HTC tablet

We’ve talked about the HTC tablet a few time here at AllTouchTablet.com, but we didn’t have a serious rumors like this one for some time now. I know that HTC didn’t said anything at the London press event which I’ve attended a while ago, but Digitimes has news that HTC is working hard on an Android 3.0 slate that’s supposed to arrive in Q1 2011. That’s good, as we know Google said Android 3.0 will be the OS made for tablets, not the current 2.2 Froyo.

The rumor comes directly from the Taiwanese manufacturers, the ones likely to build the HTC tablet, who’s meant to compete with the iPad and the Samsung Galaxy TAB, so definitely there’s a slate tablet, one that we hope will bear the HTC Sense custom user interface, that no only looks good, but now is integrated with HTC Sense online cloud computing services that make backup and restoration of your most important data a breeze.

Also, from hardware point of view, the Tegra 2 chipset, which is likely to be used by HTC, will surely give the tablet fantastic multimedia capabilities. Add to that 2GB RAM, a 32 GB SSD, a HD ready screen and you’ll understand why the rumored price is 800$. Hope HTC will bring the price down to Earth till launch time. All we have to do now is wait till 2011, which surely will solve the unavailability of tablets problem experienced in 2010.

Motorola Android Tablet

The Motorola XOOM Android tablet goes on sale in the US tomorrow, and a number of tech web sites are publishing detailed reviews of the XOOM in advance of the launch. The XOOM will be the first tablet to ship with Google Android 3.0 and Verizon Wireless will offer a 3G capable version of the tablet for $599 when you sign up for a 2-year contract, or for $799 if you go contract-free. It sounds like there are still a few kinks to work out. The microSD card slot, for instance, is currently non-functional. And as expected, Adobe Flash isn’t working yet, although Adobe promises it will be available soon.

But by all accounts the XOOM has great build quality, a good high resolution display with decent viewing angles, a super-fast processor, and good battery life.

Here’s a summary of some of the early XOOM reviews:

• SlashGear: The tablet is a bit heavy for one-handed use, but build quality and performance are good. The battery lasted 14 hours in SlashGear’s test while playing video, and surfing the web over WiFi and 3G.
• Engadget: The tablet is speedy, but slows down a bit when switching tasks quickly or copying files. The speakers sound a bit distorted at loud volumes. And the tablet appears to be designed primarily for use in landscape rather than portrait mode. The battery lasted for nearly 8.5 hours of video playback. Engadget concludes that the tablet feels like more of a laptop replacement than an iPad does, but the software still needs some work.
• Android Community: Android 3.0 is different enough that you’re best off thinking of it as a new OS, rather than the same thing you run on a smartphone – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
• jkOnTheRun: The rubberized back and touch experience are good, but the button layout is somewhat awkward.
• CNET: The on-screen keyboard is easy to use in both portrait and landscape. The screen isn’t as bright as the iPad’s thought.
• MobileCrunch: Build quality is good, but the battery is not user replaceable. The Tegra 2 processor feels faster than the iPad’s A4 chip… until you open too many apps and things start to get slow. Apple’s limited multitasking support might give the iPad an edge here.
• Laptop Magazine: The tabbed web browser makes surfing the web a much better experience. Video chat using Google Talk is better than Qik, but the quality isn’t quite as good as Apple’s FaceTime.
• PC Magazine: The screen is great but the user interface is a bit complicated and Android Market still trails the App Store in terms of apps. PC Mag rules that while the XOOM is the best Android tablet available, the iPad is still a better device.

It seems like a lot of reviewers are having a hard time avoiding comparisons to Apple’s iPad, which isn’t surprising since the iPad is currently dominating the tablet market. But the question of whether the year-old iPad or the brand new XOOM is the better buy still seems to be up in the air.

On the one hand, the XOOM beats the iPad hands-down on specs. It has a dual core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, a high resolution 1280 x 800 pixel display, front and rear cameras, expansion ports, and more. On the other hand, the iPad has more apps and it doesn’t slow down or crash when you’re running too many of them at once.

Of course, it’s probably not fair to compare the XOOM to the first generation iPad, since Apple is preparing to launch its second generation iPad next week.

The Motorola XOOM is also just the first Android 3.0 tablet to hit the streets. We can expect to see many more from companies including Asus, Samsung, and Toshiba later this year.

