Mobile News and Phone Reviews

Introduction:

Lately LG has been producing quite good looking and stylish phones and following this trend, they have recently added a new member to their line - LG KS20. It has a design almost the same as of a Prada phone, but with different functionality and purpose, for which the Windows Mobile 6 Professional and the built in WiFi contribute big time. If you are a fan of smartphones and beautiful designer pieces, this device will suit you just fine.

Similarly to Prada, LG have not left the box behind and have crafted it so it fits the design.

In it you can find:

1. Charger
2. USB Cable
3. CD with software
4. A wired handsfree divided in two parts - a microphone and stereo earphones
5. Manual

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Do you have a pocket digital camera? You may not need one if you have any of the top cameraphones on the market, advertised by their 5-megapixel resolution, advanced features, branded lenses and Xenon flashes. Or at least this is what the phone manufacturers claim…

We’ve collected the 5-megapixel phones that are available on the market and have taken a large set of photos, to see how they perform. In this test you will be able to see images taken outdoors during the day or the night and indoors, to see the flash performance. Additionally there is also an indoor test for the “macro”, or close-up photos with the flash on or off.

In our comparison, we have total of six (6) phones with five megapixel resolution, from all major manufacturers but Motorola, who don’t have phone in that class:

A lot has changed since May 2007 when we published our Verizon Q2 Cameraphone Comparison. Now, almost eight months later, there are several new phones to test, including the Samsung FlipShot, LG Voyager, Motorola RAZR2 V9m, and Motorola Maxx Ve (which was used in our Q2 comparison).

The FlipShot replaces the Samsung A990, but still uses a similar 3MP Autofocus camera. The LG Voyager and Motorola Maxx Ve both use a 2MP Autofocus camera, while the Motorola RAZR2 V9m is 2MP with a fixed-focus lens (no autofocus).

LG VoyagerSamsung FlipShotMotorola Maxx VeMotorola RAZR2 V9m

With each phone, at lest 43 images were taken, equaling a total of 172 pictures between all of the phones. They have been captured under the following conditions and categories:

1) Outside in broad daylight

2) Outside at night

3) Indoors, under different types of lighting and with various distances from the object

4) Close-up Macro

We tried to use the camera’s Automatic settings whenever possible, but for night images we did use the Night/Darkness image modes. Also, indoor images taken with the Auto White Balance can vary greatly between phones, so bear that in mind.

In each category we have placed a 100% crop image at the top of the page, which shows the camera’s differences. It helps you to easily compare the performance, seeing the same object reproduced by different devices side-by-side. Since a 3-megapixel camera (FlipShot) takes a photo of the same object, but in larger resolution, it will have same advantage in this respect. We then show all four cameraphones images at full resolution, followed by a ranking of 1st to 4th place.

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Introduction:

The Samsung FlipShot U900, which replaces the A990, is a modern flip phone with rotating display that is targeted to the consumer who is looking for an easy to carry device with an integrated 3MP autofocus camera. It is available in two color choices: matte black with silver trim, or in a stylish red with silver trim. Both options are up to personal tastes, but it lacks the “shine” of the Gleam we recently reviewed. The biggest competition to the FlipShot is the LG Voyager, Motorola V9m and Maxx Ve, since all three have good quality 2MP cameras.

The Retail Package includes the Samsung FlipShot U900 phone, 880mAh battery, wall charger, hand strap, and user manual. It should also be noted that even though the FlipShot is capable of the TV-Out feature (just like the A990), the cable is no longer included and has to be purchased separately.

You can compare the Samsung FlipShot with many other phones, using PhoneArena’s Visual Size Compare tool.

Current users of the A990 will welcome the modest improvements in the FlipShot, yet it does retain similar styling. The device is constructed with plastic throughout, but overall feels durable and should hold up to everyday use. The only problem regarding construction that we noticed was with the battery cover. Once it was removed, the plastic was flimsy and could easily be bent in any direction. We also didn’t care for the way the cover “snaps” back onto the phone at 6 different points.

Left and Right sidesLittle has changed regarding the flip; it is very easy to open and close, and can be rotated 180-degrees to activate the camera. Located on the front is the external display and touch-sensitive music control buttons. On the left side in the 2.5mm headset jack, charger/data port, and left stereo speaker, with the volume rocker, right stereo speaker, and camera shutter button on the right side. The 3MP camera and flash are located on the back.

