High-tech-equipments reviews

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Nokia 6500 Classic Review - Classic by name, classic by nature?

2008-01-03T23:20:00.001-08:00

Spec

Click here for full specification

For

Ultraslim, elegant design
1GB of internal storage
3G connectivity

Against

No memory card expansion
Camera is average quality
One micro USB connector for charging and headphones

With its Nokia 6500 classic, Nokia has produced an unashamedly elegant handset that's a mere 9.5mm thin but which packs in 1GB of internal memory and has 3G connectivity.

It's an understated but elegant sliver of a design that avoids the flash attention grabbing of the Nokia 7500 Prism and the wallet-bruising price tag of the Nokia 8800 series. Note though: the candybar-style Nokia 6500 Classic shouldn't be confused with the Nokia 6500 Slide sliderphone.

For some reason Nokia has decided to give these distinctly different looking and differently featured phones matching numbers. Beats us why they couldn't tweak a number here or there to make life easier, but there you go...

It may be smart-looking, but the Nokia 6500 classic isn't one of Nokia's Symbian-powered smartphones. Instead, it utilises the latest version of Nokia's popular Series 40 user interface that's familiar to millions across the world. Its spread of features includes a music player onboard to take advantage of that 1GB of track storage space, and a 2-megapixel camera with video recording function.

The 6500 Classic's 1GB of onboard memory can't be increased by adding a memory card, however; the 6500 Classic doesn't have a MicroSD card expansion slot that's now virtually standard issue across Nokia's mid-range handsets. That's a shame, as MicroSDs are now such a cheap and convenient way of adding extra storage (2GB cards are widely available for under £15).

Unusually for a 3G phone, it doesn't offer face-to-face video calling. This isn't necessarily a big drawback, as video calling is unlikely to be a big draw for the 6500 classic's target audience. Other 3G functionality, such as support for fast video and audio downloads and streaming of content, and web browsing, are present.

Nokia has kept it simple and sophisticated on the casing, with curved edges and an anodized aluminium top half giving a tactile, classy feel to the phone.

Despite its slim size, it doesn't feel too miniature and liable to slip out of your hand, thanks to its longish length and a deceptively substantial feel. It measures 109.8 (h) x 45 (w) x 9.5mm (d) and weighs 94g.

It's certainly minimalist on the sides of the casing - there's no quick access keys, controls and barely any socketry; there's simply one Micro USB connector on the top taking care of data connectivity, charging and headphones.

The Micro USB connector also handles the supplied stereo headphones, as Nokia hasn't included a dedicated 3.5mm headphone socket on the 6500 classic, as it has started to do on some other models.

Numbers on the keypad are neatly accented by angled, tiny silver strips, separating individual keys on an otherwise flush pad. There's no tricksy stuff on the navigation keys - a regular navigation D-pad and large softkeys, plus call/end keys maintain the classy feel of the handset. Above this is a bright 2-inch, 16.7-million colour QVGA (320x240 pixels) display.

The standard Nokia interface allows you to customise the standby screen, with an (optional) Active Standby home page; here you can have calendar updates, add notes, get notification and create shortcuts to the music player. A set of icons on top of the standby page can also be changed for fast access to a variety of functions, while the D-pad can be user-configured for fastkey shortcuts too.

With 1GB to fill, some users will head straight for the music player. Loading up tracks is straightforward - hooking up the supplied USB cable, you can sync to tunes stored on a PC using the Nokia PC Suite software provided, or simply drag and drop music files with the phone connected as a mass storage device to your PC or Mac.

You could zap them over via Bluetooth too. The 6500 classic sports the stereo A2DP Bluetooth protocol, so wireless headphones and speakers can be used with it too.

You can also download tracks and videos over the air using 3G from compatible mobile network operators' music services. The new Nokia Music Store option isn't available on this handset, however.

Once loaded up, you can listen to the tunes through the built-in speakers (probably a bit low-rent for 6500 classic customers) or through the supplied earphones.

The speaker - on the back, directly under the camera lens - can be pushed up pretty loud although it is trebly, and gets tinnier and harsher the louder you crank it. The earphones are a far better option. Unusually, these are attached via a Micro USB connector, so if you want to plug in your favourite quality headphones instead you'll need to source a Micro USB to 3.5mm adapter.

The earphones produce a respectable if not remarkable performance, like so many in-box sets, and it's a shame that Nokia has limited the ease with which you can upgrade them.

The music player itself is a tidy piece of software, organising tracks by the usual categories, and allowing equalisation tweaks to suit your preferences. The player makes use of the D-pad for controls, and can play in the background while in standby or be used with the phone off in flight mode.

The camera on the Nokia 6500 Classic is a standard 2-megapixel shooter, capable of taking images that can be blown up to standard photo print size. It's a fixed focus lens, though there is a digital zoom. Image quality can be decent in well-lit environments, but overall the quality is fairly average, particulalty for a Nokia phone.

There are some control settings to adjust white balance and quality, and you can add basic shooting effects, but with low quality video too imaging isn't the stand-out feature on this Nokia.

Nokia has geared up the 6500 Classic with both a standard Nokia XHTML browser, and an Opera Mini browser. The Opera Mini browser, tucked away in the Apps folder, provides small screen rendering of websites, optimised to make them easily scrollable on a mobile phone screen.

An email client is onboard the 6500 Classic, to go with text and MMS. Regular organiser functions are included, and calendar, notes, and the to-do list can be synced with a PC using the supplied Nokia PC Suite software.

A calculator and convertor software, plus a My Nokia information update and user tips service, are loaded onto the phone. Four Java games - Backgammon, Golf Tour, Snake III and Sudoku - come preloaded too.

When it comes to the basics of voice calling, the 6500 classic certainly puts in a classic Nokia performance. Audio quality was first rate and signal finding and holding appeared better than some of its more illustrious smartphone stablemates.

Battery life is quoted by Nokia at up to 9 days on standby or 3.5 hours talktime - so it's not the longest runner in this category of slimline handset. Extensive use of the music player will eat into the power further, so expect to charge regularly.

The Nokia 6500 classic is undoubtedly a classy looking handset that puts style above fashion, with a sophisticated look and slimline appeal.

The 1GB of internal storage is still a hefty amount for a mobile phone, although the lack of memory card expansion does limit it for those who want to pack the handset with music; we'd have preferred to see an expansion slot here.

The headphone socket arrangement isn't the best we've seen either, and the camera is a fairly ordinary model (particularly when considering the 6500 Slide's 3.2-megapixel, Carl Zeiss-optics equipped camera).

But what you do get with the Nokia 6500 classic is a well-groomed, decently featured, slim and stylish 3G phone. It delivers a solid performance, and while other Nokia handsets do offer a fuller features list, the Nokia 6500 classic has some charm.

Nokia 5310 XpressMusic Review - Striking slimline music mobile with plenty of audio punch

2008-01-02T22:46:00.001-08:00

For

Slimline design
Striking looks
2GB MicroSD memory card
Fine quality music player
3.5mm headphone socket

Against

No 3G
Very average 2 megapixel camera
Love-it-or-loathe-it colour scheme
Keypad a bit plasticky

Verdict

It isn't the best all-rounder, but its primary purpose is as a music player, and at this it excels

No one can doubt that Nokia is determined to mark out some serious mobile music territory for itself, what with its recent N81 and N95 8GB-packing smartphone releases, and a series of high profile music service announcements (including Nokia Music Store and its Comes With Music).

At the same time, it's turned its attention to lower down the handset range, too, by refreshing its XpressMusic music phone portfolio. The 5310 XpressMusic is one of a pair of affordable newcomers to the loud and proud - if low-key - XpressMusic line.

Whereas Sony Ericsson seemingly has a new Walkman phone every few weeks, reinforcing its mobile music branding, Nokia's so far taken a relatively sedate approach to releasing music-optimised XpressMusic-tagged phones.

The 5310 XpressMusic aims to hit its target youth-market with a slick slimline look, featuring prominent colour contrast music player controls, and plenty of tune-playing punch; Nokia supplies the 5310 with a 2GB MicroSD card in-box to supplement its modest 30MB internal storage.

And at a pre-pay price that's initially pitched around the £120-£130 mark, this is a phone that is going to grab attention with its price-tag too.

The Nokia 5310 XpressMusic doesn't have 3G built in for fast over the air downloading - it makes do with quad-band GPRS - although Nokia has included a few useful Web-based apps. The 5310 is also light on the snapping front, with a rather basic 2-megapixel camera on the back that makes do without autofocus or flash.

