We managed to snag us a Sony Xperia Ion and played with it for a bit this week. The phone came out on AT&T the end of June and many people are wondering how it stacks up with some of the other devices in AT&T’s stable. Read on to find out!
As usual, I’ll be breaking down the review on the points I liked and the issues I didn’t feel comfortable with or wish could be changed.
Likes:
Form Factor
As soon as I pulled this puppy from my pocket, no less than two people around me approached me to ask me what type of phone I had. I gladly told them what it was and what I was doing with it. I was really surprised, because I don’t usually get that strong of a reaction when I’m holding a phone. Granted, it could have been dumb luck, but I can definitely see why someone might be intrigued with this device. It really does have a sleek, elegant beauty to it – yet you can tell it’s functional. Sony has a way of making electronic devices look and feel really high-grade and the Ion is no different. there is nothing flimsy about this phone which I find really important if I’m going to spend a couple hundred on any piece of equipment.
There is the standard 3.5mm headphone jack at the top, and your volume rocker as well as power-button and dedicated camera button which I’ll talk about in a bit. Nothing but a mic on the bottom, and the HDMI, and Micro USB on the left.
Camera
The Camera is a whopping 12 MP with 16x zoom. It can also record full 1080p video – which looks pretty great on my HD TV. Was quite surprised with the quality of the crappy video I took of my living room on the big screen. The camera is also capable of a 3D Panorama shot. I did find it slightly cool for the first 5 minutes, but then it started to feel a little gimmicky. I couldn’t really think of very many reasons to use it – however, I’m sure there are a few of you who can come up with some ideas. There’s also a front facing camera (1.3 MP) for video chatting with Skype or whatever your favorite video telephony app is. I also liked the fact that you could jump right into not only the camera app, but taking a picture instantly by depressing the hardware camera button.
Speed
AT&T’s LTE network really flies when it wants to. I can’t speak for those in Manhattan in the middle of the day, but when I was using it – downloading apps and playing video was a breeze. I could definitely get used to that.
Dislikes:
Operating System
Now to the disappointment. Androids next iteration of its mobile operating system,Jellybean, has already been announced and is being pushed out to Galaxy Nexus owners as we speak. Ice-Cream Sandwhich is now old. This device is running Android 2.3, a.k.a Gingerbread. Now the OS skinning seems to be a double edged sword. There are UI refinements that were refinements when Gingerbread was the main OS for android, but it also slows down updates. It’s really up to you, but in my humble opinion – this is where the device falls short. I also noticed a bit of lag when moving from screen to scree, however, others haven’t noticed it so perhaps it was my device. At any rate, navigating the older OS, even though it is heavily skinned, was a little annoying knowing that there was something two generations better out there.
There is also the smart dock – which I didn’t have, but got around by just connecting the DMI cord directly to the tv. It’s a pretty nifty idea, and it can be fun playing games on the phone and displaying the image on the big screen. You can also, ofcourse, play movies or music – basically any media on your device on your HD TV. However, I put this under dislikes because there are tons of other ways to get the media from your device to your TV. For example, if you have an HD TV, chances are you have either some apps, or a game system, or some other way to consume third party media. So why go through the trouble to connect your phone? To watch home movies taken from the phone? Yes, but that’s pretty much it. You can also purchase a remote, but it works best with a Sony TV. When playing games on the HD TV, you can’t really take your eyes off of the mobile screen because then you can’t control your character so its really for everyone else’s enjoyment which I found frustrating. I found myself wishing the phone just displayed controls while I played the actual game on the tv.
Little Thick
Not a very big deal here, but I found the device slightly on the chunky side. It’s so slick and cool looking that I just wished it were a little thinner, but those are really my personal aesthetics at this point. Most may not find this to be an issue and it’s definitely not a deal breaker.
Summary:
All-in-all, I enjoyed the device. I will warn you though, there isn’t a specific date announced as to when the device will get an ice-cream sandwich update. A rep told me “later this year”, but that’s all I got. And then when it does, it will only be behind by one update. Other than that, I really can’t find too many other glaring issues with the device. It has a solid build, and a great camera with decent specs.
Had a little time with the phone and a few things jumped out at me.
