LG GC900 Viewty Smart review: S-class act

It's 12 and counting for cameraphones but the real thick of action is at the 8 megapixel notch. There goes the next of them exciting imaging gadgets waiting to be put in play. We've got a bit of catching up with the LG Viewty Smart to do since our first rendezvous. But let's quickly review the basics. Whether you call it an LG Arena with a beefier camera or a Viewty on S-Class, we guess we're happy either way. Oh, you can also call it Viewty2, while we go on and check if it's 2 good 2 miss.

Sweet waistline and slick packaging, the Viewty Smart carries quite an impressive feature set including a 3" capacitive touchscreen, 8 megapixel autofocus camera with loads of options and the high-flying S-Class Touch UI. The Viewty is not smartphone kind of smart but the inspired interface and the sharp gadgety looks do give its name some credence.

LG GC900 Viewty Smart key features

• 3" 16M-color capacitive TFT touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels)
• S-Class Touch UI
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• 3G with HSDPA (7.2 Mbps)
• Wi-Fi and GPS receiver with A-GPS
• 8 megapixel autofocus camera, Schneider-Kreuznach optics, LED flash, manual focus, geotagging, image stabilization, multi face detection (up to 3), smile detection
• D1 (720x480 pixels)@30fps, VGA@30fps, QVGA time-lapse and slow-mo video recording
• 1.5GB flash storage, microSD card slot (up to 32GB)
• Hot-swappable microSD card slot
• USB Mass Storage, TV out
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
• Accelerometer for screen auto rotate
• Multi-touch input
• DivX and XviD support
• FM radio with RDS
• Dolby for Mobile audio enhancement
• Office document viewer
• Smart dialing

Samsung S8000 Jet review: Airborne

Introduction

It's that time of the year and the living is easy: pool parties, blockbuster movies and new gadgets. The Samsung S8000 Jet sure knows good timing and gallantly promises a bit of everything - style, entertainment and impressively light and lively handling. It's a thing to show off to your friends and help you enjoy and capture the hot moments of the season.

The S8000 Jet is not exactly jet set stuff but claims a big piece of the touchscreen action. And it knows who it needs to kill to get it. The Jet is the direct and brave answer to the LG KM900 Arena and boy isn't it a tough call between these two. The S8000 Jet has the fancy 3D interface upgrade, 5MP camera with D1 recording, Wi-Fi, GPS and all the stuff to put this touchscreen phone in the desirable category. We have a thriller of a local derby and the high-end contenders need to do everything and do it well.

We were impressed in our preview with the new visual upgrades of the TouchWiz interface, which combine the best part of the 3D LG cube and page-organized iPhone menus. But now it's time for the final and deciding round with the Samsung S800 Jet.

Here is the full ammo of the S8000 Jet, along with what might be the deal breakers.

Key features

• 3.1" 16M-color resistive AMOLED touchscreen of 800 x 480 pixel resolution
• 800 MHz processor
• 5 megapixel auto focus camera with dual-LED
• Geotagging, image stabilization, face detection, Smile Shot, Wide Dynamic Range (WDR)
• Latest TouchWiz 2.0 UI with Motion UI, Media Gate 3D, Smart Unlock
• Quad-band GSM support and 3G with HSDPA 3.6 Mbps and HSUPA support
• Wi-Fi
• GPS receiver
• 2 / 8 GB onboard storage
• microSD card slot with microSDHC support
• Built-in accelerometer for screen auto rotate and turn-to-mute
• Proximity sensor for display auto turn-off
• TV out
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• Stereo FM Radio with RDS
• microUSB port and stereo Bluetooth v2.0
• Web browser has full Flash and Java support
• DivX/XviD video support
• DNSe and SRS sound effect
• Smart dialing
• Speaker Call

Samsung B7610 OmniaPRO preview: First look

Samsung are not quite the standard-setter in communicator devices but are obviously keen to have their say. Playing catch up seems well in order for a debut but we guess someone here is set to play for keeps. The Samsung B7610 OmniaPRO is a generously spec'd device that's poised to tackle the best in the class and even raise the bet. While sheer size and scope confine it to a niche, the Samsung communicator might be just the right option for those served by that niche.
Having acquired a pre-release sample of the side-slider PocketPC we are squeezing in a short preview, introducing its most important features. The chunky bloke does give a decent first impression, but handling will be the ultimate test. For starters, let's look at the key items on the Samsung B7610 OmniaPRO's balance sheet.

Samsung B7610 OmniaPRO at a glance

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 3.6Mbps
• Form factor: Full QWERTY side-slider
• Dimensions: 112.6 x 57.8 x 16.2 mm, 159g
• Display: 3.5" 65K-color resistive AMOLED touchscreen of WVGA resolution
• OS: Windows Mobile 6.1 (upgradable to 6.5), TouchWiz 2.0 UI
• Memory: 1GB built-in storage, 256 MB RAM, hot-swappable microSD (up to 16GB)
• CPU: 800 MHz processor with dedicated graphics accelerator
• Camera: 5 megapixel auto-focus, with dual LED flash and VGA video at 30 fps
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, TV out, 3.5mm standard audio jack
• Misc: Accelerometer for screen auto rotate and turn-to-mute, FM radio with RDS, DivX/XviD video support, work and leisure modes
• Battery: 1500mAh Li-Ion battery

Meet the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet. iPhone 3GS

features video recording, Voice Control, up to 32GB of storage, and more

The Fastest i Phone Ever
The first thing you’ll notice about iPhone 3GS is how quickly you can launch applications. Web pages render in a fraction of the time, and you can view email attachments faster. Improved performance and updated 3D graphics deliver an incredible gaming experience, too. In fact, everything you do on iPhone 3GS is up to 2x faster and more responsive than iPhone 3G.

Video
Now you can shoot video, edit it, and share it — all on your iPhone 3GS. Shoot high-quality VGA video in portrait or landscape. Trim your footage by adjusting start and end points. Then share your video in an email, post it to your MobileMe gallery, publish it on YouTube, or sync it back to your Mac or PC using iTunes

3-Megapixel Camera

he new 3-megapixel camera takes great still photos, too, thanks to built-in autofocus and a handy new feature that lets you tap the display to focus on anything (or anyone) you want

Voice Control

oice Control recognizes the names in your Contacts and knows the music on your iPod. So if you want to place a call or play a song, all you have to do is ask.

Internet Tethering

urf the web from practically anywhere. Now you can share the 3G connection on your iPhone with your Mac notebook or PC laptop.

Stocks

tocks on iPhone shows you charts, financial details, and headline news for any stock you choose. Rotate iPhone to see even more detailed information.

Find My iPhone and Remote Wipe

f you misplace your iPhone, Apple’s MobileMe service can help you find it. Log on to me.com to view a map that shows the approximate location of your iPhone. If it’s nearby, have it play an alert sound to help you find it, or display a message on the home screen to help someone return it to you. If displaying a message hasn’t resulted in its safe return, you can initiate a remote wipe and restore your iPhone to factory settings.