Sony Ericsson Satio

Introduction

A year's truce must've been enough and some heavyweight sharpshooters are called to arms again. In fact, there's never been a ceasefire in the battle for profit. But we're about to look at the future of cameraphones and the battle to take place is more for glory than anything else.

So, if 5 and 8 megapixel shooters are busy tipping the scales in favor of this or that maker, are the 12 megapixel monsters taking on low and mid-range digicams? Of course, cameraphones are still limited compared to even the most basic of point-and-shoot cameras - optical zoom for example. Samsung areworking on that, but there is still plenty of time to go.

It doesn't mean though that we'll just sit and wait. We've got two contenders here, eager to fight it out for the Ultimate cameraphone title. The Samsung M8910 Pixon12 and the Sony Ericsson Satio each have legacies to live up to and quite a challenge to conquer.

Samsung M8910 Pixon12 • Sony Ericsson Satio

The Samsung cameraphone hit the shelves several months earlier, but maybe Sony Ericsson used the extra time to fine tune their output and outdo their rival. Amazed as we were when we reviewed the Pixon12, we would be even happier if the Satio is able to bring the cameraphone world another step forward.

Sony Ericsson have been hitting low lately and the Satio might just be the right stuff to turn the tide. Yes, the Satio is a full-touch Symbian handset bringing the latest in mobile phone technology. But it will be the cameraphone we guess, not the smartphone, that will get most of the credit.

Before we proceed with the actual shootout there is an important note to make. The Samsung Pixon12 sports a 30mm wide-angle lens (advertised as 28mm) and that gives it roughly 17 percent wider field of view than the Satio's regular 35mm lens.

Ready, set, shoot!

Wide angle lens is pretty useful when taking landscape and architecture photos as you don't need to go as far back to fit the whole subject in the frame. However fitting more stuff in the frame means that the things in it are actually smaller (drawn by fewer pixels, if you wish). In effect, the extra angle of view is not always needed but you are always losing some scene detail (unless you compensate by doing the legwork to get physically closer).

So now that we've got that cleared, we can move on and get busy shooting.

LG GD510

Introduction

It looks like LG have been playing their own version of will it blend. There's no need to tell you they're not playing for fun - they're rather trying to squeeze some more cash off a couple of hot-selling handsets. So, here's the deal. Get your blender, throw in an LG Arena and a Cookie and set the speed to "budget". And there you have it - an LG GD510 Pop - ready to be served to the happy masses. The "pop" LG are going for is definitely "popular", as opposed to the "popstar stuff" some of you may have hoped for.

You can go ahead and call it the new Cookie, or the low-cost Arena, but the LG Pop is quite obviously keen to have its own purpose and personality. The optional battery cover fitting a solar panel and the all-round eco-friendliness are one way for it to stand on its own two feet as a phone.

LG GD510 Pop official photos

Apart from that, the Pop is just another midrange touchscreen. And this is by no means a guilty verdict. The LG Cookie used to be just another touchscreen too. Certainly not now - over 5 million units sold later. The Pop is perhaps setting its hopes high as well. Let's see if the classic unisex design, the feature mix and the affordable price tag can do it for it too.

Key features:

• 3.0" 256K-color TFT LCD touchscreen display (240x400 pixels)
• 3.15 megapixel fixed focus camera, QVGA video @ 15fps
• Quad-band GSM support
• Bluetooth with A2DP and microUSB v2.0
• microSD card memory expansion
• Standard microUSB port
• FM radio with RDS
• Widget interface and LiveSquare homescreen
• Accelerometer sensor for automatic screen rotation and turn-to-mute
• Landscape on-screen QWERTY keyboard
• Office document viewer
• Smart dialing
• Nice battery life
• Optional solar panel battery cover
• Allegedly affordable price

Main disadvantages:

• No 3G support, no Wi-Fi
• Display has poor sunlight legibility
• No DivX/XviD video support
• Camera lacks autofocus and flash
• Video recording maxes out at QVGA@15fps
• No standard 3.5mm audio jack

There's something about the styling of the Pop that might misguide users to expect Arena-like functionality. In fact, the only Arena stuff inside is the S-Class-styled main menu - the rest of the interface is like on the LG Cookie. The important features for the mass user are there but the expected price bracket doesn't really imply high-end specs.

Many people might miss the camera autofocus and 3G support. And yes, some would have been delighted to get Wi-Fi support on the spec sheet. To us, the most important omission - given the potential target audience - is DivX/XviD support. Anyway, the reason for all that is more than clear: specs are sticking to the basics to keep the price tag comfortably low.

