Smartphone Review

BY: AWright, Brighthand.com Contributor
The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic has quickly become a very popular Symbian S60-based mobile device for the Finnish company. In its first few months on the market, there have been over 2 million of these devices sold.

And while one can point to the similarity of the 5800XM to other famous touchscreen models such as the iPhone, Instinct, and Prada; none of these devices have demonstrated the sheer capability, or market friendliness that Nokia’s offering has. Maybe that is why, despite some glaring weaknesses, that its found a solid place in this reviewer’s pocket.
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BY: Ed Hardy, Brighthand.com Editor

The Xperia X1 is the first Windows Mobile smartphone from Sony Ericsson. It’s an ambitious start: a WVGA touchscreen, built-in keyboard, GPS, 3G, and a host of other high-end features.

Like many Windows phones these days, it offers an alternate user interface than that standard one from Microsoft.

It’s a well built and well designed device, and it’s only real drawback is its price. The X1 wasn’t released by any U.S. carrier, but  it’s available from retailers like eXpansys, who was kind enough to loan me a review unit.

Build and Design
When developing the X1, Sony Ericsson used a tried-and-true design. It’s a tablet with a large display on the front which slides aside to reveal a keyboard.

The display is beautiful, and very high resolution (800 x 480), but at just 3 inches isn’t especially large. This means that you’ll primarily be using the stylus to select items on the screen, not your fingertip. Still, it’s comparable to the display on one of its top competitors, the HTC Touch Pro.

The X1’s QWERTY keyboard is generously sized — it’s larger than the screen — and easy to type on. The combination of a large keyboard but a relatively small display makes this an outstanding device for mobile messaging, but a bit less ideal as a mobile video player or web browser.

Next to the screen are a pair of buttons that correspond to the “soft” buttons that are always at the bottom of the Windows Mobile display. While convenient, these are thin bits of metal that are actually slightly painful to use. Read More »

BY: J.R., Brighthand.com Contributor

The Kindle 2 is Amazon’s second attempt to bring e-books to the masses. The new version brings a number of improvements to the line, with a higher contrast screen, a slimmer, lighter design, longer battery life and faster page turns.

With an 800×600 resolution e-ink screen and unlimited free Internet access, the Kindle 2 makes a compelling choice for anyone who enjoys reading. I’ve spent a couple of days with the device and while it isn’t perfect, it’s getting there.

Build and Design
I typically don’t mention product packaging in reviews, but I felt compelled to do so here. Amazon put a lot of thought into the new Kindle’s packaging, which makes it fun to open. It makes for a sleek presentation, and takes more than a couple of pages from Apple’s book on design. Read More »

BY: Jen Edwards, Brighthand.com Contributor

The Samsung Saga is a Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional smartphone available from Verizon Wireless.

Its non-flip, single-piece design should have wide appeal to business and consumer users due to a vivid touchscreen, highly-usable keyboard, functional camera, and overall snappy performance.

And it has the extra bonus of being a “world phone,” allowing it to be used not just in the U.S. but when traveling in Europe, Australia, Asia, and more.

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