ASUS Eee Pad

ASUS Eee Pad Android Tablet

With an outrageous number of Android tablets being launched this year(I think at least a 100!), consumers will have a hard time choosing which one is for them and probably wondering what is the best Android tablet to buy. Btw, last year was the year of 3D HDTVs, this year’s obviously year of Android tablets. Another factor you should remember is that many will fail (in my opinion) but remember what I(and Adobe) said last May, that a “slew” of Android tablets will be coming soon. Well, I wasn’t too far off, the number of Android tablets outnumbered anything else at CES this year. Anyways, one of the “best” Android tablets I saw at CES 2011 in my mind is the Eee Pad Slider.

Virtually all new Android tablets at CES 2011 used the same hardware with Tegra 2 processor (a dual-core 1Ghz processor) or something similar. Meaning that in the end to the end-user, it will boil down to price

There are plenty of 10" Android tablets coming onto the market this year, and a handful of Android 'netbooks' with keyboards.

The rather clever Asus Eee Pad Transformer gives you the choice of both, plus extra-long battery life.

On its own, the 10.1 WXGA tablet (which has a resolution of 1280 by 800 for the extremely glossy and fingerprint-attracting screen) will get eight hours of battery, thanks to the dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor.

As well as the usual Wi-Fi n and Bluetooth it has GPS and multiple sensors (including ambient light). Connect it to the QWERTY keyboard base and you get an extra eight hours of battery.

The Eee Transformer connects to the keyboard through a docking port on the bottom of the screen, and there's a high lip at the back and a lower one in front to hold it in place and act as the hinge; when you want to grab it back off again, you slide the large latch and it pops out.

CONNECT: The Transformer is thin and sleek, with a central docking port to connect to the keyboard

This seems reasonably sturdy and robust and we had no problem sliding it in place and popping it back out. The lip at the back also helps balance the weight of the screen so it doesn't all tip over backwards.

The curved corners and slightly angled bezel match the sleek lines and curved corners of the tablet section, which has a waffle-patterned back to give you more grip (the less obvious dot pattern around the edge of the screen echoes the texture).

HINGE: The tablet slides between these two supports - on the left is the sliding latch

Asus doesn't have the final weight for the keyboard; it feels similar to the 680 gram screen (a little heavier with 3G) but even together they're lighter than many netbooks (which these days are packing a hard drive and fan to weigh them down, as well as a hefty battery). Even with the keyboard attached, the Eee Pad Transformer is still thin (it's 13mm on its own) and the keyboard also protects the screen handily when it's in your bag.

EIGHT HOURS: The keyboard base doubles the battery life

The 1.2 megapixel camera is placed so it's on the top of the screen when it's docked in the keyboard and the 5 megapixel camera on the rear is behind it; that may not be as convenient for taking photos but it makes sense to use the keyboard as a stand if you're doing a video call rather than having the tablet shake around in your hands.

TEXTURE: With the keyboard in place, the Asus Transformer looks rather like a netbook with an extra camera

The keyboard base also has more ports; the Transformer gives you a microSD slot (which supports SDHC), mini HDMI and the docking port, but the two USB ports are on the keyboard (hidden away behind covers), along with a full size SD/MMC memory card slot.

As well as the physical volume and power buttons there's a rotate button - but no sign of the physical buttons some OEMs like Toshiba still have on their Honeycomb prototypes. Of course the familiar Home, Back, Search and Menu buttons are still on the keyboard.

BUTTONS: Power, volume and rotation

There's also a touchpad on the keyboard base, which may be more convenient than reaching across to the touch screen all the time, and a row of function keys above the number keys, to turn Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and the touchpad on and off and control volume and media playback (the keyboard on the Asus Slider is similar, but doesn't have the touchpad or the function keys).

What you don't get - and what you'll tend to find yourself expecting because of the netbook form factor and the fact that there's a Ctrl button on the keyboard - are keyboard shortcuts like copy and paste.

SLIDE IN: The Transformer slides into place and locks

Unless you're Motorola, the Honeycomb tablet you're showing off at CeBIT is a prototype. That's certainly the case for the Transformer that we got to try out; the hardware looks very polished but the software isn't finished and still had a number of bugs and issues; it wouldn't run the Zinioe Reader software or most videos (although the Transformer will have Flash and play 1080p HD video when it ships) and didn't have final features like Android Marketplace or the 3D Google maps.