Music, though, is of course the headline act on the 5310. Complementing Nokia's restyled music and video player inside, there's an FM radio, plus Nokia has slipped in a 3.5mm headphone jack, enabling users to upgrade headphones easily from the supplied pair.

A set of three large music player keys are ranged down the side of the display on coloured aluminium side panels - red or blue - that set off strikingly against the rest of the black and graphite grey bodywork.

That chassis is just 9.9mm thin, and with a weight of just 71g this candybar feels suitably light in the hand and comfortable in the pocket - unlike some of Nokia's earlier, chunky XpressMusic handsets.

The numberpad keys are a bit plasticky, but are large enough, arranged in a straightforward grid, and slightly curved to make them suitable for no-fuss texting. The display is a 2-inch QVGA (240x320 pixels), capable of showing up to 16.7 million separate colours; it's not the biggest array, but it is bright and vivid.

Nokia has unsurprisingly used its standard Series 40 user interface on this model, and the navigation controls are a familiar set of buttons arranged around a central D-pad. A pair of softkeys flank it, while there are standard call and end keys beneath these.

The D-pad and softkeys can offer shortcuts to a range of features. They arrive pre-set, but it's simple to reconfigure them to your own tastes. Similarly, out of the box, the standby screen is set for Active Standby, with a quintet of icons lines up on a bar at the top of the display for shortcuts to functions.

Other fast access options - like music player and radio, and calendar reminders, are listed down the screen. You can re-set all of this too to suit your own requirements. That makes for a flexible and quick menu access set-up - although you can choose simply to hit the central menu option and delve through the options from a standard grid format.

The conspicuous music player controls with their diamond etched music symbols look good on the 5310 XpressMusic and trumpet what this phone majors on.

Get the music player or radio in motion, and you can control the tunes - play, pause, forward or reverse - even when the music is strutting its stuff in the background. With 2GB of track-space to play with out of the box (thanks to the supplied MicroSD card) you can get hundreds of tunes onto the 5310 before you even consider adding further cards (it can accommodate up to 4GB capacity MicroSDs).

The music player user interface is similar to that used on other recent Nokia's latest Series 40 models, though you can tweak the themes on the 5310's player with additional skins. The player supports MP3, MP4, AAC, eAAc+, and WMA music file formats, and tracks are organised in familiar MP3 player style - by playlists, artists, albums, genres, and there's a video option.

Cover art can be copied over to the phone too. For any music player, good sound quality is the key requirement, and the 5310 XpressMusic gets this spot on.

It produces a superb sound performance; the supplied headset is decent enough to be getting on with, but try plugging in some good quality headphones and you get a lovely, rich sound with tonal subtlety as well as plenty of bass. It's a fine player.

You can adjust equaliser settings if you want to optimise your istening pleasure. You can use the built in speaker, too, which is OKish, but isn't a treat to the ears. Stereo Bluetooth on board means you can stream tunes to wireless headphones or speakers too.

Nokia supplies its PC Suite software and a USB cable to sync and manage your music via a PC, though another option is drag and dropping music files straight to the phone in mass storage mode. The FM radio adds another free entertainment option, with the music player controls neatly coming into play for this function too.

One less favourable aspect of the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic is its rather basic 2-megapixel camera. For a lower-end music phone like this you may not expect a high quality shooter, and images aren't brilliant. It can take reasonable shots in decent lighting conditions, but overall colours are subdued, and no flash means it struggles in low light conditions.

The lack of autofocus limits the detail you can get in close up shots. It has a zoom, but this reduces picture quality further. The video recording capability is limited to low resolution (176x144 pixels) shooting, so is pretty poor played back on a PC screen.

Without 3G, browsing the internet isn't one of the highlights of the 5310. However, there are a few useful web-based applications included by Nokia to make the most of the phone's internet capabilities.

These include an Opera Mini browser app to go with standard Nokia XHTML browser, Yahoo! Go mobile software - which presents a suite of applications and information services in a widget-style homepage - and there's an app to download the Nokia WidSets customisable widgets application.

The Opera Mini browser is optimised for rendering web pages for small mobile displays, and does an able job in producing reformatted pages in easy scrollable format relatively speedily for a 2.5G phone.

The Yahoo! Go and WidSets apps - although available as downloadable apps - are a smart addition, as they enable users to get regular updates on blogs, web-based information services and favourite websites without having to fire up the browser each time, and spend ages surfing from site to site.

The 5310 covers the usual Nokia bases in terms of email support and organiser options; calendar, contacts and notes can by synced with a PC using Nokia PC Suite software. Voice recording and voice control options are available too.

Alongside an internet Search app and functional Convertor software, Nokia has included a couple of apps to please to the younger mobile demographic - a cash-saving fractals-based abstract wallpaper creator, and Nokia's Sensor Bluetooth-operated short-range social networking application that can plug you into similar Sensor users within a 10 metre radius.

Three games are provided too, City Bloxx, Snake III, and Music Guess (a quiz based on your own tunes).

At its base level phone functionality, call quality was impressive, with no audio problems - sound was clear and loud at both ends.

In terms of battery life, Nokia claims the 5310 XpressMusic can keep playing tunes for up to 20 hours solid, which is a decent amount of play-time for a slimline music mobile. In ordinary phone usage scenarios, Nokia quotes battery life at up to 5.4 hours talktime or 300 hours in standby; not the longest for a non-3G handset, but it should keep you going for a fair amount of time between charges.

We were able to go 4-5 days between charges with moderate usage, but we'd guess those who are attracted for its tune-playing prowess will be caning the music player, and so wil have to charge more frequently.

The music player is, after all, the central feature of what is a decent budget priced handset. The camera may be somewhat underwhelming, and the 5310 lacks 3G for fast tune downloading and surfing.

But it comes with a generous amount of MicroSD memory in-box and a great music player that lives up to its top billing. For a music phone at this price the 5310 XpressMusic is enticingly slim and eye-catching enough to distinguish it from the crowd, while its fine audio performance certainly makes it stand out too.

* A detailed specification of the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic can be found on the Nokia website.

Total Mobile

Dell XPS M1730 Review - A stunning machine, and not just for gamers

2008-01-01T23:43:00.001-08:00

Spec

Click here for full specification

For

Strong construction
Superbly powerful

Against

Not particularly portable

Verdict

A real 'beast' of a laptop that had delivers power and performance in equal measure

When it comes to gaming laptops, Dell knows its target audience and the XPS M1730 (£1,639 inc. VAT) plays straight into this market. The 17-inch machine comes with the latest feature-set and even incorporates dual graphics cards for the best possible gaming performance.

Referred to by Dell as 'The Beast' this is easily the most powerful machine the company currently produces. Powered by the Intel 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo T7500, this chip can be overclocked and tweaked to suit the way you game. For hardcore users, this machine also supports the new Intel Extreme CPU. In use we found it easily handled our tests.

The chassis is large, but incredibly sturdy. It's made from carbon fibre with lights on the lid and the front of the case. Media buttons, also on the front, allow you to manage movies and music with ease.

Built for gaming, you'll find twin Nvidia GeForce 8700M GT graphics cards connected using an SLI bridge. This delivers stunning performance. The 17-inch Super-TFT screen is amazingly bright and allows you to play games up to a resolution of 1920 x 1200-pixels without any signs of lag or delay.

Has the iPhone screwed over the UMPC? - How one portable computer can win whilst another flounders

2007-12-29T20:30:00.001-08:00

When the Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) was launched in the middle of 2006, it didn't exactly meet with an enthusiastic reception.

Whilst the idea of a paperback book-sized PC you could use with a pen like a notepad sounded promising, the first generation of UMPCs just didn't hit the mark. They were too bulky, with too short a battery life. And they were too expensive. Yes, they were fun to try (as a lot of new technology ideas are) but not particularly useful to own.

However, just because the first UMPCs didn't quite get portable computing right didn't mean the idea of a full Windows PC you could carry around you like a Filofax was a bad one.

But do you really need Windows in your bag? This is the question asked by the latest breed of all-singing mobile phones, in particular Apple's iPhone. The iPhone claims to be almost a full computer, too. It runs Mac OS X, although on an Xscale PDA processor rather than a notebook CPU.

So if the iPhone is essentially a little portable Mac, and the UMPC is a portable PC, why has the iPhone succeeded where the UMPC failed? Both can play music and video, and you can get UMPCs with built-in GPS, such as Asus's R50A, which can give you a map showing exactly where you are.

Phones 4 us

Let's forget the size difference for now - although this is clearly a major factor. The iPhone may be pocket friendly, where the UMPC would require trousers baggier than MC Hammer's to accommodate it.

The obvious difference is that Apple realises that the battle to be the people's everyday computing device was won some years ago. And it was won by the mobile phone.