First was the screen. It will have a 4.6 inch HD Reality Display (1280×720) which looks awesome. Everything looks crisp and bright. Second was it’s ability to dock with the Sony Smart Dock and display phone content via HD Cable to your High Def TV. If it’s a Sony TV you can even use the remote to control content which was pretty cool though I would have much rathered a wireless connection. Then was the Playstation Certification. This means genuine PlayStation titles can be played through the phone which is pretty cool. Was playing Modern Combat on the big screen and it rocked. Though I had a tough time enjoying the experience because I had to keep looking back to the phone to figure out what the heck I was doing. I think giving the phone the ability to simply become the controller once docked with the TV would be a much more elegant approach. The key Details are as follows:
Playstation Certification
16GB internal memory with the option to expand up to 32GB via microSD.
12MP Camera
4.6″ 720p HD Reality Display
1.5Ghz dual core processor
One serious downer was the fact that this phone will not ship with Ice Cream Sandwhich. It will get the upgrade eventually, but who knows when. If the ION is something that tickles your fancy it will be available on AT&T exclusively on the 24th for $100 bucks on a 2 year contract.
Nokia teamed up with Niki Minaj for a performance smack-dab in the middle of Times Square today. Taking over some of the biggest electronic screens in Times Square, Niki Minaj performed a few numbers from her new album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.
The performance was delivered to kick off the launch of Nokia’s new Windows Phone the Noki Lumia 900. The phone is now available state-side for a cool $100 bucks on AT&T. The phone is 4G LTE capable and has been hailed as one of the sexiest physical designed phones thus far.
We took a look at Nokia’s first Windows Phone 7 Phone the Nokia Lumia 710. Wary about this new relationship? See below to find out if it’s all a hype or the real deal.
Likes
Form Factor
The Nokia Lumia 710 is a very handsome phone. It’s not oozing sexiness, but it’s close. I love the clear black display that Nokia has going on – it makes everything on the screen pop. The shape is simple and elegant. As a phone that won’t break the bank, one certainly won’t feel ashamed to pull it out in public.
Metro
Windows Phone’s new Metro stylings go surprisingly well with the elegant physical form of the device. It’s got beauty and smarts too. The best of both worlds. The UI is super slick and extremely fluid. I rarely stuttered or lagged at all and the minimalist design of the apps underscores the brilliant display. The screen is only 3.7″, but you don’t feel cheated. The UI is also very intuitive. I haven’t used Windows Phone 7.5 a great deal, but I never felt confused or out of step at all. I also love linking the multiple numbers and email address I have for the same person together. Microsoft really paid attention to those little details which really made the experience refreshing. I was also able to sync my contacts from my old phone via Bluetooth in less than 2 minutes. Linked my facebook and twitter accounts and it was off to the races!
Ease of Use
Simply put, this phone was just a pleasure to use. There may not be as many Windows Phone 7 apps as there are iPhone apps, but there was definitely something for most people to enjoy. Nokia also adds to the party with select apps of their own like Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive and Contacts Transfer to name a few. I was also quite impressed with the Office Suite – especially Outlook. I usually hate to check my emails via phone because it can get quite confusing and annoying, but it was a dream on the Lumia 710. I could carry on full blown conversations while out of the office which I will classify as a good thing in this write-up, and a bad thing for my social life.
Dislikes:
Battery Life
The battery life wasn’t atrocious, but I will say that I needed to charge by the end of day with moderate use over wifi which kind of hampered my experience a little. Even while idle, I found the phone needed charging even if I didn’t use it for the majority of the day.
Size/No Expandable Memory Slot
I found myself wanting a bigger screen simply because I enjoyed the experience so much. The guts are surprisingly premium, with the whole 9 yards of sensors and chips. You can find the complete breakdown here. It also comes with 8 Gigs of internal memory, but no ability to upgrade which is a little annoying if you’re like me and don’t like being told what to do.
Overall:
My overall impression of this phone is that it’s a sleeper. Understated elegance in the simple yet alluring form factor. Surprisingly simple yet quite functional OS make for a pleasant user experience. Wifi/Bluetooth connectivity, FM Radio, 3D accelerometer, 2 microphones etc… . I wish the phone was a little bigger, and lasted a little longer, but I was definitely impressed with using it. If you’re not interested in the flash, and need and need a simple and effective phone to keep up socially and even work-wise – check this phone out.
We got a chance to check out the Xperia PLAY 4G for the last few weeks and I’ve definitely got some opinions on the phone. Read further to find out what they are!
