMhz
- Memory Up to 45MB available to user MicroSD up to 16Gig
- Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
- Features A-GPS JAVA Apps Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email JAVA MIDP 2.0 FM radio Speaker Phone/Hands free 3.5mm AV/headset BP-6MT 3.7V 1050mAh Up to 21 days Standby Up to 8.5 hours Talk Time
- Price history Under $xxx AUD 2010 (Plan only)
June 26, 2011
Telstra Easy Call 2 T203 Review
Welcome to the 2011 Telstra T203 Easy Call 2 mobile phone review. The new T203 is the update to the older T202 released last year and is one of the most basic mobile phones you can buy. The key selling point is still the easy of use with large buttons with and uncluttered and relatively large standard screen. Sure the screen should be larger as the older guy next to us said - its still too small to read a full telephone number without glasses. The T203 Easy Call 2's construction and materials is quite good for a cheap mobile phone. The black plastics and 2 tone scheme helps to make it less cringe worthy when using it in public. The buttons a large and easy enough to press and although still toy like in feel is better than the last version. The screen is quite large but that's because there are few status icons. However as we said before the large font helps readability but the screen is still relatively small. The screen its self is now a colour LCD albeit one which is very average in quality. In terms of functionality the T203 is a basic phone but it does meet the the needs of the target users, elderly folk and those who only want basic talk and text. The menu system works at a good speed without any lags too. Admittedly the T203 would also suit the younger crowd as something different or a phone that would cut down on phone bills since it can't access the internet. The Easy Touch 2 can only do voice and text messages. This is cool for the school aged kids who demand to be different and do not care about the latest fashionable phone. With the same features as the prior model the highlights are: a programmable one touch 'short cut' key, a torch and a FM radio that works without needing headphones plugged in, other separate switches for touch, radio and keypad lock. It can also access Telstra's Next G - 3G network which means you'll be able to get more coverage. Although the Easy Call 2 is simple enough to use there are a few stupid inclusions aimed at those who aren't up to speed with technology. I refer to the unreasonably priced Pocket news option. Pocket News is basically a Telstra method of charging high fees for a 'service' that does not work. It should not even be included as part of the phone's menu system. It is misleading - get rid of it before you have people complaining. The FM radio is also not intuitive to operate which makes it difficult to set up. The other major issue is the alarm function is located before the calender function - very annoying. Conclusion Once again we come to a similar conclusion to the Easy Call 2 review as it's predecessor. The T203 Easy Call 2 does do all the basics a mobile phone should be able to do - as in talk and text. It is better than the prior model but it could be so much better in terms of having a more novel design and of course a larger screen. Specifications
- Telstra Easy Call 2 (T203)
- Network Dual GSM 900/1800 MHz NextG 850Mhz
- Design Candy bar 109mm x 50.8mm x 13.5mm Weight 86.1 grams
- Display/s External 128 x 160 pixel color
- Camera N/A
- Connectivity USB
- CPU
- Memory 64MB internal memory 40MB available to user Up to 4Gig MicroSD or Trans Flash cards
- Ring tones Standard
- Features SMS MyWords predictive text Speaker Phone/Hands free Calender Contacts/Phone book 300Hrs Standby, 300Mins Talk Time 1000mAh Li-ion battery
- Package contents XP/Vista Compatible PC suite Mac OSX Compatible software Personal hands free kit Travel charger USB cable
- Price history Less than $100 AUS 2011 (Pre-paid pack)
June 6, 2011