Sure, Microsoft has Windows Mobile, and that's not doing too badly. You can buy quite a few decent phones running it nowadays, although pure PDAs appear to be dying out, with Dell killing its Axim range in April. But Windows Mobile is not really Windows, anyway, it's Windows CE, which is an entirely different codebase and can't run the same applications.

In contrast, the iPhone runs MacOS X, right? Well, no, not really. You definitely can't run desktop MacOS X apps on it. In fact, you can't officially run third-party apps on the iPhone at all, just unofficial hacks, although in October Apple did announce it would be releasing the SDK for this in February 2008.

So the iPhone's success is not about the extra software you can run on it, which is the primary selling point for the UMPC.

Work to live, not live to work

Despite the fact that the iPhone is basically a large PDA phone, it focuses on fun and style, not processing power and extensibility. After initial reports to the contrary, the iPhone has arrived with Exchange email support and Office compatibility. But it's really the funky iPod features and built-in Google Maps which make the iPhone more than just a phone.

The UMPC, on the other hand, is a device designed by people who only begrudgingly know what leisure is. It's a laptop without a keyboard; another incarnation of the Tablet PC concept. It has some fun abilities, but its big selling point is that it can run Windows apps, in particular MS Office. In other words, you will have even fewer excuses for not working 24 hours a day.

So who needs a UMPC any more? Who needs, or indeed wants, to carry a complete computer around with them at all times?

Well, some of us do. But most of us don't. Most of us just want an all-in-one mobile entertainment device you can actually fit in a pocket. And that's why so many people have gotten all hot and bothered about the iPhone, even queued up for hours to buy one, where the UMPC has come and gone with very little fanfare.

James Morris

Panasonic SDR-H250 Review - A hybrid approach to storage

2007-12-27T21:02:00.001-08:00

Spec

Click here for full specification

For

Versatile storage options
Easy to use
Good overall quality

Against

Not HD

Verdict

A generous set of user-friendly features together with its combined ability to shoot either to SDHC cards or HDD in impressive widescreen makes this camcorder the obvious choice for upgraders who aren't quite ready to make the leap to HD quite yet

Panasonic's "hybrid" camcorder offers a choice of video recording to either internal hard disk or high-capacity SD card media and, on first impressions at least, shares an outward appearance with several models in the JVC Everio G range of HDD camcorders.

It's aimed at the home movie maker looking for a no-nonsense, easy-to-use camcorder that offers truly tape-less recording and playback together with all the necessary functions and features necessary to record great-looking widescreen video - and still get a lot of change from £500.

The camcorder's compact design makes it a really comfortable and handy unit to use, and its size makes it easy to tuck into a pocket or small bag when not in use. Its non-removable 30GB HDD occupies the part of the camcorder where the tape would be accommodated on a DV camcorder and this contributes to an equivalent body mass overall.

A collection of controls sits at the back - among them an independent on/off button, main function dial (providing Record and Play options for Movie and Photo shoot modes respectively), a Menu button (for selecting Record and Play functions) and a mini-joystick positioned in the centre of the main function dial, which is used to navigate the menus and make selections.

The H250 employs three 1/6th inch CCDs each of which produces an effective 540,000 pixels. The 10x optical zoom lens also features Panasonic's superb Mega OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) that works to smooth out hand-held shots most impressively when fully zoomed-in to a distant object.

We like the shutter-style lens cap, which opens and closes by turning what you might think is a focus ring - very useful in protecting the lens when putting it your pocket - even though you're denied a manual focus ring, of course.

The Menu button provides the entry point (in all camera modes) to the choice of functions. Like retrieving digital stills images in a camera, we can review movie clips and stills by using the mini-thumbwheel to navigate our way around the pages of thumbnail representations on the 2.7in LCD and select one (or more) to view and play. It's also a relatively easy job to create a Playlist of clips that can be recalled when you want to show only a selection of clips on a TV screen or even burn to DVD.

In addition to having a button - positioned inside the opened LCD screen recess - with which to increase the brightness of the LCD screen in three steps, Panasonic has included a simple DVD Copy button.

When the camcorder is connected to a Windows or Vista PC via USB 2.0 cable (supplied), and where the bundled Image Mixer software CD is installed, it's possible to make a quick, no-nonsense, DVD backup copy of your clips as stored on either HDD or SD card. Just click the button and off you go. This is a nice little add-on that saves the user's precious time.

Even when shooting in fully Auto mode, it performs well. The 30GB HDD provides ample capacity for several 'family days out' movies, and the convenience of SDHC card shooting made it all the more flexible.

Shooting in full Auto mode does create some problems when shooting against sheet-white skies, but careful use of the manual controls will eliminate such fundamental errors; colour and resolution when shooting in both 4:3 and 16:9 widescreen modes is very good indeed - widescreen movie playback looks great when you've been careful during shooting.

As with many so-called "handycam" sized cameras, audio does suffer when it's a bit windy, but in optimum conditions it's very good -spacially, the stereo is well-defined and audio definition is good.

The choice of recording media makes life on the road really easy, and with the plummeting cost of high capacity SDHC cards it's probably fair to say that recording to DV tape or DVD disc is actually more expensive.

Given that the knurled ring around the lens barrel is there to open and close the shutter, it would be nice to think that Panasonic would have replaced this with an Auto lens cap and given us a manual focus ring instead, but all in all this is a great camcorder at its price, and we can't see many users having much cause to complain about anything at all.

Digital Video (UK)

Samsung F210 Review - Stick thin but some meaty memory for music

2007-12-27T21:00:00.000-08:00

Spec

Click here for full specification

For

1GB onboard memory
Excellent call quality
Innovative design

Against

Small screen
Sluggish scroll wheel
Poor camera

Verdict

A handbag-friendly number that will turn heads with a decent performance to boot

There's always room for a phone that's a bit quirky, offering something a bit different, and the swivel-screen F210 is bound to attract plenty of attention.

And not just because our test model came in this season's Quality Street-wrapper pink (it's available in a variety of colours - including purple and blue - depending on the operator you buy it from).

One look and it's clear that Samsung's latest foray into fashionista territory is essentially a follow-up to the Samsung SGH-X830 (aka the Blush), with added musical va va voom to win over a new audience. It's easy to guess from its colourful casings whose pockets - or rather handbags - this phone is primarily aimed at...

The tall, slim styling and swivel screen of its predecessor remains, but joining the party is a generous 1GB of onboard storage, MicroSD card support and a decent lanyard-style headset. Build quality is excellent, while its solid metallic feel and elongated dimensions make it difficult to put down.

Push the screen to the left and it swivels open eagerly, revealing a keypad that's surprisingly well spaced given real estate is at a premium.

Samsung has obviously learnt that cheap and nasty keys make for a cheap and nasty phone, so the buttons on the F210 maintain the metallic swagger of the rest of the handset - even texting isn't the headache it would first appear.

Tiny screen

Unfortunately one thing that will probably be an issue is the size of the screen. At a time when big screens are in vogue, Samsung's decision to go with the opposite will certainly help the F210 stand out from the crowd, but in use things don't look so rosy.

The menu has been adapted slightly to meet the needs of the slimmed-down screen, and initially things don't seem to bad when opting for the block view.

Get down to the nitty gritty of the sub-menus, though, and it's like watching Sky Sports' videprinter scrolling past. All this would be a minor gripe, were it not compounded by the sluggish thumb wheel used to navigate the menu lists.

True, you could just press the up and down sections of the wheel, but the iPod generation will feel put out if their thumbs don't get the requisite exercise. It's fair to say that most areas of the phone are compromised slightly by the miniscule screen, but on the whole the F210 copes better than we thought it would.

Contacts are perfectly legible and not subject to scrolling, although good eyesight is required, and even texting isn't too much of a problem. WAP is pretty much a non-starter, though, and pages just don't translate well to the long narrow display.

With no 3G, this is even more of a problem. Samsung has attempted to improve things by including the option to navigate pages via the Page Pilot, which shows a series of - even smaller - thumbnails, and offering the ability to rescale your pages into Large, Normal and Small page sizes.

It's a nice try, but unless you're desperate to know the football scores we wouldn't bother. One area where screen size is immaterial is the handset's music playing credentials. The interface itself is fairly basic, but it does the essentials and is easy to operate.

For such a small phone, the F210's got a whopping memory as well - 1GB onboard, to be exact, and room for a further 2GB with the addition of a MicroSD card (you'll have to buy that as an extra, though).

Tracks can be added and managed using the bundled Samsung PC Suite, transferred by Bluetooth, loaded onto a memory card or downloaded with WAP. If you use Windows Media Player on your PC, you can also sync with this via the supplied USB data cable.

