hyp4mhz.com

Author: The Editor

  • 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)

  • Telstra T-Touch Tab Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the 2010 Telstra T-Touch Tab review.  The Telstra T-Touch Tab is a tablet and mobile phone and is the cheapest Android OS based combination you can buy in Australia for November 2010.  The Telstra Tablet which sells for $299 as a pre-paid package is quite an amazing mobile phone in  Tablet format.  Yes this is literally a very BIG mobile phone and there is nothing else to compare it with at the moment because of the price. (Note that the T-Touch Tab is not made by ZTE.) Build quality of the T-Touch is very good.  It is solid and relatively heavy in comparison to anything bar an iPad. It may not look as good as an iPad but at least its construction quality appears to be just as well put together. Of course the design is old school and design for use without buying additional protective case.  The low tech screen also make it less prone to smudges and finger prints to other tablets. The web browser, widgets active backgrounds and everything else except for Flash of course works perfectly and speed only limited by the quality of your wireless connection.  There are some games to keep you happy at first and then you can explore the Android market.  There's also A-GPS if you need it. If there was anything wrong was that it required a GoogleID before even the calender (and other basic stuff) would work.  We weren't pleased with that. The Telstra T-Touch Tab's main problem is the old technology touch screen.  While the screen image quality was good but it was the touch screen that was slow to relay the input occasionally or it doesn't recognize that something has been pressed. Thankfully they have included a stylus and a kinetic scrolling button on the surface which when used as the primary navigation is just as fast as any mobile phone running Android and the Apple iPad. We where impressed at the 'hidden' touch sensitive button and when found realized that that the T-Touch is fast! The other problem is the short battery life.  It comes with a small replaceable battery which you will find too small to get you through the work day if you use the T-Touch for longer than an hour or so but then neither will the iPhone and most smartphones. Think of it as a around the home phone and or work lunch usage and there will be plenty of battery life.  Turn down the screen brightness etc.. to get longer life. The speaker is nice and loud but like and the forward facing camera means that you can also do video calls as per a mobile rather than other methods, like Skype.  Used as a mobile phone it is best as a speaker phone or bluetooth rather than the wired headset.  Regardless any method works really well.  Seriously there are not many phones with this level of functionality for the price. Overall any legitimate review of the Telstra Tablet must take into account its price.  In terms of functionality it easily beats the Apple iPad which it will inevitably be compared to. Due to the tablet format the Telstra T-Touch is huge by mobile phone standards but because it is a mobile phone as well with full Android functionality you just need a nice bag to put it in for your daily travels. However it is obviously designed for bed or lounge usage rather than out and about. It also comes with a 2GD microSD card! Our T-Touch sits on the bedside table as the alarm clock and morning paper and live TV streaming machine and of course the spare phone. Hence despite the flaws we love the T-Touch format and it can only get better over the next few years. Sure it does not have the easy of use of smaller phones caused soley by the finicky touch screen but other wise for price it is an amazing bargain. Just ask yourself what other mobile phone can you get for $299 that has a 7 inch screen and everything communication option you can think of? None except for this particular niche. We will certainly be getting further upgrades. Note we saw all the negative reviews and realized how so many so called product reviewers just don't get it! We do thankfully! Specifications
    • Telstra T-Touch Tab
    • Network Tri-band 3G/NextG 850/1900/2100 (Dependent on country) HSDPA 3.6 Mbits data speed (download)
    • Design Touchscreen
    • L103 x W49.9 x D15.3 mm Weight 500 grams
    • Display/s 7 inch External TFT 800 x 480
    • Camera 2MP
    • Video Camera Front camera - limited
    • Connectivity Bluetooth V2
    • CPU 768 Mhz
    • Memory Up to 512MB MicroSD up to 16Gig
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features A-GPS Accelerometer Android Apps Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 950mAh battery Up to 140 Hours Standby Up to 150Mins Talk Time
    • Price history Under $299 AUS November 2010 (Pre-paid)

