Firstly I have to say that the design is very nice with a brushed aluminium finish. It feels well built and solid. The design is very different from it’s predecessor, the W880i, and seems to be better in most ways, in terms of design and build quality. Also the keypad buttons are larger than the tiny ones that existed on the W880i, but still may be a little on the small side for some people, you now get a 3.2 megapixel camera and HSDPA for faster Internet browsing, plus an improved Walkman player and user interface.
I was impressed with the usability of the W890i, it is very simple to use and the menus are easy to understand. The buttons have a nice feel and are positioned well, with Walkman and camera buttons on the sides of the phone also.
Although the camera does not have auto-focus, the images taken with the camera are of a good quality. Sony Ericsson’s latest Walkman player is probably the best music player on a phone to date, in terms of functionality and ease of use. The 2" screen is clear and a good size for browsing the Internet and reading emails.I didn’t have any problems with reading the screen in direct sunlight.
To remove the aluminium battery cover, two clips must be released, then the cover can be removed to reveal the memory card slot. It’s a shame that it’s no longer "hot-swappable" like in most current handsets, but the W890i comes with a 2GB M2 memory card which should allow you to store a plenty of music, photo’s and videos.
Sony Ericsson have taken all the best bits of the extremely popular W880, added a better camera and faster internet and the result is the W890i. A great handset, that will no doubt be as popular as its predecessor.
Pros:
Very slim and lightweight.
Brushed aluminium finish.
HSDPA – Fast Internet.
Cons:
No flash or auto focus on the camera.
Back cover needs to be removed to access the memory card.
This weekend I decided to take a break from my Nokia N82 and spend a little time with the LG KF600.
The KF600 is the latest handset from the Korean manufacturer and is trying to change the way that we use our phones with the introduction of its “InteractPad”.
The phone looks stylish, is a decent size and weight and feels well built. The one thing you notice immediately is the lack of keys on the front of the phone. The KF600 is a touch phone, but with a twist. Rather than having a large touch screen display that drains battery power, the screen has been split into two parts, the display and the InteractPad.
The InteractPad is a unique way of using your phone, from the standby screen you have 6 touch sensitive keys, and as you move through the different screens of the phone, these buttons move and adapt to suit the application you’re using. In some cases I found the InteractPad to be a bit awkward, but in other applications it works really well.
I tend to use my phone mainly for photo’s, music, email, internet and texting rather than making calls. The camera on the KF600 is a 3 megapixel and has an LED flash. Photo’s come out clear and pretty sharp, and if you print them out they will be of a decent quality at 6″ x 4″ size. The flash is ok for taking photo’s in low light close up, but if what you’re taking photo’s of is more than a metre away, it probably won’t be much use.
The KF600 works really well as an MP3 player. There’s a dedicated shortcut key on the side of the phone for quick access and I found it easy to transfer tracks to the phone using Bluetooth or the data cable and software that came with it. The music interface is probably the best use of the InteractPad, you have the usual play/pause, forward and rewind, as well as a track progress bar. Normally these just scroll along with no purpose, but with the interact pad you can simply drag the slider to get to the part of the track you want – great if you want to skip sections of podcasts.
Email and texting works well too. Predictive text meant writing messages is quick and easy, and setting up POP3 email was very straight forward. The only thing I found to be not so great here was the handwriting recognition. In theory it sounds great, but in reality, writing with the end of your finger just isn’t accurate enough, and for hardcore texters, you’ll be able to text using the keypad a lot faster.
Internet access on the KF600 is pretty standard, it runs off a GPRS connection, so a fairly slow connection, but if you just want to check the odd train time or find out what’s on at the cinema then it does the job with no problem at all.
Overall the KF600 is a good all round handset. It will take a little getting used to with the InteractPad, and for the first few days I can guarantee you’ll be touching the top half of the screen and wondering why nothing is happening, but give it a week and you’ll be flying through the menus, but once you’ve got used to the interact pad, you may struggle to go back to a conventional phone.
Good Points:
MP3 Player
User Interface
Adjustable haptic feedback (vibrates on key press)
Along with the announcement of 4 new handsets at the Mobile World Congress, Nokia also announced the arrival of Nokia Maps 2.0 – an upgrade to the current version of their mapping software found in some of their N-Series and E-Series devices. Nokia Maps 2.0 promises to be more pedestrian friendly, and be clearer to see while driving. The full version is available to download now, so we thought we’d try it out and see what’s new.
2D Map View
3D Map View
3D Night View
Arrow View
Maps
When Nokia Maps 2.0 loads, the differences are noticeable almost immediately. The search bar is now a permanent feature in standby and a data counter has been introduced to help keep an eye on your data usage, especially handy if you aren’t on a fixed rate data plan. Two icons on screen tell you which keys to press to zoom in and out of the map. The signal strength indicator has been improved to show more than just 3 bars of signal reception. Locking on to signal is much faster too – I normally manage to achieve signal lock on my Nokia N82 in 5-10 seconds and often get a signal indoors.