3D MAPS: Honeycomb will come with a new version of Google Maps but it's not on the prototype we looked at

What Asus was mainly showing off was the ability to customize multiple home screens with widgets, using Asus's standard oak tree background image, the new on-screen taskbar and the automatic rotation as you turn the tablet.

TASKBAR: The new look of Android 3, with taskbar, on the Asus Transformer

Asus marketing manager John Swatton told TechRadar that the Asus Eee Transformer UK release date would be in the second quarter (maybe as early as April but probably not before Computex in May) with Honeycomb, although he suggested that it might also get a subsequent update to give it a custom Asus interface.

CUSTOMISED WIDGETS: Honeycomb home screens in action

While the Asus Eee Transformer price hasn't been finalised, he told us it's likely to cost between £379 and £399, depending on the amount of storage (16, 32 or 64GB) and whether it includes 3G or just, with a probable £479 price tag for a bundle including the keyboard.

FUNCTION: The extra functions on the keyboard, including switching to an external screen

COVERED: The cover protecting the USB ports on the keyboard

NETBOOK: Transformer and keyboard together

SD CARD: The full-size SD slot on the keyboard

ON SCREEN: The Android 3.0 keyboard fits the screen

TWO IN ONE: Transformed back from netbook to tablet

Acer Android Tablet

Acer is now planning a dual-screen, 10-finger multitouch Android 3.0 tablet that will later join the Windows 7 and Android 2.2 tablets unveiled at an Acer press conference on Tuesday. What's more, the gadgets will all sport the same newly announced ClearFi interface for crossplatform content sharing, but the sharing will work on Acer devices only. I was there at the global launch in New York City to hear about Acer's mobile device strategy for the years going forward, and to get a bit of hands-on experience with whatever new products ended up getting shown that day. During a formal press conference, Acer officially announced not just the anticipated Windows 7 10-inch tablet – which is already enabled with two screens and 10-finger gesturing – but also single-screen Android 2.2 tablets in 10-, 7-, and 5-inch versions.

Just afterward, the vendor delivered demos on the display floor, including sneak peeks at an upcoming Revo home multimedia server and an accompanying dedicated remote unit also supportive of multitouch.

While priding itself on technical innovation, Acer also recognizes that different users want different types of devices. A user's gadget picks are expressions of "personality," Acer officials said, during a presentation delivered on a mock runway in a refurbished warehouse.

Acer – a vendor now hovering around the top of worldwide PC market share – resembles a supermodel in some ways, suggested Smartphone Unit President Aymar de Lencquesaing. Acer is both "happy" and "hungry," he said.

Going forward, Acer intends to release a wide range of mobile devices such as tablets and phones, and to provide common multimedia content across all Acer devices through ClearFi, according to Gianfranco Lanci, president of Acer.

More specifically, ClearFi will act as the basis for both a new downloadable multimedia content center and a cloud-based offering for storing your personal files online.

During a press Q&A, Gianpiero Morbello, corporate VP of marketing and brand, acknowledged that – initially, at least – users of new Acer gizmos won't be able to share personal files stored in Acer's cloud with friends and family members who don't own Acer devices.

Speaking with me later, Jim Wong, Acer's global president for IT products, described Acer's ClearFi as a software abstraction layer that will run on top of multiple OS on Acer's hardware.

Dual-screen tablet for Windows 7 first, Android 3.0 later

John Miedema, senior product manager for notebooks in Acer Europe Services, told me that Acer's growing army of mobile devices will also include a 10-inch double-screen Android tablet much like the Windows 7 tablet launched on Tuesday.

This still unannounced Android device will likewise support "full" hand gesturing. Acer, though, will wait until Android OS 3.0 before moving ahead with this particular Android alternative, Miedema said.

In my hands-on with the Windows 7 dual-screen tablet, the product turned out to be nothing if not innovative, although I can't say it's well suited to all purposes.

First impressions: Acer Iconia

At first glance, the device – which is also known as the Iconia -- looks a lot like a laptop, except that a second TFT LCD screen consumes the space where the hard keyboard would ordinarily live.

Yet you can also display and use a soft QWERTY keyboard – or any other supported app – on the second screen.

Miedema contended that although Toshiba also produces the Libretto W100, a dual-screen, multitouch-enabled tablet, Toshiba's only works with gestures using two fingers or less.

In contrast, Acer's "full" hand gesturing supports gestures involving up to ten fingers, along with the palm. Through a built-in, software-based scroll wheel, you can even create your own gestures.