Listening options are also varied, and Samsung has once again proved its calibre in pushing traditional design boundaries by including a clip-on lanyard that acts as an extension to the bottom of the handset. It's an interesting idea, and if you're the active type it's great, but we fear that the necessity to remove the bottom cap to attach it will eventually result in the loss of one part or other.

It's definitely worth experimenting with, though, as the audio quality is pretty good. For those who can't be doing with the faffing around, you can always use the bundled 3.5mm adaptor cable to hook up your own set of headphones, or make use of the A2DP support to pair a wireless stereo Bluetooth set.

The other in-demand multimedia app of the moment is, of course, the camera. Again, with such a small screen this function was never going to be high on the list of selling points for the F210 - but nevertheless it's there in all its 2-megapixel glory.

Well, we say glory, but in this case it's just making up the numbers - as is the video app. Images lack sharpness, and the camera struggles with contrast; dark colours are under-exposed, while light areas are on the murky side.

Fun snapper

Still, we've seen worse and it's perfectly adequate as a fun snapper. Minor quirks aside, where it really counts the F210 comes good. Call quality is nothing short of excellent, and the odd shape doesn't feel so odd in use.

The handset also does well to maintain good signal strength even in poor areas of reception, and likewise the battery puts in a sterling performance for such a little fella.

Of course, this phone is going to sell more on looks than usability, so potential buyers are unlikely to be perturbed by the foibles of the screen. In that respect, by concentrating on performance and style Samsung has got it spot on.

Throwing in the carrot of a half-way decent music collection is just the icing on the cake. If you can get over its fiddliness, the F210 is definitely one of the classier fashion handsets on circuit.

Total Mobile

What's the matter with Windows Mobile? - iPhone shows Microsoft's mobile OS is ageing badly

2007-12-27T01:05:00.001-08:00

The pressure is mounting on Windows Mobile, Microsoft's increasingly antiquated mobile operating system.

Last week, Google lifted the lid on world's worst-kept secret and confirmed the existence of Android, a mobile OS of its own.

But it's the Apple iPhone juggernaut that's really putting the squeeze on Windows Mobile. Friday's UK launch of the iPhone drew an enormous rabble of both punters and press, despite the fact that the thing is relatively ancient news. It's been available in the US since June.

But is the iPhone really that much better than your typical Window Mobile-powered smartphone? And if so, what does Microsoft need to do to close the gap?

Age old dichotomy

When it comes to iPhone vs. Windows Mobile, it's the same age old Apple vs. Microsoft dichotomy. It's a contest between peerless usability and polish on the one hand and almost infinite flexibility and configurability on the other.

In that sense, Windows Mobile is identical to full-fat Windows for desktop PCs. It's a completely open platform with a huge ecosystem of supporting third-party software. If you need it or can even think of it, odds are somebody has coded it for Windows Mobile.

But just as it shares many traditional Windows strengths, it's also shot through with the all too familiar failings. Whether it's the clunky interface and piss poor usability or patchy stability and questionable security. It's the same story in Windows Mobile as it is in Windows Major.

And just like Windows on the desktop, if you dig deep enough, you'll find some pretty ancient underpinnings. In the case of Vista, its lineage can be traced back to Windows NT. For Windows Mobile, there are some pretty ripe Windows CE gubbins in there. As with Vista's deceptively snazzy 3D interface, the fancy icons of latest Windows Mobile 6 version won't fool you for long.

OS X all over again

The arrival of the iPhone has only made Windows Mobile's shortcomings all the more obvious. It's had a similar impact to that which Apple's OS X originally had way back in 2001; to instantly show the Windows alternative as utterly antiquated and outmoded.

The iPhone's biggest advantage is its interface. The application that arguably showcases it the best is web browsing.

The iPhone's awesome gesture-controlled Safari web browser is so much better than Windows Mobile's feature-light and maddeningly scroll-intensive build of Internet Explorer, it's not funny. You can't even have more than one web page open at a time in Mobile Internet Explorer, for goodness sake.

Switching between portrait and landscape viewing is a mere flick of the wrist away on the iPhone. On a Windows Mobile device, you'll be battling context menus with that fiddly little pointing stick. Yuck.

Elsewhere, it's a similar story. Whether its navigating contacts or just sending a text message, the iPhone is an infinitely more pleasant mobile companion. Anyone with a touchscreen Windows Mobile Device will be aware of just how ludicrously bad it is for finger prodding operation.

Not a nice gesture

Windows Mobile has absolutely none of the slickness or intuitiveness that you get with an iPhone. The idea of effortless gesture control simply has not entered the Windows interface lexicon.

And yet all is not lost for Windows Mobile users. There are legions of alternatives to the standard, bundled applications. Opera already offers a browser with tabbed browsing, for instance (and it's working on a new version with similar overview and intelligent zoom to Safari on the iPhone).

Similarly, with the right software installed, you can play back a far wider range of video files and codecs on Windows Mobile.

To be fair to Windows Mobile, one must also acknowledge the huge range of handsets it has to cope with. There's tons of choice in terms of hardware. That's in stark contrast to the tightly controlled iPhone and iPod touch platform upon which Apple's cut-down mobile OS X is installed.

Failings and foibles

Ultimately, however, I can't see Microsoft really addressing Windows Mobile's major failings. In recent years, it has shown absolutely no evidence of being able to respond to customer needs in terms of interfaces and usability.

Windows Mobile 6 is already way behind the curve and the next major build, codenamed Photon, isn't even due for a couple of years.

That could be a serious problem for Microsoft. Compared with the effective monopoly it enjoys on the desktop, it's much, much more vulnerable in the mobile sector. If Apple stays true to its word and opens up the iPhone platform to developers, the sky's the limit.

Already, the iPhone is popular enough in the US to encourage wide ranging third party software development. An open-platform iPhone really would offer the best of both worlds.

Jeremy Laird

17 expert tips for iPhone owners - Restore system crashes, stream music, extend battery life

2007-12-27T01:03:00.001-08:00

1. Remedy system lockups

Apple's iPhone runs a scaled down version of Mac OS X, and, just like Mac OS X, problems occasionally occur. If your iPhone locks up on you, try pressing the Home button for six seconds. This will force quit the application you're currently using. Still no response? Then press and hold both the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button at the top of the iPhone for ten seconds. This will force the handset to restart.

2. Alarming issues

If you want to sleep peacefully without being woken by audible message alerts or emails, go into the Settings menu and set your iPhone to Airplane Mode before hitting the sack. This disables all of the iPhone's communication capabilities, but the alarm will still sound off in the morning.

3. Easy text deletion

The inability to select text on the iPhone not only prevents you from copying and pasting, but also from deleting large swathes of text at a time. Fortunately, you don't have to peck away at the delete key when you want to rewrite something; just press it once and keep your finger on it. Text will start being deleted letter by letter, then, after a couple seconds, word by word.

4. Accurate text placement

Inserting text in exactly the right place can sometimes be difficult if you just tap a fat finger on the desired area on the iPhone screen. To make things easier, press the area and then keep your finger held down. After a second, a small magnifying glass with a cursor will appear above your finger, enabling you to precisely place the insertion point, even if it's within a word or URL. Much better.

5. Improve the battery life

If you wish to maximise your iPhone's battery life, there are a few key settings you should adjust. First, turn the screen brightness down as low as you can without losing legibility. Even in direct sunlight, you might be surprised to find that 50% brightness (or less) is still perfectly adequate.

Next, disable Wi-Fi when you're out and about - your iPhone will consume extra battery power monitoring nearby wireless networks and looking for open ones to join.

6. Quick-browse your files

When your iPhone is chocka with contact information, iTunes tracks and video files, browsing through them all can be a pain. But there is a shortcut that many iPhone users often forget about. See the small letters on the right-hand side of the lists? These enable you to jump immediately to the entries that begin with that letter. Better still, if you keep your finger on that area and flick it up or down, you can also rapidly scroll through entries by their first letter.

7. How to easily transfer images

Create a new folder on your Mac or PC for pictures you want to transfer to the iPhone. Then set this folder to synchronise with the iPhone through iTunes. Then all you have to do to transfer a picture from computer to phone is drop it into the afforementioned folder and sync.

8. Take a picture of yourself

Taking a photo of yourself can be trickier than you'd think with the iPhone, since the camera is on the back of the device and it lacks a tactile button (or a mini-mirror). But there is an easy solution: fire up the Camera application, put your finger on the camera button to take a picture, but don't lift it off. Now flip the iPhone around - only when you release your finger will the picture be captured.