  • LG Craze GW382F Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the 2010 LG Craze GW382F mobile phone review. The LG Craze is marketed as a Cheap handset for pre-paid packages in selected parts of the world. In 2010 pre-paid pones bundled in these packages are no longer simply basic phones and to an extent the latest LG Craze is one of them. We have only seen Telstra sell this phone at around $150 which is OK but not good since there are now much better models for around the same price (October 2010). The LG Craze is a slide out QWERTY phone as you can see by the pictures.  Its keyboard and colors reveal it to be a phone targeted at younger users.  It overall quality is actually pretty good with since solid buttons on the front and the keypad its self.  The screen is relatively large and clear.  It is a bit 'chunky' but relative to the other models in the price range. Relative to the other models in the same category we can not complain about much. However a cheaper price would no doubt help sales - say in the $99 bracket? First impressions of using the LG Craze is good.  The OS works fast and the front keypad and navigation keys work with immediate responsiveness like all new models.  There are plenty of standard Apps installed since the currently do not have an Apps store.  All the usual social networks and free email Apps are present as well as all the usual multi-media and video player.  The internet browser was good but the small screen doesn't help as with limited web browser by iPhone standards anyway.  The Telstra portal Apps for Foxtel worked quite well considering the relatively low spec CPU. There is however one problem that would bug potential owners.  In portrait mode the phone works well, it even has haptic feedback as with most LG phones on the 2 sub-menu buttons.  However in this mode you will find the input of numbers and text is handicapped by the onscreen half touch keypad - weird.  It is very much like the ZTE models in implementation which is are definitely not a fan of.  We doubt anyone would actually like it.  In landscape mode the LG Craze works much better but the need to display the 2 sub-menu titles which you cannot activate is a waste of space. The LG Craze is designed as a messaging phone more than a games or other apps since the keys are all over the place. Overall there's not much we can say about the LG Craze other than it is a cheap phone with some navigation issues.  Otherwise is responsive and very stable.  As a bonus it actually looks quite good in the hand. We can not recommend it as a primary phone at its current price. Specifications
    • LG Craze GW382F
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 850/2100 (Dependent on country) HSDPA 3.6 Mbits data speed (download)
    • Design QWERTY keypad
    • L103 x W49.9 x D15.3 mm Weight 140 grams
    • Display/s 2.4 inch External TFT 240 x 320
    • Camera 3MP
    • Video Camera 640 x 480 pixel main video camera
    • Connectivity Bluetooth V2
    • CPU xxxMhz
    • Memory Up to 80MB MicroSD up to 16Gig
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features A-GPS Compass Accelerometer JAVA Apps Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email JAVA MIDP 2.0 FM radio with RDS Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 950mAh battery Up to 400 Hours Standby Up to 4 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Under $149 AUS 2010 (Pre-paid)