Likes:
Design
When looking at the phone, it honestly looks like a business device. The chrome and shiny back really look sleek. The 4″ screen doesn’t look over-sized and it’s not a device you would be ashamed to pull out on the train or around others. You really can’t tell that this device is meant for gaming until you slide out the game pad.
Software Tweaks
Sony has skinned Android Gingerbread (Ice Cream Sandwich’s predecessor) and overall its pretty nice. It’s mostly visual tweaks like widgets and the way you get around the app-tray. None of these tweaks are groundbreaking but they add some extra pizzazz.
Games
This is what you’re waiting for no doubt. I really like the fact that there are games specifically designed for this device. They also have great titles. I’ve been playing Sims for the last week. The graphics for playing games like Asphalt 6 were great and the phone rarely stuttered in those high-speed moments. This phone really takes you away from the lower quality games and makes you want to spend money investing in decent games because you can play them better with a direction pad, touch pad and physical buttons.
Dislikes:
Size
The look of the device is great, but it’s pretty heavy and the game pad really makes the device look thick. I totally understand that the space is needed for physical game buttons, but it really detracts from the beauty of the phone. If this phone could slim down, it would look a lot nicer.
Buttons
I’m really talking about the the Android buttons here. They are really thin and are situated in a sort of arc at the bottom of the phone which is kind of annoying. It’s really hard to hit any of them without looking since they are so close together and not linear. I also didn’t like the left and right bumper as well as the volume rocker all on the same side. It’s really cluttered on the right side and the left side is pretty much barren except for the micro USB slot and 3.5 mm jack. I really would have liked to see the bumpers a little smaller and perhaps doubling as the volume rocker when a game is not being played. Or maybe even one of them as a physical camera button when in camera mode. I definitely understand the need for the game buttons to only have in-game use, but they are just so big so you really can’t ignore them. so why not use them?
Touch Pad
The two touch pads are really neat, but I just can’t get used to them. The area is so small it’s difficult for me to really game effectively. However, it is more sensitive than the D-Pad I’ve found, but I’d rather have a more sensitive D – Pad in the end.
Summary:
I love the concept. It’s a phone that plays games. Well. It has a directional pad built in along with the other bells and whistles that come with a normal game controller. But it’s also a phone. This is awesome, and if you like to play games on your mobile device you should really consider this phone. However, I found that the phone and game portions of the device didn’t mesh as well as they could. You really can’t use the directional pad or touch pad anywhere other than in a game. For the rest of the time, half of your phone is unusable which I think is a real shame. I think Sony Ericson should have ditched balance and went with one of the characteristics. A gaming device that makes calls or a calling device that plays games with an emphasis on one or the other, but this phone seems to be balanced exactly 50/50 which I think hurts it a bit. But what do I know – check it out for yourself!
I got the chance to play around with the Galaxy Nexus for a few moments and I must say that sucker is fast. Really fast! I was zipping along through all the apps and opening and closing and swiping – it was all such a breeze. By now, you know all the specs already. The screen was pretty large and the fact that there are no buttons really made a difference in the screen size since Samsung was able to capitalize on the extra space. The glass was indeed curved, but you had to look for it. It wasn’t hugely noticeable. The device felt really solid, but I can’t stand that flimsy back cover that Samsung has been adding as of late, but it did cut the weight down. I didn’t mind it so much since the device itself was so sturdy.
I managed to snap a few pictures, and the there really was no shutter lag. You have to use it for yourself to really understand how blazingly fast taking a picture was. I tried panorama out, but I couldn’t really think of too many cases for when I might use it, but it was still cool to have, and I’ll take it.
All-in-all, Android 4.o is a good forward step. The upgrade definitely feels like a true upgrade and not just Honeycomb 3.5. Everything is re-done, but it still somehow doesn’t feel finished. I would definitely make the Galaxy Nexus my next device, but I’m really looking for the next iteration. Jelly Bean is it?
So Samsung and Google just announced the Galaxy Nexus and below are my thoughts on the device which will ship with Android 4.0 or “Iced Cream Sandwich” if you will. Let me be the first to say that I liked the code name “Nexus Prime” much better than Galaxy Nexus. I suppose Samsung had to get some branding recognition since Google seems to be using them as the handset maker of choice for their pur-bread Android experience.