Miedema also showed me some of the other built-in multitouch-capable apps that Acer plans to ship with the Iconia, including the Social Jogger Portal, for viewing feeds and Twitter from FaceBook and Twitter on one of the two screens, and My Journal Web Clipboard, for capturing clips from Web sites with your fingers.

Although I didn't have time on Tuesday to start learning how to invent new gestures, I played around with some of the more standard types of gestures, pinching content to push it around on the two screens, and double-clicking with a single finger to expand a window.

A handwriting recognition app figured out the meaning of my scrawl right away. When I printed the word "shell," it came up with about 15 possible interpretations, but "shell" headed the list.

While the software and gesturing environment worked smoothly, I couldn't help but notice that this tablet seems heavy when you pick it up. Indeed, the Iconia weighs in at 2.7 pounds, he said.

I was also a little concerned about breakage over the long haul, even though the senior product manage assured me the Iconia will be made of the same sort of material already used in Apple's iPhone 4, for instance.

I noticed that Acer has opted to leave out some ports, such as the SD slot that appears on the new Android 2.2 tablet. Miedema explained that Acer made this decision due to the amount of space taken up by the second glass panel.

To me, the Iconia seems to make more sense as a portable home-based gaming machine, or a desktop PC replacement device, than as a gadget you'd take along on a lot of business trips, or tote back and forth from school.

Also on the way: Dual-mode remote for home multimedia server

I checked out some of the other new gizmos, as well. Acer's new 5-inch Android tablet doubles as a phone, noted Acer's Jacki Tsai, during another demo Slots include a spot for a SIM chip. (In the demo, though, Acer showed the 5-incher running on Wi-Fi only.)

Also, unlike some of their rivals, which come with Android 2.1 but await 2.2 upgrades, Acer's 5-, 7- and 10-inch single-screen Android tablets will ship with Froyo pre-loaded.

In addition, any of Acer's newly announced tablets, whether for Android or Windows, can also be used as a remote control unit for Acer's upcoming Revo multimedia server, although Acer's dedicated remote for Revo is really one-of-a-kind. The multimedia server and dedicated remote are the latest additions to Acer's expanding family of Revo multimedia hardware.

Like the Windows 7 tablet, the dedicated wireless remote also supports both multitouch gestures and a software QWERTY keyboard. On the pint-sized remote, you can't run these two interfaces simultaneously. But you can quickly flip a switch to move back and forth from one mode to the other.

Actually, the Revo multimedia player and its dedicated remote are already shipping in parts of Europe. But the two products are still unannounced for the US, and they got their first official showing on this side of the Atlantic at the press conference on Tuesday.

Acer will release its four newly announced tablets in Europe, too, but US shipment is expected to follow in the second quarter of 2011. Meanwhile, Acer will also shop the gadgets around to US wireless carriers, Acer officials said during the press Q&A.

Lenevo Lepad

Lenevo Lepad Android Tablet

Lenevo, the largest Chinese computer maker who's mostly known for its Thinkpad line of laptops here in the US, will be entering the tablet market along with Samsung and Apple.

The company revealed in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, that it plans on releasing an Android tablet dubbed LePad in the US by next year. Lenovo's COO Rory Read made it clear, that it will not ship unless the devices comes pre-installed with Google's Gingerbread operating system update, which has yet to be released.

This adds to an already growing list of company's looking to take on Apple and its iPad tablet. HP, Samsung, RIM, Dell all plan on dropping their own tablets. No pricing or exact shipping date was given, as usual.

Android Tablets

With Apple iPad revolutionizing the tablet market, Android OS by Google further spurred competition in the segment. With tablets gaining huge popularity worldwide because of their value rich features, several companies such as Samsung, Dell, HP, Lenovo among others are busy in conceptualizing tablets aimed to cater to the demands of the various sections of the society.

If 2010 saw a large number of Android tablets hitting the market, then 2011 is going to be no different. With several Android tablets in the pipeline, we thought of introducing you to top 6 Android tablets coming your way in 2011.]