  • HTC 7 Mozart Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the 2010 HTC 7 Mozart review. The HTC 7 Mozart was released in late October 2010.  Initially it will only be available for the Australian Telstra network but presumably for others over time. The HTC 7 Mozart is one of the first Windows Phone 7 OS based mobiles to be released to world. Since the phone is still new (at the time of writing) here are our first impressions. Approximate pricing we saw was around the $850 outright. The new Windows Phone 7 OS is very impressive.  From startup of the phone we where impressed with the speed and graphical presentation.  All the basic tasks on the phone are grouped into large finger friendly squares on the main screen that when activated reveal it full functionality. You can navigate the screens by scrolling up or down and as responsive as any other mobile running a 1Ghz CPU ! Applications run almost instantly and their settings easy to access.  Forget the ancient Windows Mobile OS the new version is so much better. Build quality of the HTC 7 Mozart is also very good  It is a solid phone that is mostly made of aluminum and glass which feels great to hold and use. The Mozart name means that it supposedly sounds good and it does to a certain extent.  Sounds quality in hindsight does not approach the quality and volume of the 6233 our favorite and old benchmark. The new HTC 7 Mozart has all that you need in one device for email, calls, SMS, IM, Facebook, Twitter, Skype and more.  The only thing missing is the ability run FLASH which means no videos or ability to run any FLASH based Facebook games. Overall the the HTC 7 Mozart thanks to the latest OS excellent.  It is more graphically more impressive than all the other Android OS based phones and the iPhone. The changes are centered around making the various communication options easy to access and it works. The only thing that is currently a question mark for us is how stable the new system will be in the long run.  We like it and can recommend the HTC 7 Mozart as an alternative to any Android phone from 2010 and the iPhone. Specifications
    • HTC 7 Mozart
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Tri-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 (Dependent on country) HSDPA 7.2 Mbps data speed (download) HSUPA 2 Mbps (upload)
    • Design Touch screen
    • L119 x W60.2 x D11.9 mm Weight 120 grams
    • Display/s 3.7 inch External TFT 480 x 800
    • Camera 8MP
    • Video Camera 720 HD pixel main video camera
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2.1
    • CPU 1Ghz
    • Memory Up to 8 Gig on board
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features A-GPS Compass Accelerometer Andriod Store for Apps Proximity Ambient Light Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email JAVA MIDP 2.0 FM radio with RDS Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 1300mAh battery Up to 435 hours Standby Up to 205 mins Talk Time
    • Price history Approx $850 AUS 2010 (Outright)

  • Garmin-ASUS Nuvifone A50 Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the 2010 Garmin Nuvifone A50 review. The Nuvifone A50 is our first ever Garmin mobile phone writeup so we had a significant play with the phone. Officially it is branded a Garmin-ASUS which makes it like Sony Ericsson which does sound more impressive. It is priced under $600 as an outright purchase which is a little expensive BUT you do get a proper GPS navigator! First impressions of the phone are good. Decent build quality, including the bright and simple to use menu system.  The Nuvifone A50 functionality is biased towards navigation more than mobile phone so the main menu has nice big icons for navigation and basic phone functions.  You also get the usual web browser, email, and a multitude of Apps that comes with the Android OS. The platform it runs on is customized version of Android 1.6 operating system, so you have access to additional Apps if you wanted to install them and combined with free map updates stored in the phone for the life of the phone which makes the whole package quite desirable. The menu system works really well and just as slick as other Android phones or the iPhone.  However most of the cool stuff that is standard on other Android's are hidden away but at least accessible. The Garmin navigation software on the Nuvifone has be updated to take advantage of mobile phone functionality so it looks like the traditional Garmin menu.  All the usual navigation features are there and it does works better than most App based navigation software you have to buy for other mobile phones. We think its probably the best navigation system you can get. Sure it has some quirks but there's plenty of substance. The phone system of the A50 works as well as any other phone. However in the end many won't get one because while it looks good it doesn't look that good and the mobile phone networks aren't making an effort to publicize its existence.  Maybe a price drop will help? We liked the Nuvifone A50 and so will you if you want one of the best GPS navigator/mobile phone experience available in 2010. Since the map data is on the phone you don't need a huge data plan either which makes the A50 as appealing as the Nokia E series or GPS biased phones. Specifications
    • Garmin-ASUS Nuvifone A50
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 1900/2100 (Dependent on country) HSDPA 7.2 Mbits data speed (download)
    • Design Touch screen
    • L116 x W62.5 x D11.9 mm Weight 140 grams
    • Display/s 3.5 inch External TFT 320 x 480
    • Camera 3MP
    • Video Camera 640 x 480 pixel main video camera
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2
    • CPU 600Mhz
    • Memory 4 Gig on board Up to 256MB available to user MicroSD up to 32Gig
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features A-GPS Compass Accelerometer JAVA Apps Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email JAVA MIDP 2.0 FM radio with RDS Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 1150mAh battery Up to 18 days Standby Up to 9 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Under $599 AUS 2010 (Outright)

  • Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the 2010 Sony Ericsson Experia X10 Mini Pro review. The SE X10 Mini Pro is the smaller brother to the X10 and the bigger bro to the X10 Mini that doesn't have a slide out keypad. It is also one of the company's first Android based mobile phones, although running the old version 1.6.  The X10 Mini is available from all networks including the Telstra NextG compatible. We are going to be completely blunt to say the this review is going to be really short.  The main reason is that we simply lost interest in going too deep into the user experience. The user interface uses the first version of the Google Android operating system and it shows.  It cannot do a lot of things you would expect in a mobile phone priced in this category for 2010.  Cheaper Sony Ericsson phones like the Vivaz have a better user experience.  While everything worked smoothly it was a relatively slow experience. The quality of construction is good but it does not give the impression of premium quality.  Even the cheaper HTC Wildfire and Samsung Wave look and feel better.  The X10 Mini Pro may have a good keypad but that doesn't compensate for the bigger screen size required for an interface that is designed for touch screens.  The small and low resolution 240 x 320 pixel screen doesn't help matters wither.  The surface of the X10 Mini may be small but the keypad makes it quite a thick phone. We tried to like the X10 Mini Pro since it had high level marketing but in the end it does not live up to expectations.  There are better phones in the Sony range and for cheaper prices.  The 2010 X10 Mini Pro is what we can call a good phone but not at its present price. In all honestly this phone is perfectly suited to sell as a pre-paid package price? - say under $350 because the HTC Wildfire priced under $350 is a better phone.  Without a low price tag the X10 Mini Pro has short falls in design that cannot be overcome.  In the lower price bracket it would be our recommended model but until then there are better models. Specifications
    • Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Tri-band 3G 850/1900/2100 (Dependent on country) HSDPA 10.2 Mbits data speed (download) HSUPA 2 Mbits data speed (upload)
    • Design Touch screen and QWERTY
    • L90 x W52 x D17 mm Weight 120 grams
    • Display/s 2.6 inch External TFT 240 x 320
    • Camera 5MP LED Flash
    • Video Camera 640 x 480 pixel main video camera 30FPS
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2
    • CPU 600Mhz
    • Memory Up to 128MB 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 Andriod Store FM radio with RDS Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 930mAh battery Up to 360 hours Standby Up to 4 hours Talk Time
    • Price history Under $500 AUS 2010 (Outright)

  • HTC Wildfire Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the 2010 HTC Wildfire review page.  Released in mid 2010 the HTC Wildfire is one of the cheapest Android based mobile phones you can get.  The Wildfire is the first smartphone and Android based pre-paid package you can get.  (pay-as-you-go for our international readers).  It seems like a great deal so we decided to give it a go. The Wildfire uses the latest Android 2.1 operating system hence has all the functionality that you'd expect in a high end phone.  They have just cut back on the specification of the hardware to achieve the lower price. So you get a slower CPU and smaller screen for the most obvious cutbacks.  The Wildfire is presumably a replacement for the older HTC Tattoo. We where impressed at the relatively speedy interface and that everything worked as per the HTC models with the faster CPU and screen. It is certainly as good or better than other smart phones in the this price category like those made by Nokia or LG as examples. However it is not completely smooth and occasionally has lags.  It is no different to other competing models.  We where not impressed at the very low resolution screen. The phone has all the features that make the Android operating system a leading competitor, with online widgets that display everything from emails to the daily joke and so forth. Construction wise the Wildfire beats most of the rest, it looks and feels good to hold in the hand.  (It feels like real metal) Sure its not as nice as the more expensive models but then its cheaper. Like most smartphones these days it is difficult to determine how good a phone is without looking at what sort of apps it can run.  In that regard you just have to search carefully and install only the best - to get the most out of the HTC Wildfire. Overall the HTC Wildfire is a very good phone for those wanting all the communication options at a cheap price.  It is not perfect but acceptable.  The Wildfire is just as good as our bargain priced favorite the Nokia E63 but in a different way.  It also makes the E63 interface very old fashioned.  In comparison to the cheapest LG Optimus series is slightly better since the screen and operation is looks better and just as smooth - the only problem is the older Android OS and it does not physically look as good.  If you must know we prefer the Optimus - in the end due mainly to the screen and the Wildfire for access to the latest Apps and of course the design. Specifications
    • HTC Wildfire
    • 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
    • L106.75 x W60.4 x D12.19 mm Weight 118 grams
    • Display/s External 3.2 Inch TFT 240 x 320
    • Camera 5MP LED Flash
    • Video Camera 800 x 480 video camera 15FPS
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2.1
    • CPU 528Mhz
    • Memory Up to 384MB available to user MicroSD up to 32Gig
    • Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
    • Features A-GPS Proximity Compass Accelerometer Light Sensor FM Radio Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email FM radio Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 1300mAh battery Up to 690 hours Standby Up to 490 minutes Talk Time
    • Price history Under $349 AUS 2010 (Pre-paid)