9. Minimise interference

The iPhone can work with many existing iPod accessories, including plenty of speaker systems. The only problem is that the iPhone's GSM wireless signal can create interference that speakers output as a hiss of static. Avoid this by simply putting your iPhone into Airplane Mode when docked.

10. Ensure a scratch-free screen

Protect that glass! The iPhone is impressively durable and the glass screen can stand up to considerable abuse, but why risk chipping or scratching the display when a cheap solution can prevent that from happening? Plenty of custom-cut iPhone screen protectors are available for purchase for around £5, while some casesalso include them. Get one with a privacy finish that prevents the screen from being viewed at an angle. The best part is that the touchscreen's performance is not at all impeded.

11. Use RSS when you're on EDGE

Loading large websites on the iPhone can be an experiment in patience, especially when the data is arriving over O2's currently patchy EDGE network. Using RSS feeds (viewed via the .Mac Reader) can help. For example, you can get tech.co.uk's main feed here. The BBC news head lines are here. And so on.

For a similar experience, check out Leaflets. This site featrures iPhone apps that run within Safari and deliver an iPhone experience for sites, including Flickr, the New York Times, Digg, del.icio.us, and more.

12. Visit iPhone-friendly sites

Many websites now have iPhone-optimised versions of their pages, like Facebook and Amazon UK, while others have elements crafted entirely for the iPhone from the ground up, like a version of Bejeweled for the iPhone from Pop Cap games. Other sites, meanwhile, serve as directories for these excellent iPhone sites, one good one being Launchrz.

13. Instant messaging

One of the iPhone's biggest omissions thus far is a native IM application. Thankfully, web-based solutions can bring that functionality to the iPhone. You can try Mundu, which supports Yahoo!, MSN, AIM, and GTalk; or Meebo, which also has a newly implemented iPhone page.

14. Skype on the iPhone

Running Skype on your iPhone is a relatively new development, but the folks at Germany-based SHAPE Services have come up with an elegant solution called IM+ for Skype. After logging in with your Skype details and mobile number, you get full access to your Skype account, including free instant messaging and support for paid SkypeOut calls. It was a bit ropey when we tried it, so there's room for improvement. Registration for the service will cost you $25.

15. Turn your iPhone into a hard drive

Unlike an iPod, an out-of-the-box iPhone can't be used as a portable hard drive. The file system remains hidden when it's plugged into a Mac or PC. Ecamm's iPhoneDrive works around this limitation, providing drag-and-drop file transfer between a Mac and iPhone. Yeah, it's a fudge. But it works.

16. Great free music on tap

If you're pver-played the tunes on your iPhone, scour the web for more. To make things easy, point Safari to SeeqPod, a website that links you to music freely available online and bands you never even knew existed. SeeqPod has a slick iPhone-optimised interface (that automatically loads when you access it from your iPhone), and since Safari can play MP3 files in the background, once you have a tune playing you can return to using your iPhone for other things.

17. Insure your iPhone

The iPhone is slim; it feels fragile; you wouldn't want to test the fact that it can apparently survive a drop of about three feet. Phone insurance is the obvious answer, but shop around for the cheapest deal. Carphone Warehouse offers Lifeline Mobile Phone Insurance at £11.98 per month (with one month free). O2, meanwhile, offers their own insurance for £7.50 per month. Or add the iPhone to your existing house insurance...

This article is adapted frrom an article that first appeared in MacFormat, issue 189.

MacFormat

10 of the best 32-inch HD TVs - Nobody in their right mind buys two 50-inch plasmas

2007-12-26T18:08:00.001-08:00

Did you know that 32-inch TVs have apparently now been usurped by 37 inch models as the UK's TV size of choice? Nevertheless, the humble 32-incher still has a heck of a lot to offer. It satisfies two completely different buyers: people after a decent-sized TV for their decent-sized living room; and those more TV-centric people who fancy a second high-def TV in the house.

So now that we've established just how many of you could potentially be interested in buying a 32-inch LCD, it's time we got down to business. Here's tech.co.uk's Top Ten best 32-inch TVs... all HD ready, of course... (prices quoted are best online prices as of November 19)

10. Toshiba 32C3030, £458

It wasn't our original intention to include this Toshiba TV in this Top 10. But then we noticed that it's now available for an absolute song (£450 or so) from a number of reputable online retailers.

The bargain price makes its rather average black level response and limited viewing angle way easier to live with. And its strengths, very sharp HD pictures, good motion handling and rich colours, look even more appealing. [Read full Toshiba 32C3030 review]

Key specs: 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * Active Vision processing * two HDMI inputs * 15.2kg

9. Hitachi 32LD9700, £889

There was a time when this now slightly ageing LCD TV was pretty much state of the art. But it's now being usurped from its class-leading position by younger, fitter models. Nevertheless, its punchy, noiseless, colour-rich and ultra-stable pictures, neat design and unusually wide viewing angle still combine to make it one to consider. Especially now that age appears to have substantially withered its price... [Read full Hitachi 32LD9700 review]

Key specs: * 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * Picture Master HD processing * two HDMI inputs * 28kg (weight)

8. Panasonic Viera TX-32LXD700, £739

This is the first of three Panasonic LCD models to make our top 10 - not bad for a brand supposedly more into plasma. With outstanding pictures and features galore, the 32LXD700 is actually Panasonic's flagship 32-inch LCD. So why isn't it higher up our chart? Because we don't think its distinguishing features of an extra HDMI port, SD card slot and more powerful speaker system justify the price hike over the brand's cheaper models. [Read full Panasonic Viera TX-32LXD700 review]

Key specs: * 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * V-Real 2 and 100Hz processing * two HDMI inputs * 19kg (weight)

7. Panasonic Viera TX-32LMD70, £513

And so we come to Panasonic's second top 10 model. And this one's actually the brand's entry-level offering. Which means that, as well as the third HDMI, SD card slot and enhanced audio of the 32LXD700, it also lacks that model's 100Hz processing for smoother, crisper motion handling. But while we do certainly miss 100Hz here, the set still manages to deliver a performance that trounces the majority of its direct competitors. [Read full Panasonic Viera TX-32LMD70 review]

Key specs: 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * V-Real 2 processing * two HDMI inputs * 19kg (weight)

6. Sony KDL-32D3000, £624

In terms of specifications and features, the first of Sony's 'proper' second-generation Bravia LCDs is outstanding. New v1.3 HDMIs, 100Hz processing, 24fps signal handling and 10-bit colour reproduction join the already impressive Bravia Engine imaging system.

Our only quibble is that it's hard to appreciate the full worth of some of these features on a 32-inch screen, which makes the TV look a touch expensive. [Read full Sony KDL-32D3000 review]

Key specs: 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * Bravia and 100Hz processing * three v1.3 HDMI inputs * 17.5kg (weight)

5. Philips 32PF9641D, £650

Philips has a confusing habit of using different generations of its Pixel Plus picture processing system on different models across its LCD range. And it turns out that the Pixel Plus version on the 32PF9641D is now two generations old.

But that doesn't stop the TV from producing superbly sharp, detailed, colour-rich and high-contrast images. Instead it just means you can pick the set up for a relative song. Kerching! [Read full Philips 32PF9641D review]

Key specs: 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * Pixel Plus 2 HD processing * two HDMI inputs * 23kg (weight)

4. LG 32LB75, £444

Obviously we're not so shallow as to be seduced by looks alone. But, well, they do help... And anyway, even though the first TV from LG's new Design Art range is possibly the prettiest 32-inch TV ever, that's certainly not the end of its charms. It also boasts all manner of excellent features - including 1080p/24fps compatibility and LG's XD Engine processing - and comfortably LG's best LCD pictures yet.

Key specs: 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * Advanced XD Engine processing * three HDMI inputs * 12.6kg (weight)

3. Panasonic Viera TX-32LXD70, £589

We've picked Panasonic's mid-range 32-inch LCD, the 32LXD70, as the brand's highest-placed model for the simple reason that it seems to offer the best combination of price and features.

Plus, of course, with 100Hz processing on hand to join the ever-dependable Panasonic V-Real image engine, its pictures are an absolute joy from start to finish. [Read full Panasonic Viera TX-32LXD70 review]

Key specs: 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * V-Real 2 and 100Hz processing * two HDMI inputs * 23kg (weight)

2. Samsung LE-32R87BD, £471

Samsung's enviable position as the world's biggest producer of LCD screens means it can sell LCD TVs like the 32R87BD at prices rival brands frankly have to crucify themselves to match.

