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

Nokia has announced, but not yet released, the Nokia N97. This top-of-the-line Symbian S60 smartphone will include a touchscreen, sliding keyboard, 3G, Wi-Fi, and a host of other features. Read More »

BY: AWright, Brighthand.com Contributor

When Nokia introduced the very thin and powerful Nokia E71 QWERTY smartphone, it probably had no clue that this would be such a popular model. So much so that they could keep it at a higher price point and release a sibling model, the E63, with a lower price and slightly reduced feature set.

The interesting thing is that the Nokia E63 doesn’t really feel like a cheaper device when you are using it. It’s that good.

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BY: Jen Edwards, Brighthand.com Contributor

The LG Versa is one of the newest phones available on the Verizon network, and it’s aptly named because it is indeed quite versatile.

Depending on your needs, it can be configured as a standard candybar-style phone — similar to the LG Dare reviewed here a couple of weeks ago — or as a horizontal flip-style messaging device with the addition of a keyboard that doubles as a case to protect the device while it’s in your pocket.
Design and Build
The LG Versa can take on two entirely different configurations, depending on how you want to use it.

With the plain back plate installed instead of the keyboard, the Versa is similar to many other devices on the market today. It is relatively long and narrow, measuring 4 1/8″ by 2″and is right at 0.5″ thick.

The device is refreshingly sleek, with very few hardware buttons and controls. There are a few on the left edge of the phone, but most functions are managed by software via touchscreen controls.

Display: The LCD display is a 3-inch touchscreen that has a resolution of 480 by 240 pixels. I found it to be quite good overall, with sharp graphics and rich colors. It does wash out a bit in direct sunlight, but it is still readable. I also found it to be more responsive than the LG Dare, and I didn’t have to press as hard to make my selections when manipulating on-screen menus, using the dial pad, etc. Read More »