That said, there are a few things that I’m excited about:
Camera Improvements
Not only can you zoom while taking video, but you can snap a pic while taking video as well
You can unlock straight to the Camera
You can take Panoramic shots
Instant shot meaning no shutter lag
Face Recognition Unlock
Phone will unlock only if it recognizes its owner…sometimes
HD Super AMOLED
4.65 inch super bright screen. Definitely want to check that baby out.
Photo Editing
All the standard stuff you find in the app store like cropping, color, angle change, red-eye reduction, etc
People App.
Connects all your information on a single contact. You can manipulate which address or number you text or email by modifying your contact’s “people card”
Android Beam
Transmit data wireless via NFC which means you can exchange personal info, websites, Youtube videos etc by tapping phones together.
I gotta say that I’m intrigued and will probably get this phone, however, I still don’t feel that “magical” felling yet. All of the new features are amazing, yet, I still feel somewhat underwhelmed for some reason. I don’t feel like anything ground-breaking has happened. I just feel like Android is being continually polished and this is a step in the right direction. What are your thoughts?
Got a chance to play with with the Samsung Infuse for ATT. Off the bat I was smitten with the beauty of the phone. I think I like where Samsung is going with their design direction. The phone is slim and sleek with a 4.5 inch screen. Read on for my impressions of the device.
Likes:
Form Factor
this phone is definitely not the biggest phone, but it is still up there among the big boys at 4.5″. At first glance it looks like only the manliest of men will be handling this phone. However, when you pick it up, its not heavy at all and its very thin. This gives the feeling that the phone is manageable for those of us with smaller hands. A few of my female coworkers remarked how well it fit in the hand.
The back cover of the device is still plastic, however, its sort of recessed in the back taking up very little space. The rest of the phone is solid. The speaker worked better than I thought which I attribute to the thin plastic back cover.
Battery Life
I played around with the phone for two days straight which, sorry to say, is unheard of for many Android devices. I kept gps, auto-sync, and wifi on. The brightness was about medium. I didn’t do a huge amount of calling but did do a bit of internet surfing and it performed well.
4G Goodness
Pulling up websites was pretty snappy with AT&T’s network. I had no major issues with it in NYC and found it to add positively to my experience with the phone. Videos came up quickly and was even able to video chat without wifi using Tango and Qik though it was a little choppy at times.
Dislikes:
OS
I am an Android fan, but Google updates so frequently that new phones feel obsolete in mere months. This phone is based on Android 2.2 (Froyo) which is already behind Android 2.3 (gingerbread). Since Samsung skinned it with their touch flo UI, Infuse users may have to wait a bit until the phone OS is upgraded. This can be a pain when you have a lot of power under the hood but have to wait a bit for the latest and greatest.
Screen Resolution
The 4.5 inch AMOLED screen is quite beautiful to behold. It’s super bright and makes all the icons and videos come to life. However, when comparing to other phones with smaller screen resolutions like my G2 the Infuse’s images look slightly blurred. The resolution is 800×480, which is pretty good but for some reason I felt like something was missing while watching video clips.
Summary:
Overall, I really liked using the phone. I was most impressed by the phones sexy curves and slim physique. Was a little let down that it was running on Froyo rather than gingerbread, but there really isn’t a huge difference functionality-wise. I just have to have what the Jones’ have! With an 8 MP camera with LED Flash and front facing 1.3 MP camera as well as 4.5″ inch AMOLED screen and a 1.2 GHz processor under the hood – you really can’t go wrong.
So Nokia just debuted their newest device – the Nokia N9 and it is getting A LOT of buzz. I believe this is because Nokia has a lot of people rooting for it. Symbian just wasn’t cutting it though to be quite frank and if the videos and images hold up we are all in for a refreshing treat! You can find the full press release here, but the high points are as follows:
The phone’s sexy curves are made from a fancy-schmancy piece of “polycarbonate” which should make it hard to spot scratches. They did away with that annoying button on the face present in the N8 and E7 and just have one multipurpose button to the side (besides the volume rocker). You can also double tap the screen which will “wake” the phone. You can then swipe across the full length of the phone horizontally or vertically to get to the home screen. This gesture is also how you get in and out of apps quickly.