Crucially, the 32R87BD's appeal isn't exclusively its groundbreaking price. It's also adorable to look at, crammed with unexpected features and flexibility, and - with the exception of a little motion blur - a really excellent performer to boot. [Read full Samsung LE-32R87BD review]

Key specs: 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * DNIe and Movie Plus processing * three HDMI inputs * 13.1kg (weight)

1. Philips 32PFL9632D, £693

This Philips model may not be the most expensive in our top 10, but it's also comfortably the best. Driving it right to the top of our 32-inch pile is its remarkable new Perfect Pixel Engine processing, which works in tandem with an innovative multi-source backlight system to largely eradicate LCD's problems with motion handling. At the same time, it serves up sensational sharpness, colours and black levels. Truly benchmark stuff. [Read full Philips 32PFL9632D review]

Key specs: 1366x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * Perfect Pixel Engine processing * three HDMI inputs * 18.2kg (weight)

John Archer

10 of the best digital compact Cameras - When you want semi-pro photography on a budget

2007-12-26T18:02:00.001-08:00

There's still a great deal of variety amongst the latest digital compact cameras. Physically speaking, the market is split in two. There are slimline models that are barely big enough to make a bulge in your pocket. And there are the chunkier cameras that tend to be more of a handful.

Even in the slimmest cameras, manufacturers are now managing to squeeze in an awful lot of technology. Features typically include image stabilisation, face-detection autofocus modes and high-resolution sensors of up to 12Mp - enough to put many a D-SLR in the shade. Here is tech.co.uk's Top Ten best digital compact cameras...

10. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H7, £219

Based on an original concept by Konica-Minolta, the quirky DSC-H7 feels like a 'proper' camera with a sturdy, ergonomic hand grip. This helps for keeping the camera steady and making full use of the monster 15x zoom lens, equivalent to 31-465mm, which is thankfully backed up by optical image stabilisation. There's a good range of scene modes on offer, along with full manual exposure settings for when you're feeling creative, making the Sony a good choice for serious photographers.

Key specs: 8.1Mp * 15x zoom * 3.0-inch LCD * MS Duo/Pro memory * 110x83x84mm * 407g

9. Nikon Coolpix L11, £79

How much do you really need to spend to get great quality photos? The surprisingly cheap Coolpix L11 has some fancy features like face-priority autofocus, advanced red-eye reduction and Nikon's D-Lighting system to boost lowlight detail in high-contrast scenes. More importantly, the image quality is excellent. Shooting modes are pretty basic but the L11's metering system gets things spot on most of the time.

Key specs: 6.0Mp * 3x zoom * 2.4-inch LCD * SD/MMC memory * 89x60x27mm * 125g

8. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55, £245

This Panasonic lets you see the bigger picture, not so much because of its 8.1Mp sensor, but because its 3.6x optical zoom lens goes wider than most, equivalent to 28mm at the wide-angle end. The most novel feature, however, is its 'intelligent' Auto mode. If motion is detected, the ISO sensitivity is boosted and the optical image stabiliser is switched on. If it detects any faces, it'll automatically switch to face-detection autofocus. Uncannily, it gets things right most of the time. [Read full Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55 review]

Key specs: 8.1Mp * 3.6x zoom * 3.0-inch LCD * SD/MMC memory * 95x57x23mm * 143g

7. Casio Exilim EX-Z1200, £239

Only slightly larger than the credit-card sized length and height of Casio's original Exilim Card camera, the EX-Z1200 shoehorns a mighty 12Mp sensor into its tiny frame, as well as a 2.8-inch LCD around the back.

Like most current slimline cameras, there's no separate optical viewfinder so you have to hold the camera at arm's length making camera shake a potential problem. This is combated by an effective anti-shake system. Simple menu systems and excellent image sharpness add to the attraction. [Read full Casio Exilim EX-Z1200 review]

Key specs: 12.1Mp * 3x zoom * 2.8-inch LCD * SD/MMC memory * 93x59x22mm * 152g

6. Pentax Optio W30, £229

Most digital cameras risk a premature death at the slightest splash of water but the W30 is positively fish-like by comparison. Engineered to endure dunkings at depths of up to three metres (and for periods of up to two hours), the Casio's holiday photo opportunities can bring a new dimension to your photography. Other qualities include face-recognition autofocus and digital shake reduction in both still and movie capture modes, along with typically excellent Pentax colour rendition.

Key specs: 7.1Mp * 3x zoom * 2.5-inch LCD * SD/MMC memory * 107x54x23mm * 140g

5. Canon Digital Ixus 950 IS, £209

Style icons in their own right, Canon's Ixus cameras have always been sought after, and the 950 IS adds a wealth of features including optical image stabilisation, 9-point intelligent autofocus and evaluative, centre-weighted and spot metering options. There's also a stronger than average 4x zoom lens and, although you only get the standard 35mm wide-angle, it stretches to an impressive 140mm at the telephoto end. Image quality is impeccable. [Read full Canon Digital Ixus 950 IS review]

Key specs: 8.0Mp * 4x zoom * 2.5-inch LCD * SD/MMC memory * 90x57x26mm * 165g

4. Canon PowerShot G9, £359

With a price tag as high as some D-SLR cameras, the mighty G9 has image quality to match. Fronted by a stunning 6x zoom lens, equivalent to 35-210mm, the Canon has plenty of creative features that will appeal to serious photographers, including a full range of exposure and metering options, RAW image capture and really rugged build quality. It's a little larger and heavier than slimline cameras but, where image quality is the key concern, the G9 is a cracker. [Read full Canon PowerShot G9 review]

Key specs: 12.1Mp * 6x zoom * 3.0-inch LCD * SD/MMC memory * 106x72x43mm * 320g

3. Nikon Coolpix S510, £189

The stylish, compact new S510 features a tough stainless steel body and is ready for action in an instant, thanks to a blisteringly fast 0.7 power-up time and, in Response-Priority shooting mode, a shutter lag of just five thousandths of a second. Nikon's new EXPEED image processing engine produces stunning results in almost any shooting conditions. Additional features include face-priority AF which can detect up to 12 faces simultaneously and a particularly good optical vibration reduction system.

Key specs: 8.1Mp * 3x zoom * 2.5-inch LCD * SD/MMC memory * 88x51x22mm * 125g

2. Ricoh Caplio R6, £219

Over the last few years, Ricoh seems to have perpetually been playing catch-up to the big boys in the camera market. However, with the launch of its latest Caplio R6, it seems to have overtaken many of them, producing a camera with a fabulous 7.1x zoom lens that stretches all the way from 28-200mm. With extremely lifelike colour, excellent metering and super-sharp images, the R6 is a top choice, especially if you want the extra zoom range. [Read full Ricoh Caplio R6 review]

Key specs: 7.2Mp * 7.1x zoom * 2.7-inch LCD * SD/MMC memory * 99x23x55mm * 135g

1. Fujifilm FinePix F50fd, £249

There's a brand new generation of Fujifilm's legendary Super CCD HR sensors at the heart of the F50fd, offering 12Mp compact photography with surprisingly excellent low-light performance, thanks to low image noise at high ISO ratings being one of the sensor's key benefits.

On top of that, there's a wealth of fully automatic and manual exposure and shooting modes, image stabilisation and razor-sharp, beautifully rendered image quality. The next-generation face recognition system is equally impressive and, overall, the F50fd simply injects enormous fun into photography.

Key specs: 12.0Mp * 3x zoom * 2.7-inch LCD * SD/MMC memory * 93x60x23mm * 155g

tech.co.uk

10 of the best 42-inch HD plasmas - For when you've just got to buy a BIG telly

2007-12-26T00:56:00.001-08:00

To us, there's something strangely 'right' about 42-inch plasma TVs these days. Partly it's the size; 42 inches strikes a seemingly perfect balance. It's big enough to realise your home cinema ambitions, yet small enough not to dominate your beautifully designed living room.

Plasma delivers the AV goods more consistently well at this sort of screen size. Though it's a testament to how LCD seems to be winning the battle for the public's hearts and minds that we only just found enough 42-inch plasma models still on sale to make this Top 10 possible.

10. Loewe Modus L 42, £1,800

Given that our reviews of this model, from high-end German brand Loewe, haven't been especially complimentary, you may wonder why it's included in this list. Its picture quality is rather off the pace by today's standards, especially with standard definition.

