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Aug

Droid 2 Review Roundup: More Of The Same (And That’s A Good Thing)

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Droid 2, News, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

After the huge success of the original Droid, the Droid 2 was one of the most hotly anticipated (and most leaked) handsets ever. So, we’ve decided to compile some reviews of the device to help you decide if it’s worth upgrading to the Droid’s sequel. A few minor complaints aside, the general consensus is that this is indeed a worthy successor to the most popular Android phone yet.

Engadget

Chris Ziegler was impressed by the Droid 2’s improvements over its predecessor, but still recommends the Droid X or Droid Incredible unless a physical keyboard is a must for you.

There's no question that the Droid 1 was entering its twilight years, especially in the aftermath of the Droid X's release; Motorola and Verizon knew they needed to bring the old model up to spec if they wanted to keep a quality physical QWERTY Android device on the shelves.

Aug

Dell Streak Feature Roundup, Hands-On, And Impressions

Posted by John Thompson in Dell, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Streak

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

The Dell Streak may have been available in the UK for over two months now, but it’s taken until now to hit the States. Just in case you forgot, here is a roundup of my thoughts on all the features the phone has to offer if you’re thinking of getting yourself a Streak when it’s released tomorrow.

Hardware

When you first see the Dell Streak on the shelves, you may be confused as to what it’s trying to be. It’s a bloody big smartphone, with a 5” capactive touch screen display, but it’s not quite large enough, in my opinion, to be called a tablet.

Jul

Review: Samsung Intercept (Sprint) – Android Hits The Mainstream

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Intercept, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Sprint

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

A few weeks ago, Samsung was kind enough to send us an Intercept for review. While it may not be of Galaxy S caliber, it’s not intended to be. Rather, it’s more so aimed at the feature phone crowd – those who want something more powerful than a feature phone, but maybe not all the bells and whistles of a high-end smartphone. We spoke (unofficially) with Samsung about what other phones they think people will cross-shop the Intercept to, and they agreed its target is something like the enV Touch.

There are two compelling things about this phone. First, the hardware for mid-level phones has improved tremendously.

Jul

Unboxing: Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Mini / Mini Pro

Posted by Jose R. Ortiz in News, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Sony Ericsson, Videos, Xperia X10 Mini / Mini Pro (Robyn / Mimmi)

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

You didn’t think the unboxing goodness was over did you? Well just in case the Captivate and Intercept didn’t quite fill your appetite, here’s a two-in-one unboxing for you: Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro.

In November 2009, Sony Ericsson announced its entry into the Android arena by adding the X10 to its XPERIA line. Three short months later, SE decided to put the X10 under a shrink-ray to create the X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro. To say these Mini handsets are small is an understatement. The X10 Mini measures a scant 83mm tall and 50mm wide with its QWERTY packing brother being only slightly larger.

Jul

I Am Iron Meh: LG Ally Review

Posted by Chris Dehghanpoor in Ally (Aloha), LG, Phone Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

If you’re a fan of a physical QWERTY keyboard, your Android options tend to be fairly limited. Your best bet would be to pick up the Motorola Droid, but if, for some reason, that phone doesn’t do it for you, you’re limited to either the Cliq or the Backflip – both developed by Motorola, and both gimmicky and under-powered. For some reason manufacturers seem to be avoiding high-powered QWERTY handsets like the plague, instead opting for touchscreen ‘superphones’, such as the EVO 4G, or the Nexus One.

Sure, these are nice handsets, but for those of us that just can’t get used to a touchscreen keyboard, QWERTY handsets are where it’s at.

Jul

AT&T’s Samsung Captivate Unboxing And Initial Hands-On!

Posted by Chris Dehghanpoor in AT&T, Captivate, Carriers, Devices By Manufacturer, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Samsung, Videos

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Our friendly neighborhood FedEx employee stopped by this morning with our Samsung Captivate, so I figured I’d do a quick unboxing video, snap some pictures, and give you guys our initial thoughts before our review in a couple days.

The box itself is fairly boring, sticking with a generic “You bought a cell phone on AT&T!” design rather than trying to shake things up a la the EVO 4G’s eco-friendly box design, or Apple’s sleek iPhone packaging. Still, though, it’s what’s inside that counts, right?

Sliding the top off reveals a ‘quick start’ guide under which lies the phone itself, and below that, the charger, USB cable, and an above average set of ear buds.

Jul

[Updated] Droid X Review Roundup: It’s Pretty Awesome

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Droid X (Shadow), News, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

[Updated – July 2, 2010 at 6:30PM EST]

Over the past day or so we’ve seen a flood of Droid X reviews published, so we've decided to round up and summarize the best of them. For any readers who may need a reminder of the details:

Coming to Verizon July 15
$200 on contract
4.3”, 854 x 480 px
720p Video Recording
8 MP Camera
1 GHz Processor
Android 2.1 (Eclair) at launch, with 2.2 (FroYo) coming later
8 GB onboard, 16 GB mSD card (24 GB total)
3 mics – front, back, and bottom
HDMI out
Swype

Pretty impressive stuff, at least on paper.

Jun

AndroidPolice.com And EVO 4G Go To Nice And Monaco's Monte Carlo For A Photo/Video Shoot

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in EVO 4G (Supersonic), HTC, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Sprint, Videos

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Earlier this week I've covered EVO 4G's photo (8MP) and HD video taking (720p) capabilities with beautiful shots and videos of Paris.

I could leave the subject alone, but you see, after Paris, I went to the south of France - Nice, Monaco, Monte Carlo, and other beautiful towns. I then fell in love with Monte Carlo and shot some videos and more photos of it with the EVO, which I can't not share with you, right on EVO's launch day.

Since I've already reviewed and discussed the camera and camcorder features and flaws in the previous 2 posts linked above, I'm not going to include them here - just enjoy the EVO and the beautiful scenery.

May

Review And Hands-On Results With HTC EVO 4G's 720P HD Video Camera - Paris In Videos

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in EVO 4G (Supersonic), HTC, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Sprint, Videos

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Yesterday I posted my review and hands-on results with lots of photos made by HTC EVO 4G's 8MP camera, and today I was finally able to finish uploading the 720P HD videos from the same period of time during my visit to Paris (damn you, slow French WiFi!).

As before, I'll start with some details and thoughts and end with the videos themselves. Switch the Youtube player to the 720P mode if you want to see them at max quality.

Camera Details And Performance

I was very excited to finally own a device that can take HD videos, as the next best thing I owned was an old Canon SD450 which shot in questionable quality and relatively low resolution, so I jumped on the EVO's camcorder capabilities like fat Parisian kid on a bag of Parisian pastries (I suck at fat jokes).

May

Review And Hands-On Results With HTC EVO 4G's 8MP Camera - Paris In Photos

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in EVO 4G (Supersonic), HTC, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Sprint

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Over the last week, during my visit to Paris, I've been using both my regular camera and the EVO 4G I got at Google I/O for taking shots and videos of the beautiful French capital.

So what kind of pictures can you expect from the EVO, which has an 8MP camera and a dual LED flash? Just click on the images below to find out.

Camera Details And Performance

The performance of the camera during the day far exceeded my expectations - the pictures come out very sharp and crisp, for a mobile phone camera - it almost seems like there is an image stabilization packed somewhere in there.