Sony Ericsson Satio

Sony Ericsson has finally launched the Satio, the phone it showed off back in February under the guise of Idou, packing the best of all its brands into one phone. But can the sheer range of gadgetry and a new OS be enough to lure customers back to the brand? Not content with being leaders in cameraphone and multimedia technology, Sony Ericsson has decided to put the two Walkman and Cybershot brands together in the new Satio. This means an industry-leading camera, a full range of multimedia playback options and it's based on Symbian S60 5th edition to boot. The overall feel of the handset is odd. Thanks to the sheer range of camera-related gadgetry on board the rear of the phone has a massive camera section bolted to the back, which makes it a little chunky.

• Also read: 15 best mobile phones in the world today

But weirdly the phone didn't feel heavy at all – in fact we thought the battery needed to be put in, it was so light, but the power pack was snugly under the cover, so this is pretty impressive.

The Satio feels OK in the hand – it's not snug, but the 3.5-inch touchscreen (although sadly resistive rather than capacitive) is well positioned, and most of the functions are within a thumb's reach.

The front of the phone is very minimal – it's got a call, hang up and menu key, and that's about it. We would have quite liked to see a cancel/back button too, but that obviously wasn't on Sony Ericsson's agenda with the new Symbian OS it's packing.

There is a front facing video camera on there too for all that video calling fun everyone has these days, but it's down the sides of the phone where the button frenzy really begins.

On the left-hand side is the slider for unlocking the phone (which is in just about the right place for most hands), the standard Sony Ericsson port for USB connection, charging and headphone connection (boo!). Below that lives the microSD slot, which is covered by a nice hinged flap.

Over on the right side of the phone we get the camera controls, with the zoom buttons doubling as the volume up/down keys, despite having the 'proper' zoom icons on.

Below this is the photograph playback key, allowing quick access to your snaps in both camera mode and standby. There's also a video/camera swap hard key as well, which we're trying to work out if it has another function in other applications. It appears not to. And below that is the stylishly hewn shutter for the camera. This side of the phone is well put together, laid out in the right manner and given the Satio's penchant for touch operation, a welcome addition.

On the back we've already mentioned the massive camera section, and while the cover might be massive it still has a really pleasing action to it, uncovering the decent lens underneath.

It's not the most wieldy of phones, we'll admit, but given the sheer amount of technology under the hood we're happy to say this is pretty much the best job Sony Ericsson could have done.

In the box

The Satio is being tipped as a multimedia device, and to that end the box is filled with audio and visual goodies. We've already pointed out how very, very disappointed we are there's no 3.5mm headphone jack on the Satio, but Sony Ericsson has tried to temper that problem with a variety of headphone options in the box. The connector also comes with a music controller, which works pretty well for both media and as a hands free unit. The bundled buds are of a slightly better quality than the usual pin-thick ones Sony Ericsson puts in the box, but we quickly changed these to some better options.

However, if you do want to use them, there's a variety of ear buds to fit your ears, which we liked.

Video-wise, Sony Ericsson wants you to see the Satio as more of a multimedia hub, and to that end has popped a video out cable in the box (and a pretty rugged, rubberised one at that). It connects using the standard port on the side, and allows you to pump whatever you want to the TV from the phone.

Beyond that, there's a charger, a USB cable and a stylus – you might as well have this if you're using a resistive screen, and handwriting recognition works better with it. And there's no installation CD in the box – Sony Ericsson has placed that on the phone in the bundled 8GB microSD card. We like this idea a lot, as it just simplifies the process, so well done to SE.

Sony Ericsson K800i

Sony Ericsson K800i Refurbished

In a nutshell: One of the best camera phones ever released, incorporating a 3.2 megapixel Cyber-Shot™ camera with autofocus and a bright xenon flash. Also comes with a music player, 3G video calling, expandable memory and wireless Bluetooth connectivity. The K800i can be your digital camera and MP3 player as well as a mobile phone. The only downside is that it's a bit heavy and bricklike. Stocks of the K800i are rapidly running out, so buy now if you want to secure this classic camera phone.

Review: September 2006. Last updated July 2009.

The Sony Ericsson K800i is the first 3G phone in Sony Ericsson's Cyber-Shot™ range of camera phones. It's the best of the Cyber-Shot phones so far, and in our opinion, the best camera phone available in the UK at the time of release.

Whilst large and a little brick-like, the K800i is beautifully built and finished. It's clearly a solidly constructed phone that should last well. The design is traditional and a bit square, but very nicely finished. The back of the phone shares many design features with the Cyber-Shot camera range and looks more like a camera than a phone. There's a cover for the camera lens, and annoyingly this has a habit of sliding off when the phone is in a bag or pocket, causing the camera to activate by itself. The keypad is well designed and easy to use, although the keys are quite small and may not suit someone with large fingers. The screen is large (2.0 inches) and of superb quality. The phone is heavier than average at 115g, but this isn't heavy for a 3G phone, and heavy phones are better at taking pictures because there is less camera shake.