But we have no doubt that its combination of terrific classical looks and truly outstanding sonics will still find it an image-conscious audience. [Read full Loewe Modus L42 review]

Key specs: 1024x1024 native resolution (ALIS) * Digital tuner * Image + processing * one HDMI input * 39.5kg

9. Hitachi 42PD9700, £930

There are a number of things we like about this Hitachi TV. Firstly, it's capable of producing HD pictures with stunning detail and sharpness. Also it's got vivid colours, a decent (though not truly outstanding) black level response, plenty of features and a very aggressive sub-£1k price. Stopping it climbing higher up our 42-inch chart, though, are its noisy and fuzzy standard definition pictures. [Read full Hitachi 42PD9700 review]

Key specs : * 1024x1080 native resolution (ALIS) * Digital tuner * Picture Master HD processing * two HDMI inputs * 45kg (weight)

8. LG 42PC55, £600

Like the Hitachi at number 9, this LG fails to rise higher up our chart courtesy of a decidedly underwhelming standard definition performance. It leaves the likes of Eastenders looking noisy and even slightly unfocussed. But also like the Hitachi, it provides a really enjoyable take on HD that's stuffed with sharpness and detail. Plus it boasts some of the most intense colours known to man. Or beast. [Read full LG 42PC55 review]

Key specs: * 1024x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * XD Engine processing * two HDMI inputs * 24.6kg (weight)

7. Hitachi P42T01U, £1,000

We can't give this Hitachi an unreserved recommendation for the simple reason that its pictures just don't have the sort of black level response or colour richness of the best plasma TVs these days. But if you're looking for a set that offers a truly prodigious feature count for surprisingly little money, it's still definitely worth considering.

Key specs: 1280x1080 native resolution * Digital tuner * Picture Master Full HD processing * two HDMI inputs * 41kg (weight)

6. Fujitsu P42XHA58EB, £1,900

Few brands know how to make HD look better on a plasma TV than Fujitsu. But even by Fujitsu's own high standards, the P42XHA58EB's HD performance is a bit special. The clarity and subtlety on show is simply mesmerising. On the downside black levels could be a touch deeper, there's no built-in tuner, and it's far from being a cheap option. But HD obsessives should ignore it at their peril. [Read full Fujitsu P42XHA58EB review]

Key specs: 1024x768 native resolution * No tuner * AVM II processing * two HDMI inputs * 36kg (weight)

5. Panasonic TH-42PX700, £1,200

Panasonic's long history of impressive plasma TVs is instantly reflected in the terrific picture quality found on this mid-range 42in model. Black level response is particularly outstanding, but images also look engagingly sharp, natural and cinematic thanks to the set's impressive 'V-Real' image processing. It also has more connections and better sound than the cheaper 42PX70 that ranks higher up in this top 10. But in our opinion this isn't quite enough to justify its price hike. [Read full Panasonic TH-42PX700 review]

Key specs: 1024x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * V-Real 2 processing * three HDMI inputs * 38kg (weight)

4. Panasonic TH-42PX70, £930

The 42PX70 retains every last drop of the terrific picture quality reported with the 42PX700 at number five, but it gives it to you for a substantially reduced price. Which, in our opinion, makes it actually the better option to go for unless having the 42PX700's extra HDMI, louder sonics and SD card slot particularly float your boat. [Read full Panasonic TH-42PX70 review]

Key specs: 1024x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * V-Real 2 processing * two HDMI inputs * 38kg (weight)

3. Samsung PS42Q97, £800

Once upon a time, not very long ago, Samsung's plasma TVs weren't very good at all. But as we're coming to expect from the Korean giant, it didn't take the criticism lying down. The result is the truly superb - and amazingly affordable - PS42Q97BD, which boasts pictures containing scintillating colours, remarkable black level response and some real sharpness. It's all wrapped up in as pretty a body as you'll find in the TV world today.

Key specs: 1024x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * DNIE processing * three HDMI inputs * 30.6kg (weight)

2. Panasonic TH-42PZ70, £1,100

Panasonic's third entry into our 42-inch plasma Top 10 has one very special feature up its sleeve: it's full HD. In fact, it's the only full HD 42-inch plasma to enter our test labs to date, and it makes this advantage count in fine style with unprecedented fine detailing for a plasma TV. Not to mention HD images that seem completely devoid of video noise. It's not even very expensive considering how cutting edge it is. [Read full Panasonic TH-42PZ70 review]

Key specs: 1920x1080 native resolution * Digital tuner * V-Real 2 processing * two HDMI inputs * 38kg (weight)

1. Pioneer PDP-428XD, £1,900

Unlike our second-place Panasonic, this Pioneer isn't full HD. But it has a different and no less potent attraction: a revolutionarily deep black level response. This might not sound as immediately interesting as the Panny's full HD, but it actually has a profound impact on just about every part of the 428XD's visual makeup, resulting in the single most cinematic image we've yet seen on a flat TV. [Read full Pioneer PDP-428XD review]

Key specs: 1024x768 native resolution * Digital tuner * PureDrive processing * three HDMI inputs * 29.6kg (weight)

John Archer

Should your next laptop have an HD drive? - Weighing the pros and cons of notebook high definition

2007-12-26T00:51:00.001-08:00

After a slow start, the options for watching HD movies are coming thick and fast. Apart from the obvious set-top box, you could add a drive to your desktop PC for about £300. You could get a Playstation 3, or the HD-DVD upgrade for the Xbox 360.

But if you're just about to purchase a new laptop, why not consider getting one with Blu-ray or HD-DVD built in? Here are the pros and cons.

Long-term specifications

A notebook generally lasts you longer than a desktop. Regular upgrades can render your PC unrecognisable in a few years, as a gradual process of improvement keeps things up to date. But there's a good chance you will be using the same laptop in three years' time that you bought today.

Notebooks still cost a bit more than desktops, especially for a top-of-the-range model. So they're not the kind of kit you can afford to swap wholesale for the latest and greatest on a regular basis. This means you need to choose a specification that will last you long enough until your budget allows a new one.

Aside from a memory upgrade, there's not much room to change a notebook's components. Virtually everything will be particular to that notebook design. So that would imply that if your notebook has a Blu-ray or HD-DVD option, you should get it - because there's a good chance that even if you don't need it now, you will before you next upgrade your portable.

Format wars - again

But it's not as simple as that. Whether you choose to have an HD drive or not will be something you will have to live with for some years to come. And currently you still have to select either Blu-ray or HD-DVD - with Versatile Multilayer Discs now an additional contender lurking in the wings.

Although LG has released a desktop PC drive which will play both Blu-ray and HD-DVD, the LG GGW-H10N, there's nothing like this available for notebooks just yet.

Even worse, most notebooks only offer one of the options. So your choice of HD format will dictate the notebook you can buy, or vice versa. For example, Dell's high-end Inspiron XPS and Sony's VAIOs back Blu-ray, whereas Toshiba's Qosmio (unsurprisingly) and Rock's xtreme 770 plump for HD-DVD.

None of these models are thin and light, either. The 1,920 x 1,200 display necessary to do HD video justice already means a 17in widescreen, and all manufacturers so far have opted to make HD opticals an option in their biggest, all-singing desktop replacements.

Is it still too early for HD?

These aren't cheap notebooks, and where HD is an option, rather than standard, it's not a cheap one either. Swapping from a regular DVD rewriter to a Blu-ray drive costs between £200 and £300, and we haven't seen any notebooks with HD-DVD drives for under £1,300. Contrasting this with current prices for standalone players , Blu-ray is available for under £300, HD-DVD for even less - and the games console route is much the same price, with the console thrown in for free.

So a notebook is an expensive choice if you simply want to watch high definition movies. You can now pick up a 37in HDTV capable of Full HD for well under a grand, making a console-plus-HDTV package cheaper than a notebook with an HD optical drive.

Although buying a notebook with the best spec you can afford is always a good idea, because of the lack of upgrade potential we mentioned earlier, you pay a hefty premium for one with a HD drive built in. You will be limiting yourself to a hefty model, too.

So Blu-ray or HD-DVD might be nice features to have if you can afford them - and want this kind of power 'portable' - but they're far from essential just yet. Only when prices go down, and multi-format drives appear, should you make an HD optical drive an essential checkbox in your next notebook purchase.

James Morris

Top 10 smartphones - The most versatile mobiles you can currently buy

2007-12-25T20:57:00.001-08:00

There are plenty of good smartphones out there. Narrowing down a list of 10, and then ranking them in order of preference, certainly isn't been easy.

Inevitably, any such Top 10 list ends up being a subjective process. And any buying decision is going to be one based on a balance between need, affordability, desirability and brand loyalty.

When we originally compiled this list in June, the Nokia N95 was our favourite. But the mobile phone market doesn't stand still, and things have changed a lot in six months, particularly with the arrival of a certain much-awaited new face in the market...