The map views are pretty much the same as before, with the choice of alternating between 2D/3D and day/night view. On screen navigation display has been improved considerably too – you now have the choice of Manoeuvre view, Birds Eye view and Arrow view. Arrow view is a much simpler way to navigate; it shows an arrow facing in the direction you need to travel. Interesting additions are Satellite and Hybrid views, very much along the same line as Google Maps, although you can’t zoom in as far.
Satellite View
Non-Major Cities
Major Cities
Navigation To set your destination is extremely simple. If you know the address or postcode of where you want to go you can simply enter this into Nokia Maps. Once it has confirmed the address and shown you on screen, simply select “Drive to” or Walk to”and away you go.
Navigate to Address or Postcode.
The built in search has also been improved in Maps 2.0, if you don’t know the full address or postcode, you can now enter part details in and the application will look it up and give you a list of possibilities. The search includes Transport, Restaurants, Cash Points, Post Offices and many more. You can also search by category, such as Eat & Drink, and you can set filters such as Fast Food, Restaurants, Italian etc, and it will just show the locations close to your current location.
“On Foot” directions
Local Search
Extra Services
Pedestrian Navigation One of the biggest problems with previous versions of the pedestrian mode was that you never really knew if you were walking in the right direction until you’d walked far enough to notice the difference on the screen. Maps 2.0 has managed to fix this by using the inbuilt accelerometer to create a magnetic compass – This tells the phone which direction you have turned. Walk mode also has information built in on rail transport systems for some of the worlds largest cities to make commuting even easier.
Compatibility Nokia Maps 2.0 is compatible with S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1, including N81, N81 8GB, N82, N95, N95 8GB,E51 & E90. If you are using a Nokia N95 you will need to using the latest firmware (Version 20.0.015 or newer). You will also need to have either an in-built GPS receiver (N82, N95, E90) or a separate Bluetooth GPS receiver. You will need to buy a license for the Voice Navigation, this can be done directly through your handset using premium rate SMS or by purchasing a Nokia Maps Drive & Walk Voice Navigation License.
Download You can download the full version of this software from Nokia Maps website.
Fitting your Martin Fields Screen Protector is a quick and easy process. Just follow the steps below to fit the screen protector to your phone:
Installation:
Step 1: Wipe the screen with a lint-free cloth to remove dust and contaminants.
Step 2: Carefully peel off the protector skin by lifting the edges. Take care not to leave any finger prints on the protector surface.
Step 3: Carefully position the protector over the surface of your phone. When the protector is lined up correctly, gently lay down the protector onto the screen of your phone.
Step 4 : Use a bank card and gently push any remaining air bubbles out to the sides of the screen.
Maintenance:
Removal: Remove the screen protector by using sellotape. Place the sellotape about an inch on one corner of screen protector firmly.Hold the other end of the tape and slowly lift it up
Cleaning : Wash the screen protector by dipping it in water or holding it under a tap. Dry it by using hair dryer. Alternatively, please use sellotape to pull the dust, lint, or contaminates, off of the screen protector.
Got the latest must have phone? Then you’ll need the latest must have accessories to go with it!
Here are Mobile Fun’s top five accessories for your Apple iPhone:
InvisibleSHIELD Full Body Protector – Apple iPhone
The last thing you’ll want to do to your new phone is scratch it. Not only does it look bad, but can spoil your enjoyment while looking at photo’s, movies and coverflow. InvisibleShield full Body Protectors provide exceptionally clear protection that helps prevent impact damage from keys, coins & pens to both the front and back of your iPhone.
Jawbone 2 Bluetooth Headset
If you have used Bluetooth Headsets in the past, I’m sure you will have experienced times where people can’t hear a word you’re saying because of what’s going on around you, whether you’re in a Pub or Club, cruising down the motorway or in a noisy environment at work. Jawbone Bluetooth headsets incorporate the latest technology in noise cancellation meaning you will be heard no matter what is going on around you.
i-Power iPhone Mains Charger
Charging your phone through the USB cable connected to your PC or Mac isn’t always possible – especially if you’re away on holiday, or frequently away with work. This Mains Charger allows you to charge your iPhone without the need to dock it.
Apple iPhone Krusell Orbit Premium Leather Case
The Apple iPhone is a stylish phone, it needs a stylish case to go with it. The Krusell Leather case is extremely stylish and practical. Krusell have a range of connectors available too, so you can mount it on your belt, in the car or even on your bike, without having to remove it from its case. The Orbit Premium Leather Case features a built in stand to make reading your emails and accessing the Internet even easier.
Apple iPhone Stereo Handsfree Adapter
Listen to your MP3 music in full stereo with your own headphones on your iPhone. This adapter allows you to connect any headset with a 3.5 mm jack plug fitting to your iPhone. Built in controls also let you answer and end calls, as well as adjust volume levels and play/pause your music.
After previous good experiences from other Sony Ericsson phones, the Sony Ericsson W890i didn’t disappoint.
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