The external display has been slightly improved since the A990 and is now 1.25″ diagonal, with a resolution of 128×96 pixels and 65K colors. Unfortunately, it is still small compared to the larger ones on the V9m and Voyager. Viewing wallpapers on it was rather dark, just like on the A990. There is a new Contrast adjustment in the menu, which helps some, but it is still a darker than it should be. Because of the small size and the dark screen, you can only really use it for checking the date & time, message alerts, signal strength and battery level. When flipping the phone open, there is a world of difference using the internal display, which is 2.20″ diagonal with 240×320 pixel resolution and 262K colors. Images here are shown with good color detail and saturation. Just like with the Gleam, there are six levels of brightness settings, but even at the highest setting it does not hold up to use while in direct sunlight, which is the case with most TFT displays.

Located on the bottom flip is the white backlit keypad, which has been significantly improved since the A990. The D-pad is now larger and easier to navigate using your thumb with less mistakes being made. The same is also true for the rest of the navigation keys. The numeric keypad is also larger and is made out of a one-piece membrane, instead of individual buttons like on the A990. All the keys are separated with a raised plastic edge, which makes them easy to dial-by-touch and for text messaging. We are glad that Samsung has improved the keypad in this manner.

Check out the Gallery for more images!

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PhoneArena’s video review of Samsung FlipShot:

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Introduction:

LG had a smash hit when they came out with the Chocolate. To continue upon that success, another stylish line was released, the LG Shine.

Unfortunately for the US, this happened only in European and Asian markets. A few months later, everyone here finally gets a chance to get their hands on the Shine as AT&T has added the handset to its lineup. To make the most of the network, it was upgraded from a tri-band model to a quad-band one, 3G capabilities were added to top things off, and the annoying 3-way scroll navigation was replaced by a joystick. Not much else was changed, however, and we are left with a Shine that resembles the original one. Well, enough of this back story, let’s get to the review to see how well it does.

Design:

After using the handset, the most shining thing, no pun intended, is the design itself. It’s finished off in brushed metal, feels solid, and isn’t overly heavy. It is somewhat thick when compared to most handsets from other companies but it feels very comfortable when held. The display only adds to the great look. Glare was never an issue for us and we were able to make out everything even in bright environments. Colors are very realistic without being over saturated or too dark.

You can compare the LG Shine with many other phones, using PhoneArena’s Visual Size Compare tool.

Numeric KeyboardNavigation is provided thanks to a joystick stuck between two soft touch buttons. While it does the job nicely, it tends to be overly sensitive, sometimes sending us two or three items over when we really just want to go over to the next one. Once we got accustomed to it, things seemed to go much more smoothly.

The greatest oddity is that the call and hang-up buttons aren’t located on the front but are actually grouped with the numeric keypad on the bottom slider. While it doesn’t make navigation impossible with the handset closed, it prolongs it especially once you’re in a few menus deep.

Sliding it open or closed is easy thanks to a spring mechanism that takes over once the slider is half-way opened or closed. Once open, the keypad is revealed which has a strong resemblance to the RAZR minus the reflection. All the buttons are crammed together in this tight space and are a bit small. The design separating each key is slightly raised and easily felt even when not looking at the handset. The biggest annoyance is that the call, hang-up, and back keys are all the way at the top of the keypad. With small fingers, it isn’t a problem to press them but for those who have bigger ones, the top of the finger has to be used. Despite their crammed design and small size, the keypad isn’t as uncomfortable to use as one might think. Each button is easy to press and gives back strong feedback in both feel and sound.

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if (!window.netshel_ord) { netshel_ord=Math.random()*10000000000000000;}if (!window.netshel_tile) { netshel_tile=1; }document.write(’‘);netshel_tile++; PhoneArena’s Video Review of LG Shine:

Home ScreenMain MenuSoftware:

Once you’re done staring at the handset and actually move onto using it, you’ll find that there isn’t anything striking about the interface. The home screen shows what is expected, date & time, reception, battery life, while the main menu shows everything else in a 3×3 grid layout. While it is very easy to use, 4 of the 9 icons deal with online services and we feel this could have been placed under one folder leaving room for items such as music player, camera, and organizer tools.

Contacts are listed in alphabetic order with the number being displayed at the bottom once someone is highlighted. Fields are a bit lacking, you are limited to name, number, email address, group, picture, ringtone, and memo, but there is enough present to store the most important information.

The camera was kept as a 2MP one instead of upgrading it and picture quality is great with strong outlines, and great colors. It took about 3 seconds to focus, take the photo, and then save it.

Strong LightMedium LightLow LightLow Light with FlashCamera Samples

Apart from the regular features, there are plenty of online applications that come with the phone. XM radio, music videos, The Buzz, and online videos are just some of those programs that you find available.

The internet browser was a disappoint to us. When viewing our website, some of the graphics came out blue and some text overlapped other text or graphics.

Internet Browser

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