10 HTC TyTN

You may already know it as the Orange M3100 or the T-Mobile MDA Vario II. But even under its manufacturer's name this really is a titan (get it?) in features and screen size. It's also big on size and weight, which won't suit everyone. But it remains a great multimedia smartphone despite this. It's now been replaced by the TyTN II, so keep an eye out for second-hand bargains. [Read full HTC TyTN review]

9 Sony Ericsson P1i

Praise for the P1i hasn't been unanimous, but its spec sheet can't be faulted. A slightly modified candybar design, its features check list has most of the ticks in the 'Yes' column. But there has been criticism of its non-standard button design, and of its complexity to use. But if this isn't an issue, you won't be disappointed.

8 HTC S710

On Orange, the S710 is known as the SPV E650. It's not 3G and there's no touchscreen here. But with a typewriter keyboard hidden away neatly, it adds some interesting extras that you might not expect. But it's the basics this phone excels at. Good basic communication features, good music and camera tools, and good looks all feature highly here. [Read full HTC S710 review]

7 Nokia E61i

The E61i is a minor update to the E61, which we were very impressed by in February. It addresses our one major criticism of the E61, which was the lack of an on-board camera. The other changes are all minor, but improve the look, feel and function of what was already a very good Qwerty smartphone. [Read full Nokia E61 review]

6 Nokia N81 8GB

Smartphones come in many guises, and this one clearly has entertainment at its heart. Music and gaming are what it's all about, with Nokia's N-Gage software and a decent amount of on-board memory setting the tone. But criticism of its interface and a disappointing camera stop it from featuring further up the order. [Read full Nokia N81 8GB review]

5 HTC Touch

Probably the closest iPhone-alike on the market, the Touch does a lot of things well. And while it doesn't have the style of the iPhone, it's no ugly duckling, and has strong features and performance too. A lack of 3G and an average camera are the main failings on what is otherwise an excellent smartphone. [Read full HTC Touch review]

4 Nokia N95

It's a mark of how quickly the mobile phone market moves that the N95 was our favourite smartphone six months ago, but can't even make the top three now. But it's still a formidable phone - 3G, HSDPA, Wi-Fi and GPS are all present, along with a 5-megapixel camera. Yet the N95 doesn't get lost in its own features, and is simply designed and easy to use. [Read full Nokia N95 review]

3 HTC TyTN II

We've already likened the TyTN II to a miniature laptop thanks to its tilting screen, and its features list certainly is more computer than phone. This gives it natural appeal to the business user who isn't swayed by the iPhone's more sensory allure. The flipside is that the TyTN II is big and bulky, but it's no surprise considering the huge amount of technology packed inside. [Read full HTC TyTN II review]

2 Nokia N95 8GB

The N95 8GB doubles the on-board memory of the original N95 - that much is obvious from the name. But it also sports a better screen, improved GPS and Nokia's N-Gage gaming software. These tweaks help maintain the N95's appeal, even if it doesn't have a touchscreen. If an iPhone doesn't appeal to you, then you won't go wrong with either this or the TyTN II. Nokia's ultimate smartphone just got more... er, ultimate.

1 Apple iPhone

It had to be, didn't it? Well, no actually. The iPhone earns its place at the top of the tree not because of any perceived desirability or 'cool' factor. It's undoubtedly the biggest new product to hit the technology market this year, and we're already looking for the 'iPhone killer' in the same way we spent years searching for the 'iPod killer'. Throw in the fact that this is a starting point rather than an end point for Apple and you have our clear winner. [Read full Apple iPhone review]

tech.co.uk

10 things Windows PCs should do - but can't

2007-12-25T20:54:00.001-08:00

1. Turn on instantly

When offered a deep fat fryer that could cook a side of beef in 30 seconds, Homer Simpson once complained, 'But I want it now!' We wait much longer to use our PCs every morning, but why?

PCs have long promised a faster boot time, with various suspend and resume options trying their best to fulfil that promise. But suspending to RAM risks losing your data in a power outage, and resuming from disk hibernation is only a bit faster than a full boot.

Even hybrid hard disks with flash memory merely speed things up, without providing that immediacy we now take for granted with our TVs and DVD players. The best we've been able to expect so far from our PCs is having limited access to a limited range of functions very quickly via a cut-down BIOS-based system, such as Phoenix's Hyperspace. But if we want the full capabilities of Windows, it looks like the waiting will go on for the foreseeable future.

2. Be as reliable as a consumer electronics device

There are some things in life we don't like but we're used to by now. The England football team will never live up to our expectations, Posh Spice has more money than sense, and your PC will crash eventually. Why do we tolerate this when most of the electronic devices in our living rooms simply switch on and work, and if they don't we take them back to the shop?

Although Windows XP was a huge leap forward after Windows 9x, and Vista's driver model is supposed to make it even more bullet-proof, it still can't compete with (admittedly less feature-rich) consumer electronic devices for reliability. As great as Windows Media Center Edition is, there's a reason why platforms such as Viiv, which try to make a PC the hub of your digital home, haven't ousted the set-top PVRs and games consoles from our living rooms. We don't trust them enough, nor are they anywhere as easy to use.

3. Tell us what is really wrong

Windows error codes. From time to time we're faced with these cryptic messages from our operating system. But it's never clear what they mean. Sure, you can pop them into the Microsoft knowledge Base - or even Google - to find out. A bit of searching will usually call up their meanings. But if this is the case, why can't the same facility be built right into Windows? Allegedly, this could be on its way in a future version of Windows. But it's still a surprise it isn't a feature already.

4. Update everything automatically

It's nice to know the security of your Windows PC is being kept up to date by Windows Update, and one or two of your applications might be checking for patches when they load (such as Adobe's Creative Suite 3). But most Windows software doesn't keep itself patched automatically - it leaves the job up to you.

Windows is very complicated and there are countless software combinations you can run. But surely it wouldn't be impossible to have a standard for checking if the software (and drivers) have new patches available, giving you the option to install them when you're ready? After all, Linux has been able to do this for years.

5. Organise your files for you

If you've ever owned a Palm PDA of some sort, one thing you are likely to have appreciated is the way all documents of the same type appear to be in the same place. In reality, you don't have to know where they are kept - it doesn't really matter. The physical location of a file is only important when you need to move it around. Palms can do this because their file system is actually a database.

Microsoft has been promising something similar for Windows since the early 1990s, the last promise being the WinFS format which was supposed to be part of Windows Vista. But it never arrived, and now looks like it never will. So, despite the handy search tool in Windows Vista, we will be hunting for files in directories all over our computers for the foreseeable future.

6. Let you work in true 3D

A much-vaunted feature of Windows Vista is its Aero interface, which harnesses the 3D acceleration power of your graphics card to render the GUI in Direct3D. But although there are some cool visuals on offer, it's hardly William Gibson's cyberspace. Apart from stacking windows in three dimensions as you switch between active programs, Vista is still resolutely not immersive. Using your PC is still a two-dimensional experience - until you fire up a game, that is.

7. Share music between systems like iTunes

If you have a network and a number of systems running iTunes, you will have been able to browse the music libraries on other people's computers for a number of years. Microsoft has tried to emulate this with Windows Media Connect. This is now built into Window Media Player 11, which comes as standard with Vista and is an upgrade for XP. Windows Media Connect is supposed to expose the media library on one PC to another, if allowed to do so by your security settings. But just try getting it to work.

8. Play MPEG-4 in Media Center Edition

Vista brought a built-in MPEG-2 decoder to Windows, at long last. Media Center Edition users no longer have to choose their own third-party codec to get a digital TV tuner working and play DVDs. But now more and more content is using MPEG-4 compression instead, so you still need a third-party decoder. Oh well.

9. Edit AVCHD

The Windows Movie Maker video editing application has been a handy part of Windows since the second service pack of XP. At that point, it supported the standard DV camcorder format. With Windows Vista, Windows Movie Maker has gone HD. Except that although the tape-based HDV format is supported, it's fast being supplanted by the AVCHD format in consumer HD camcorders.

Since Windows Vista doesn't have built-in MPEG-4 support (see above), it can't import or edit AVCHD. Fortunately, a couple of third-party alternatives can, including Ulead VideoStudio 11 Plus and Pinnacle Studio 11 Plus.

10. Support satellite tuners

If you want to watch free-to-air HD video, such as the BBC's HD service or the Channel 4 and ITV services due next year, a regular DVB-T tuner won't do the job just yet. Instead, you will need a satellite tuner. But unfortunately Windows Media Center Edition still doesn't support satellite tuners.

Some manufacturers, notably Hauppage, have gotten round this by supplying drivers which pretend to be DVB-T. But it still doesn't support MPEG-4 (see above), so you still won't be able to watch the HD channels which use this codec instead of MPEG-2, which is likely to be all of the UK ones.