The phone is sporting an 8 MP camera with a Carl Zeiss auto-focus lens. The display is a 3.9 inch curved piece of Gorilla Glass. The N9 also comes with NFC (Near Field Communication) which means tap to play or pay with other devices which support NFC functionality are a go!
It doesn’t look like Nokia have set a definite date, but it’s supposed to drop sometime “later this year”
I got a chance to take a look at Nokia’s E7 and I had a blast doing so. It was cool getting stares and having people ask what type of phone it was. I have the lowdown on what it was like to actually use the phone. Though my relationship was short-lived, about two weeks, I had some ups and downs. Read on to find out what they were.
Likes:
Form
So did I mention this phone is sexy? I got the Austin Martin Grey (ok I made that up). The phone just looks and feels nice in the hand. It has gentle angular curves on both ends of the device much like the N8 which no other device really has. It’s not the thinnest device, but it doesn’t feel flimsy at all like the Nexus S or the Galaxy S. In fact, it’s sturdy enough to hang out in the pocket all day and come out unscathed without the aid of conventional phone armor. I’m still not a fan of the slidy-nob to unlock but at least the center button serves that function as well. There is also another slidy-nob on the top right of the device that serves as a zoom in/out or volume control which I found clever. I also loved the slide-out sim-card trey. It keeps you from having to open the phone for switching sims if your into that kinda thing.
The Extras
Again, I love the fact that it comes with a mini HDMI slot and adapter for Hi Definition output. Dual LED lights for a nice bright flash instead of the commoner’s one LED light source. Really spacious and well thought out keyboard that slides into a provocative pose. Though it takes a little getting used to at first, the sliding mechanism is quite sturdy and unique. Most people I showed the phone to were pleasantly surprised with the hidden keyboard. These are the little things that make the phone pleasant to use. The 4″ AMOLED screen certainly doesn’t hurt either. The display is quite bright and is makes video playback look great.
Staying Connected
You can stay connected through your OVI password. I liked being able to stay logged into my facebook and twitter and get updates via the widget on one of my homescreens. You also get updates from your different email accounts as well as messages from contacts.
Dislikes:
Audio
On more than one occasion, I did notice the phone quality seriously depreciate. The audio would sort of pop, almost like an old vinyl record would. Not sure what that was about, but it wasn’t often. However, I did notice it and thought it worth a mention. Other than that the audio quality was on par with my other phone experiences.
Browser
I’m not clear on what the vision is for the Symbian browser, but I wasn’t too impressed with the browsing experience. It was fairly fast on my T-mobile “3.5g” connection, however, I found it cumbersome to navigate. It would give me a list of sites to navigate, but it always felt like I was doing too much work to get from one place to another. The phone never really supplied me with possible sites I was trying to type out, nor was it visually engaging. Of course you can bookmark, the surfing with more than one window open wasn’t very elegant and was definitely difficult to do while on the go. You had to stop what you were doing in order to navigate and that can be a little annoying in a city like NY where I need my info ASAP while I’m on the street.
Data Input
The keyboard definitely helped with text input but I am still unsure of why Nokia doesn’t just break down and add a full digital keyboard for both portrait and landscape modes. Why do I have a number pad in portrait mode? It’s useful when talking with the drone on the other end of the phone when trying to pay a bill or turn the cable back on, but that’s about it. Wish there was at least an option to switch between keyboards. I also didn’t like being taken to a text area when typing up an email or response to a text. I think it would look better if I would see the text right there next to the original received message without first going into that text box. It feels like an extra step which ads to the time it takes to get simple things like that done.
Camera
Why oh why did you skinch on the camera for the E7? Give it the bulgy eye like you did with the N8. I don’t care if you guys were concerned about the slimness. I like my phones with curves in all the right places! I thought 8 Megapixels was good, but no true focus killed it for me. All of the pieces for a great shooting experience and no control over focus ruins the fun. It’s like going to the mall on a shopping spree and only having a dollar to spend. Ok I’m being a bit dramatic, but it did feel funky. I ended up wanting to wait till I got my true camera for picture taking.
Overall:
Overall I enjoyed the device and I can’t sing enough praises about how well made and beautiful the device looked and felt in hand. Other than a few funky sounding calls, and camera disappointments, I enjoyed using the phone and wouldn’t mind owning the device. However, I must say that Symbian is beginning to feel a bit aged, especially when I compare it to iOS or Android. It’s a shame because the phone itself is a true beauty.
