Cell Phone Reviews and Industry News.
Welcome to Cell Phone Reviews and Industry News. This was a cell phone reviews site with the latest reviews on the most popular cell phones. The content below is from the site's 2006 archived pages.
The designs of cellphones has evolved over the past fifteen years dramatically, not only in their sizes, but also their functions. We have seen small, large, thick, and thin. Functions of the earlier models were strictly for talking only. Gradually features like voicemail were added, then texting, and camera modes as eventually, cell phone manufacturers began to realize that they could integrate other technologies into their phone and expand its features. The purpose of the cell phone eventually shifted from a verbal communication tool to a multimedia tool. Many people now refer to their "phone" as a “mobile device” rather than calling it a phone at all. Our modern day smartphones have changed everything that consumers expect from their phones while the app market has transformed the phone into a virtual toolbox with a solution for almost every need. Now the new smart phones are utilized as a computer with the ability to make and receive calls. Just the other day over lunch I was discussing the evolution of cell phone with my good friend Tony Balogna who is a web developer, search specialist, and one of the most knowledgeable people concerning technology - he once worked for Bell Labs. We met because he had emailed a link to this insane website that featured Olympic style competition focused on haiku insults and it reminded me of the many haiku we exchanged as high school students learning the craft. We cracked up realizing that insults delivered via haiku are now considered a high art form and possibly a competitive event now. He observed that in the earlier days, Motorola and Nokia ruled the cell phone industry. All that changed with the smartphone. In 1985 there were around 340,000 US mobile subscribers. Today there are over 300,500,000 subscribers. This reconstructed review website shows some of the cell phone models that were introduced in 2006.
2006 Cell Phone Reviews and Industry News
We have reviews for popular cell phone brands like Nokia, Motorola, Panasonic, Sharp, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and more. We also show industry news which includes new models that are scheduled to be released in the near future. Please Bookmark this site. It is updated daily with new cell phone reviews.
June 20, 2006
Hotxt offers unlimited SMS service at a fixed price.
Cellphone users in the U.K. seem to have it better than those residing across the Atlantic in terms of cellphone services. Hotxt is offering unlimited messages to subscribers at the shockingly low price of £1 per week. Both parties must use Hotxt software on their respective cellphones in order to take advantage of this offer. In addition, you will also receive 5 free SMS messages each day. This is pretty much a no-brainer of a deal, and it is guaranteed to be a hit among text-heavy users such as infatuated teenagers. One just wonders whether the network is able to handle an upsurge in text messages without causing any delays or unsent messages.
Wixzer WXP350 PMP with digital camera
Well, the idea of integrating a digital camera into a Portable Media Player is not entirely new, but most of the attempts fell short to turn it into a “must-have” feature as found in cellphones. Wixzer decided to take the plunge by including a 1.3 megapixel CMOS camera into the WXP350. The WXP350 is powered by Windows CE 5.0, an ARM9+ Digital Signal Processor, and a lovely 4″ widescreen touch display. Other features include a 20GB/30GB hard drive, USB host functionality, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, a built-in FM radio, e-book compatibility, VoIP, GPS, UMS, and video/audio recording. The lithium-polymer battery can last for 6 hours of movie playback before running out of juice.
Nokia 6103 Hands on Review
I have been using Nokia smartphones for some years and was astonished and impressed by the the usability and simplicity of the Nokia 6103 clamshell. The Nokia 6103 is a follow up model of the popular 6101. Apart from the added Bluetooth connectivity and the new material used there are no other changes worth mentioning.
Nokia 6103
* VGA camera
* Nokia Xpress audio messaging, email, and MMS
* Bluetooth
* Infrared
* USB with Pop-Port
* Two color displays: 128 x 160 pixel internal display and external mini display
* Video recording
* FM stereo radio
* XHTML browser
* E-mail client (IMAP4, POP3, SMTP - TCP/IP based), email via SMS
* Tri-band GSM coverage on up to 5 continents (GSM 850/1800/1900 and 900/1800/1900)
* Vibrating alert
* Voice dialing
* Voice commands
* Voice recording
* Integrated handsfree speaker
* Alarm clock
* Notes
* Calendar
* To-do list
* Stopwatch
* Countdown timer
We say: This is no Razr and some people wont like the bulky external antenna, but if you plan to buy a basic Nokia clamshell this could be your new phone. The price here in Finland is about 180 euros. I guess it s worth paying 20 euros * for the bluetooth and the new rougher material.
* the older 6101 costs 160 euros
P.S. The Nokia 6102i for Americass is also a relatively new phone and is an updtae for the 6102. I did not review the Nokia 6102i, but I guess it has the same functionality as the Nokia 6103.
Nokia Trends
Have you seen this Nokia site? Nokia Trends is a European promotional web site for Nokia music phones. There s also a discussion forum, downloads and some info. The nokiatrends.com site has info for other parts of the world also.
Building a Camera Phone Picture Database
If you have a Nokia phone with a camera please upload your pictures to this Nokia Camera Phone web site. The idea is to have a web site were people can look at pictures taken with a Nokia camera phone. This is for fun and to enjoy camera phone pictures, but also for potential camera phone buyers looking for real life camera phone snaps shots.
February 21, 2006
LG F9200 at CES 2006
The LG F9200 has a QWERTY sliding keyboard, similar to the LG VX9800, except that it looks much better. When closed, the F9200 is a cute candy-bar phone with a nice keypad. However, when you want to enter data or type a quick text message, slide the keyboard out. Unfortunately, the display is rather small. It’s probably good enough for SMS but I guess that I would have loved to get a higher resolution to compensate for the small size. The LG F9200 is indeed equipped with a camera and plays music.
February 16, 2006
Motorola Q Hands On at CES 2006
Ok, we’ve played a bit with the Motorola Q. It feels smaller than one might think, especially for a Treo 650 user. The keyboard is not as comfortable as the Treo 650 –I thought-. The Moto Q has a very nice finish and is a bit slimmer than the Treo 650 (see photo). Motorola should announce the device within days, so we’ll keep you posted. It’s really a cool device worth considering, if you’re looking for a smartphone in Q1.
February 14, 2006
Samsung D807 Hands On at CES 2006
The Samsung D807 is part of a new wave of slim phones is coming from Samsung. It is a very cute cellphone that’s only 14.9mm thick and has a sliding keypad. A few features: speakerphone, 1.3 Megapixel Camera, MP3 Player, MP3 ringtones and Micro-SD memory expansion slot. The D807 should be on the market in Q2 2006, according to Samsung.
February 9, 2006
Motorola ROKR E2 Hands On at CES 2006
Shortly after the announcement, here we are playing with the Motorola ROKR E2. As a fellow web publisher was saying: we’ve been publishing rumors about it and once again it was all true ?. The ROKR E2 has a better design (although still somewhat bulky) than its predecessor. Among the physical improvements is a much nicer screen. The ROKR E2 will not use Apple’s iTunes, but Motorola’s iRadio Music Service that will let users download a pre-programmed music show on their phone. Obviously, users can also upload their own MP3 files. Using an SD card, the ROKR E2 could potentially store up to 2GB of music as of today, and even more in the future. Available in H1 2006.