GADGET GUY
New phones from Sony Ericsson, Nokia, plus a hands-free kit and the 'Nabaztag'
NICK WILGUS
Gadget Guy recently spent some time with a couple of new phones as well as a Bluetooth headset for hands-free driving. It was a timely reminder that drivers in Bangkok have been asked to turn off their phones while driving - or at least use a hands-free kit. Driving along with the steering wheel in one hand and your mobile phone in the other is now a big no-no. The police have even been handing out fines for it. But more on that in a bit.
Firstly, we looked at the Sony Ericsson K660I, which has been specially designed to make surfing the Web easier. The phone is small, lightweight, easy on the pocket. Nicely designed, the keys are generously separated to make sending SMS messages and browsing the Web much easier. On the sides of the phone are buttons for the camera and for adjusting the volume. Available colours are lime on white, wine on black, cyan on black and silver on black. It's a light 95 grammes.
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| Sony Ericsson K660I.[C]Nokia Bluetooth hands-free kit. |
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| Nokia Bluetooth hands-free kit. |
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| The Nabaztag from France. |
The K660I has a two megapixel camera with digital zoom of up to 4X, PhotoFix, picture blogging and video recording. There's an M2 expansion slot for memory, with support for up to 4GB. There's 32MB of internal memory. The 262,144 colour TFT screen is 240 by 320 pixels. When browsing the Web, the screen is used horizontally, making for an easier viewing experience. There are special illuminated Web short-cut keys, such as a bookmark function, a shortcut to your home page, or to enter a Web address. You can also pan and zoom Web pages. The Google Maps application is also available.
All of the standard networks are supported, including EDGE and HSDPA. There's up to nine hours of talk time, and 330 hours of standby time, depending on the network you use.
One of the nice things is that the charger slot is also the USB slot, which helps to keep all those unsightly openings to a minimum.
All the usual stuff is here: Bluetooth support, radio, Java games, 3D games, flight mode and what have you.
Very nice, very solid. If you're in the market for a new phone, check out some of the Sony Ericsson offerings.
Gadget Guy also looked at the Nokia 5000 - "a powerful package at an accessible price", as the folks at Nokia say. The 5000 has a 1.3 megapixel camera with a high resolution QVGA display. It supports Bluetooth, GPRS connectivity, email, radio, MP3 ringtones and so on. If you're on a budget, you may want to give this model a look.
It's interesting to note that, according to Nokia, more than one billion people worldwide use a Nokia phone or device, speaking in more than 80 languages. They must be doing something right!
And while we're on the topic of Nokia, and given the need of drivers for hands-free kits, Gadget Guy also looked at the Nokia Nseries Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-903.
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| Nokia 5000. |
Nokia says, "Behind its black and silver design, it sets new standards with its FM Radio Data System, Advanced DSP for echo cancellation and noise reduction, visual call management from headset, its multi-pairing functionality, fast charging and a wide range of compatibility. The headset supports Bluetooth specification v.2.0+EDR with Handsfree, headset, A2DP (stereo music)."
We also heard from Kris at Club 21. They're selling something called the Nabaztag, the "versatile electronic rabbit from France", which comes in various colours and can help you do various things. For instance, it can read phone messages to you, give you a stock market report, read a blog, be an FM radio, and so on. For more information, contact Kris at kris.m@th.club21.bz.
Email the Gadget Guy at wilgus@gmail.com.
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