At 3.2 megapixels, the K800i's camera has the highest resolution available at the time of writing (August 2006), but its the quality of the optics that really determines the quality of a camera, and the K800i doesn't disappoint. With autofocus and a real xenon flash (most camera phones have a weaker LCD flash that leads to poor exposure and red-eye), the K800i is a real digital camera, not just a toy. Picture quality is very impressive indeed, and is a match for many dedicated digital cameras. The K800i comes with a novel feature called BestPic™. BestPic takes nine pictures at a time, enabling you to choose the best. There's also a picture stabiliser, helping to eliminate camera shake. Naturally the K800i supports direct printing on PictBridge compatible printers, so you don't need a computer in order to print your pictures.

There's also a video camera, which also makes use of the picture stabiliser, helping to avoid shaky videos. It's not the best video camera around however, which is disappointing given the outstanding quality of the still camera. A video editor is included, so that you can edit videos on the phone. A second video camera is used for 3G video calling.

The music player on the K800i is of very good quality. It's an easy-to-use player that supports playlists. There's also a stereo RDS FM radio. Sound quality by the built-in speakers is good, but doesn't match that of the Sony Ericsson W900i. Stereo output to a normal or wireless headset via Bluetooth is supported.

As well as its outstanding camera and excellent music capabilities, the K800i is a genuine all-rounder. 3G enables 2-way video calling, fast music & video downloads and business applications such as email (although there's no Office document viewer). The K800i supports genuine multitasking, enabling you to talk and access other functions at the same time. A sophisticated web browser is built into the phone, displaying web pages with images as they look on a computer. You can subscribe to RSS feeds from your phone to get news, etc, and you can blog from your phone too. The K800i can act as a broadband connection for your PC, connecting via USB cable or wirelessly by Bluetooth.

The K800i is compatible with the Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™), enabling its memory to be increased to 1 Gbyte or more ( no memory stick is supplied in the sales package). This gives plenty of space for storing music and video. A wide range of connectivity options are available - Bluetooth, USB mass storage, infrared and Fastport (for connecting a charger, portable handsfree, cable or other accessory) - everything except WiFi in fact. Battery life is excellent for a 3G phone.

The K800i is an excellent mobile. Not only was it the best camera phone around at the time of release, but it's a good all-rounder. There are a few things missing, such as wi-fi and a document viewer, but there's no doubting that this is still a great phone from Sony Ericsson. Disadvantages include the large size, fiddly keypad, and the camera cover that slides off too easily. A bigger irritation is the PC software that is supplied with the phone - this is difficult to install and needs to be addressed by Sony Ericsson in future releases. But definitely a classic and one of our all-time favorites!

Features of the Sony Ericsson K800i include:

• 3G video calling
• 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, xenon flash and 16x digital zoom
• Video recorder (164 x 144 pixels, 15 frames per second)
• Second camera for video calling
• Display: TFT, 262,144 colours, 240 x 320 pixels
• Music player (MP3, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ and WMA formats)
• FM radio
• MP3 & AAC ringtones (72-voice polyphonic)
• MusicDJ™ (polyphonic ringtones composer)
• Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email
• Speakerphone
• Sound recorder
• 3D Java games
• Web browser with RSS feeds & picture blogging
• Flight mode
• Personal organiser, File Manager, Phonebook
• Memory: 64 Mbytes plus Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) support
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB mass storage, Fastport, Infrared
• GPRS, 3G data transfer (up to 384 kbps download)
• Vibration alert
• Triband plus 3G
• Size: 105 x 47 x 22 mm
• Weight: 115g
• Talktime: 2.5 hours (3G) - 7 hours (2G)
• Battery standby: 350 hours

Sony Ericsson Elm

The Sony Ericsson Elm is intended to let tree huggers make guilt-free phone calls on the move. Unlike previous entries in Sony Ericsson's eco-friendly GreenHeart series, however, the Elm and its Hazel sibling don't skimp on features. The Elm is available for £15 per month on a two-year contract, or for around £120 on a pay-as-you-go deal. You can also pick it up for around £170 SIM-free.