  • Samsung Wave GT-S8500 Review

    hyp4mhz
    Welcome to the 2010 Samsung Wave GT-S8500 mobile phone review. The Samsung Wave is a feature phone released in early-2010.  It is available to most networks including Optus, Virgin and Telstra's NextG. The Wave is a full touch screen phone with specifications that matches the top range models from other leading manufacturers but at about 2/3 their outright price tag.  The GT-S8500 is a relative bargain based on specifications. The Samsung Wave may not boast uni-body construction or exotic materials, just the usual metal and plastic but it is well made and does feel good in the hand.  It is solid and not slippery like other phones.  It looks and feels like a phone priced much more - so you will not be embarrassed to use it in front of anyone.  This one phone that looks better in real life than pictures! The screen is amazing to look at for the price range too! The OS menu system is a custom Samsung Bada version that works amazingly well for a non Android, iPhone etc.  It is just as good as an Android or iPhone easy and definitely easier than Nokia S60. We could get the hang of the phone in a short amount of time.  There are no lags and the speed excellent in the user interface. We also enjoyed the amazing video and music quality and options that the phone can play. The web browser included on the Samsung Wave is called Dolfin 2.0 which is based on the code used by other manufacturers and is FLASH compatible.  It is very well equipped to handle Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and what ever else you might want to so. We would have tried to load Farmville on Facebook but didn't have enough time to try. We don't think it would work anyway despite the 1Mhz CPU. We where impressed with the hardware that was packed into the Wave GT-S8500 and its impressive operating system. Top end hardware at a cheaper price. Of course not all is perfect.  The main problem is the Samsung App store there's not much to choose from and expensive. its also missing a few high end features like foward camera and the compass. You shouldn't need much though because it comes with apps for Facebook, Twitter, emails and so forth.  It can also run on screen widgets so you can keep up to date without running specific apps. The Wave is better than a number of the latest mobile phones we have tried.  It is better than the Sony Ericsson X8, the LG Optimus and even the Nokia N97 and the Mini. Conclusion We love the 2010 Samsung Wave S8500. The Wave may be over shadowed by the latest marketing spin and PR associated with Android based mobiles and the iPhone4 but in all honestly it works just as well.  So be different and give it a go you'll be very happy - we where. Specifications
    • Samsung Wave GT-S8500
    • Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800 /1900 MHz Dual-band UMTS 850/900/2100 MHz 3G HSDPA 7.2 3G HSUPA
    • Design Touch screen 118mm x 56mm x 10.9mm Weight 118 grams
    • Display/s 3.3inch 480 x 800 pixel TFT AMOLED
    • Camera 5MP main camera HD video at 720p resolution
    • Connectivity Wi-Fi USB Bluetooth V2
    • CPU 1GHz
    • Memory 2 GIG available to user Up to 32Gig MicroSD cards
    • Ring tones MP3, MMF, MIDI, Vibration
    • Features A-GPS SMS, MMS, WAP, IM, EMAIL JAVA MIDP 2.1 Speaker Phone/Hands free Customizable backgrounds Document Viewer (Picsel) Picture Viewer Voice memos Calender and organizer 400 Hrs Standby 300 Mins Talk Time 1500mAh Li-ion battery
    • Price history Less than $599 AUS 2010 (Outright)