LG GD510 Pop live shots

We guess, there's no reason to construe the GD510 Pop as an upgrade to the LG KP500 Cookie. The Pop is simply the next LG handset to try and tap on the demand for basic affordable touchscreens. An inevitable response to what Samsung are doing with the Star, the Preston and the Corby. To set it apart from the Cookie, the Pop was given some of the LG Arena styling, an optional solar panel and has taken an altogether greener stance.

We praised the Cookie for its handling and style, and the Pop has quite a lot to live up to. The first impression is promising enough though. The Arena-like looks and absolutely minimalist exterior may receive a warm enough reception.

More on the LG GD510 Pop coming up after the jump. We can safely say the LG Pop looks above its class but let's see how it handles.

Motorola Aura

The luxury Aura wasn’t luxurious enough for Moto anymore so they decided to upgrade it with 18 carat gold plating and 34 diamonds. There aren’t too many functional changes but then again features are hardly the Aura owner first priority.

The new Diamond Edition may be not so jewelry-thrilled and expensive as the 5500 euro Motorola Aura Diamoniqe Limited Edition, offering “only” 34 diamonds (instead of 90) and 18 carat gold plating but it will be much easier to pick one.

Thirty of the diamonds of the new Motorola Aura Diamond edition are inlaid around the circular display, while the rest four gems shine on the D-pad.

Motorola Aura Diamond Edition

The specs of the Aura Diamond are the same as the first Aura. The highlights include quad-band GSM, 2 megapixel camera, 2GB internal storage and mostly a round AMOLED screen with 480 pixel diameter.

The Aura Diamond Edition will be sold at 3800 euro and can be yours starting from 26 October.

Motorola Zeppelin

Motorola obviously are expanding their Android portfolio in all directions with China being one of them. The leaked images of a prototype called Zeppelin show a full touch phone with a 5 megapixel camera and dual mode dual SIM networking.

The new Motorola Zeppelin appeared on a Chinese (what else) website and show some intriguing features. The Zeppelin is supposed to have a 3.1-inch touchscreen with 480 x 320 pixel resolution, 5 megapixel snapper with LED flash, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, HSPA capabilities, FM radio and HDMI output.

Motorola Zeppelin

If the specs sheet looks pretty standard to you, except for the HDMI part, of course, you may reconsider when you learn that Motorola Zeppelin will pack two SIM slots - one for the GSM and another for the CDMA network (if SIMs what they're using anyway).

The rumor points to Q1 2010 as expected release date, but the Zeppelin is expected to hit only China. Sorry folks!

Nokia E55

Introduction

Sometimes, a phone is nearly perfect, except for that one small thing you want to change. If you felt that way about Nokia E52, the E55 claims to have the answer. Don't get us wrong - the E52 has killer looks and specs. And the E55… well, like we told you, it's the same phone save for that one little thing.

Nokia E55 official photos

If QWERTY keyboards are for heavy texters where does half-QWERTY fit? Some would say it's the same target but different goal. You know, like heavy texting is a bad habit and half-QWERTY is the therapy. Now, now, no need to be too smart. But does it really make typing faster or slower, and how hard it is to learn the new layout? We ran a test to find out.

But more on that later. Thanks to the excellent connectivity options and Office editing out of the box, the E55 keeps your office at arm's length - whether you're out to lunch or out of town. Emails, presentations, spreadsheets, memos - you can bring all that everywhere you go. But hey, we're not saying you should. Thanks to Modes, switching between Business and Personal homescreens makes sure you don't have to bring work home.

Texting and email go without saying, but the Nokia E55 is one of the best-equipped Symbian devices around. Here's the rundown:

Key features

• Compact metallic body and extra slim girth (9.9mm)
• Quad-band GSM support
• 3G with HSDPA 10.2 Mbps and HSUPA 2 Mbps
• half-QWERTY keyboard
• 2.4" 16M-color display of QVGA resolution
• Symbian OS, S60 UI with FP2
• 600 MHz ARM 11 CPU and 128 MB RAM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UPnP technology, DLNA support
• Built-in GPS receiver, A-GPS support, digital compass
• Accelerometer for screen auto-rotation and turn-to-mute
• One-touch shortcut keys mean "business"
• 3 megapixel enhanced fixed focus camera with LED flash
• Secondary videocall camera
• 60 MB of internal memory, microSD expansion, ships with a 2GB card
• microUSB v2.0
• Standard 3.5mm audio jack
• Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
• FM radio with RDS
• Class-leading audio output quality
• N-Gage gaming support
• Ovi Maps preinstalled with trial turn-by-turn navigation license (10 x 1 days, to be used within 3 months) and lifetime City Explorer license
• User-friendly Mode Switch for swapping two homescreen setups
• Office document editor (with free MS Office 2007 update)
• Remote lock/wipe over-the-air
• Comfortable keypad
• Smart dialing
• Great battery life

Main disadvantages

• Disappointing camera features and performance
• Video recording maxes out at VGA@15fps
• No DivX or XviD support (can be installed, possibly requiring a purchase)
• No TV-out functionality
• Keyboard takes some time getting used to (not too long though)

Nokia E55 live shots

The Nokia E55 has something of a split personality. The business features are complete but wait till you see what it offers for recreation. N-Gage support gives you access to a host of games, the audio quality is up there with dedicated music players and the huge battery won't run out of juice until after hours of games and music.