Treat 'em green

The Elm is one of only a few phones to wave the eco-friendly flag. No, it's not made from wood or parts of dead animals, but it does use recycled plastics, eco-friendly paint and a low-power-consumption charger. It also comes in comparatively small box, while a paper manual is dispensed with, in favour of an electronic manual on the phone itself.

Unfortunately, the Elm's approach to saving the planet can take a rather irritating form. Nannying pop-up messages reminding you to unplug your charger from the mains, and the screen's tendency to turn itself off prematurely, can become annoying.

Then there are the apps. Walk Mate counts your steps throughout the day, converting this exercise into the amount of carbon dioxide that you haven't caused to be emitted into the atmosphere -- Sony Ericsson is presumably under the impression that we normally ride a scooter around the office. A tally of burnt calories would perhaps be more useful.

The proprietary port on the side of the Elm gets our goat something rotten -- it means you can't use your own headphones or easily transfer media to a PC

Eco Mate offers pedantic advice via an environmental quiz, and Green Calculator measures how evil you are to the planet. The Elm means well, but do people really buy mobile phones to be told how to help the environment?

Slim and curvy

With its arched back, the Elm may remind you of a miniature version of a typical landline phone. That's not to say it isn't attractive, though. Its slim, black and silver, candybar-shaped body sits relatively well in your hand. The small, 56mm (2.2-inch), 240x320-pixel screen doesn't really stand up to comparison with the OLED screens on the market, but it's certainly sharp and usable for the applications offered, such as the YouTube one.

Despite its green credentials, the Elm doesn't skimp on features, improving on previous GreenHeart phones, like the no-frills Naite. There's a 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash, 3G and HSDPA support (up to 7.2Mbps), GPS, an Internet browser, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Java-based games, MP3 and AAC music playback, and an FM radio.

The 5-megapixel camera comes with a bright LED photo light (also usable as a torch) and takes relatively clear shots, thanks to its autofocus, although colours can be slightly dull. The camera also offers face- and smile-detection features, and you can geotag your photos thanks to the phone's GPS support. There's only 280MB of integrated memory, but you can expand that to a more satisfactory 16GB with a microSD card.

Indeed, you're rather forced to use a microSD card, due to the fact that Sony Ericsson doesn't supply a USB cord with the Elm. "No problemo," you might think. "I have plenty of USB cords." But the Elm has a proprietary port, so you'll have to either shell out for a specific cable, or transfer photos and music via a microSD card, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Why Sony Ericsson? Why?

Sony Ericsson Cedar

With smartphones getting ever cheaper, the market for so called feature phones is rapidly dwindling. That said, if your priorities are still call quality, battery life, and ease of use, then something like the Sony Ericsson Cedar might be right up your street. Selling for around £50, it undercuts even the cheapest smartphones by a considerable margin, though currently isn't widely available on network deals.

The form factor of the Cedar is as classic as they come, with a 2.2in screen sitting above a cluster of navigation controls and a 12-button keypad. Dimensions are 111 x 49 x 15.5 mm so it's around 10mm shorter and narrower than you’re your average smartphone, though not the slimmest device going. Thankfully it's nice and lightweight at just 84g. Despite this feather-like leaning, the plastic body feels nice and solid with little discernable flex.

Styling is never likely to be a strong suite at this price but as these things

go, the Cedar looks very nice. You can get a few different coloured backs – though they seem pretty rare – but we have the silver version here. The gentle swoop it creates along the phone's side along with the overall curve of the back looks elegant and simple. Also, both front and back have a matt finish, which gives the overall look a muted feel and should help keep the phone looking good for longer than glossy rivals, as scratches won't show up as badly.

There are no immediately obvious causes for concern when it comes to connectivity either, with a headphone jack up top, microUSB on the left edge, and if you prize the back off you'll find there's a microSD card slot as well. You don't get a card in the box but it'll support up to 16GB ones. It's also worth noting that there is a volume control on the right edge, as these can sometimes be omitted on cheaper phones. Sadly, it's a little fiddly so is difficult to operate blindly. On the back is a camera but at only 2-megapixels and without autofocus or flash, it's next to useless in anything less than bright sunshine. This is what we'd expect for such a budget phone though.

The phone's screen is a 2.2in colour LCD with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. This actually means it packs in the same number of pixels as a number of budget smartphones, but thanks to its size it looks considerably sharper. Inevitably it's only so much use for watching video or browsing the web but otherwise it holds up well with punchy colours and decent viewing angles. The tough and perfectly flat plastic finish means it should resist scratches well and doesn't pick up reflections as much as more flexible, wobbly examples.

Sony Ericsson C905

The Sony Ericsson C905 is a beautiful 3G camera phone which comes with high quality imaging & communication features. The C905 is a member of the Sony Ericsson C range which includes other camera focused handsets such as the Sony Ericsson C702i & the Sony Ericsson C902i. The C905 is a slide opening handset complete with a large colour screen which works as a perfect viewfinder when using the camera feature & the user can slide open the handset to reveal the neat keypad which is well spaced out for easy text & numeric enter. The handset has a sturdy feel as it weighs 136 grams & measures 1.8cm deep by 4.9cm wide by 10.4cm tall. The coloured screen is a TFT QVGA type screen which is 2.4 inches in size & takes up the front of this handset when in its slide closed position.

The user can access the navigation key & shortcut keys when the handset is in its slide closed position. The user has a choice of three casing colour options which include a sleek midnight black coloured casing, a subtle ice silver coloured casing or a sophisticated copper gold coloured casing. The C905 comes with 160 megabytes of internal memory plus it comes with a memory card slot for further memory expansion in the form of a Micro™ M2™ type memory card. The user can add the relivant sized memory card to suit their storage needs.

The main feature on the Sony Ericsson C905 is its amazing 8.1 megapixel camera feature, yes 8.1, that is not a typing error. The camera comes with many user friendly camera features to ensure the perfect picture is capture when using this amazing 3G camera phone. The camera is a Sony Ericsson cyber shot™ camera complete with a xenon flash for brightening up those dark surrounding. The user can use the 16 x digital zoom to get up close to their subject. The C905 comes with an auto focus feature complete with a face detection feature which will automatically focus on the subjects face when a shot is taken.

The 8.1 megapixel camera comes with an anti red eye feature & has a built in image stabiliser which avoids the user producing a wobbly image. The user can use the BestPic™ function when taking a photo which will allows the user to take up to nine shots when only pressing the capture key once then the user can chose the best picture out of the nine to keep or to add to their blog site. The Sony Ericsson cyber shot™ 8.1 megapixel camera supports video capture as well as still images. The built in image stabiliser allows the user to record a smooth video clip complete with a video light to brighten up the recording.

The C905 works on a GSM network which covers four GSM network bands as well as UMTS 2100. The battery can provide up to nine hours of GSM talk time or up to four hours 3G talk time from a fully charged battery. The battery standby time is between three hundred & sixty & three hundred & eighty hours from a full charge. The Sony Ericsson C905 comes with EDGE technology which provides fast date transfer rates for the user to enjoy when transferring files between their 3G phone & other devices.

The built in 3G HSDPA technology allows the user to experience high speed internet connectivity as well as enjoying a 3G video call feature. The video call allows the user to see their contact on the large screen & enjoy a face to face conversation with compatible contacts. The user can transfer files & data via the USB cable connection or using a wireless connection via Bluetooth® technology. The Sony Ericsson C905 comes with an Access NetFront™ Internet browser which provides the user with mobile Internet access on their handset.

The C905 comes with an A GPS navigation system which supports Google maps & allows the user to get directions & the best possible routes when making a journey. The use r can chat to other that are online using the built in instant messaging service which works just like the user's PC instant messaging service but this service is mobile. The user can create, send, store & receive emails, text messages & multimedia picture messages on their C905 3G camera phone. The messaging services are easy to use complete with easy to manage folders such as inbox, sent messages & much more. The Sony Ericsson C905 supports a variety of ringtones which include MP3, Polyphonic & AAC ringtones. The user can download new ringtones quickly using the PlayNow™ download feature which allows the user to download new tones in seconds. The user can tune into their favourite radio station using the FM radio feature for a fun listening experience.

The phone has a music player which supports most popular music playback formats & comes complete with album art display which allows the user to view album covers on their screen. The C905 phone comes with the popular TrackID™ music recognition feature which allows the user to record a few seconds of a song they like the sound of & the TrackID™ music recognition feature will provide the user with the name of the song, the artist & the album within a few seconds. The Sony Ericsson C905 is a desirable 3G phone complete with high quality camera & entertainment features to keeps it user busy.