The weekend getaway is also covered - just punch in your destination into Nokia Maps, and the E55 will take you there. It'll even suggest a list of local attractions.

Head to the next page where we open the box and share our experience with the Nokia E55 and its keyboard.

Nokia E63

Nokia E63 is the next QWERTY messenger by Nokia, set on the glorious path of the E71. Only this time it slips off the high heels to walk it in plain straight and simple boots instead. And the matching price tag leaves little doubt of what this Working Joe here is all about.

No fancy spoils, the Nokia E63 means business and brings connectivity and messaging together in a sharp and reliable package. Certainly a no-thrills mobile, the E63 does its jobs with no fuss and at a fair wage. Well, who would frown at that?

Nokia E63 official photos

Now, comparisons to E71 are clearly inevitable and maybe we know better than expect Nokia E63 to impress us as much. But who says it can't persuade through common sense.

Key features:

• Quad-band GSM support
• 3G support
• Landscape 2.36" 16M-color display of QVGA resolution
• Symbian 9.2 OS, S60 UI with FP1 (sprinkled with some FP2)
• 369 MHz ARM 11 CPU and 128 MB of SDRAM
• Wi-Fi
• 2 megapixel fixed focus camera with LED flash
• 120 MB of internal memory, microSD expansion
• Standard 3.5mm audio jack
• Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP support
• microUSB v2.0
• FM radio
• Comfortable full QWERTY keypad
• Convenient shortcut keys
• Provider-independent VoIP support
• Office document editor
• Nokia Maps
• User-friendly Mode Switch for swapping two homescreen setups
• Great battery life
• Remote Lock and Wipe feature
• One-year free subscription for Files on Ovi

Main disadvantages:

• Poor camera performance
• Video recording maxes out at QVGA@15fps
• No GPS
• No RDS in the FM radio
• 3.5mm jack protective bud is not attached to the body
• No USB cable in the retail package
• No preinstalled games at all

Nokia E63 is undoubtedly a trimmed-down version of the E71 and almost a return to the E61i roots - with a 2 megapixel camera and no built-in GPS receiver. Well, the camera of the E71 was largely disappointing in the first place plus, an external Bluetooth GPS receiver is always an option, so we hardly count these as serious drawbacks.

Nokia E63 at ours

The styling of the E63 is where the difference is most significant. Nokia E63 still looks OK and feels sturdy, but it sure lacks the solid metal charm of the E71. Anyway, the mild price tag may as well make you forgive the cost-effective approach to the exterior.

The potential market rivals of the E63 aren't that many but there are still a few affordable QWERTY smartphones out there.

Before we get to the actual competition, let's briefly look at the ageing Nokia E61i. It's got a pretty much identical spec sheet to E63 and boasts some really nice metallic accents. But Nokia E61i keeps the price quite high even 2 years now since its debut and it's got half the RAM and a slower CPU than the E63. Probably the biggest selling point of Nokia E63 is that it's relatively compact for a QWERTY device and Nokia E61i is no match here.

Nokia E61i

Then there's Samsung C6620, which runs on the WinMo smartphone (no touch) platform and trades Wi-Fi connectivity for GPS. In case you have a subscription plan that covers a sufficient amount of data you might just find it a viable option.

Samsung C6620

The good old Samsung i600 can also come in handy. Its Windows interface isn't nearly as snappy as Symbian on the E63 but the i600 is a neat QWERTY-enabled handset with Wi-Fi that does really great.

Samsung i600

And finally, as UIQ is waltzing off the stage, you might find the last UIQ devices getting quite affordable too. The Sony Ericsson P1 has a QW-ER-TY keyboard (that some find usable), Wi-Fi, a large screen and a decent camera but it is way bulkier than the E63. Still, for the price it currently retails at it's definitely worth checking out.

Sony Ericsson P1

Now that we've covered some of the main competitors, join us on the next page, as we set Nokia E63 loose. Boy, there's quite a bunch of buttons we need to press on this one.