New Blackberry 9630 Tour To Be Released in Summer
R
esearch In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) announced on Tuesday that its new BlackBerry 9630 Tour world phone will hit the shelves this summer.
What's really new about it is that it supports 3G EV-DO networks in North America, as well as 3G UMTS/ HSPA and quad-band EDGE/ GPRS/ GSM networks abroad
Research In Motion's newest BlackBerry is built for the world-traveling pro, boasting support for enough cellular standards to get a signal in almost any country. One standard it does not support, however, is WiFi. Verizon and Sprint will debut the phone, but neither the carriers nor Research In Motion would commit to a release date.
Other features -- the built-in camera, the preloaded DataVIZ Documents To Go, the GPS and access to social networking services -- are similar to the features available in most of the newer BlackBerry devices.
Sprint and Verizon have already committed to carrying the 9630.
Research In Motion bills the 9630 as a smartphone for CDMA customers in North America.
CDMA, or code division multiple access, is one of the two major standards for cellphone technology in the U.S. -- the other being GSM, or global system for mobile communications. Sprint and Verizon use CDMA, while T-Mobile and AT&T use GSM.
The 9630 comes in black with chrome highlights and is 4.4 inches long, 2.44 inches wide and just over half an inch thick. It weighs just over 4.5 ounces.
Like most other BlackBerry models, it has a full QWERTY keyboard.
The 9630 has a 2.44-inch display with a resolution of 480 by 360 pixels, which RIM says is the highest resolution available on a BlackBerry smartphone.
Like several other models in the BlackBerry line, the 9630 has a built-in GPS system and multimedia capabilities, including an image stabilization feature. These features are expected in any phone competing in the high end of the market; the BlackBerry 9630 isn't breaking any new ground here.
"Smartphones with advanced operating systems and features are the future for the cellphone business," Yankee Group analyst Carl Howe told.
The 9630 lacks WiFi capabilities, unlike some of the newer smartphones from other vendors.
Verizon doesn't believe in WiFi, and that's why it was omitted. "Verizon are short-sighted in their thinking because having WiFi doesn't mean you'll use 3G less, it just lets you load large files faster when at home."
Sprint had no say in the matter, Dulaney said. "Sprint has been mixed on WiFi but probably took what they were offered. They were so late supporting RIM that they haven't always been able to dictate the types of devices they want."
Still, Sprint appears to be making up for this -- it says the BlackBerry 9630 will be available at Sprint stores and online, as well as for customers ordering over the phone, at US$199.99.
Sprint's hefty rebates -- $100 for a mail-in rebate and a $50 instant rebate -- will slash the price to $49.99, way below that of most other smartphones, which hover around the $200 mark. The current (and soon to be obsolete) model of the iPhone, of course, has been discounted to $99.
The blogosphere has carried reports saying that the BlackBerry 9630 will hit the shelves in mid-July.
Verizon has so far been restrained in its approach to publicizing the Tour. It has put up a teaser page on its Web site inviting preorders, providing a short description of the BlackBerry 9630, but little else.
This will replace the BlackBerry Worldphone, which was never very good.
The 9630 is an upgrade to the BlackBerry Curve II. "The Bold and the Curve were too close to each other, and this looks like RIM's next step to combine them."
However, the 9630 will not compete against the iPhone, the Palm Pre or any of the Android touchscreen smartphones.
This BlackBerry is for users who value email as their top application and value a great keyboard. This is a device that Verizon, Sprint and RIM all need for business customers.
Nokia 5800 Xpress Music
T
he 5800 Xpress Music is the latest model phone from Nokia. The unit boast for its pwerful music player features. One touch takes you to music. You can browse by artist, album and genre , or flick through your playlists with up to 35hrs of great sounds on this advanced multi-format player.
It has superior sound features where you can fill the room with stero surround sound on world-leading built-in speakers. Enjoy crystal clear hi-fi with 8-band graphic equalizer and easy volume control.
The data storage is large where you can install with 16GB in size microSD for an extended playlist of tunes.
You can download music from the net through it ultra-fast 3.5G and WLAN mobile technology. Like any other phones, you can sync, drag, drop, rip and go the unit to your PC. You can manage your music on the fly with the unique 2-way transfer playlist.
Before going any further on the beautiful features of the unit, lets take a look on its dimension and weight. I'm sure you don't want to carry a huge and heavy unit with you. Well, here's the dimension: 111mm x 51.7mm x 15.5mm and weighs about 109gms.
The display screen is a 3.2" wide touch display. It has automatic orientation sensor (accelerometer) for display rotation.
The input method supports stylus, plectrum and finger touch for text input and user interface control. Still maintained the alphanumeric keypad, full and mini QWERTY keyboards, and handwriting recognition.
The camera is a 3.2Megapixel (2048 x 1536 pixels) and 3x digital zoom. Image format supports only JPEG.
Video recording at up to 640 x 480 pixels and up to 30fps (TV high quality). It can accomodate 90 minutes clip depending on the memory availability. It has front camera for video calls as well.
You can pick this up for $399 before taxes and subsidies in the US. Hope the unit goes well in terms of reliability. The main key here is how the reliable the processor and memory in terms of design and production assembly and testing will be.
Nokia 7100 Supernova
N
okia 7100 Supernova is supposedly intended for Asian market. The phone comes with a smooth slide design, vibrant colors and detailed metallic accent. It has 2" QVGA color display. The camera is a 1.3megapixel and you can share the photos through Bluetooth, MMS, email or in Ovi. You can listen to music using the integrated music player, FM radio and MP3 ringtones.
Here's the detailed specifications: 
Size
Form: Slide
Dimensions: 98 x 48.4 x 15 mm
Weight: 103.5 g (with battery)
Volume: 73.9 cc
Display and 3D
Size: 2.0"
Resolution: 320 x 240 pixels (QVGA)
Up to 65,536 colours
Thin Film Transistor (TFT) display
Keys and input method
Numeric keypad
Dedicated camera key
Colours and covers
Available in-box colours: - Jelly Red
- Black
- Fresh Blue
Available colours may vary per region
Memory
4 MB free internal dynamic memory
Power
BL-4S 860 mAh Li-Ion standard battery
Talk time (maximum): - Up to 3.5 Hrs
Standby time (maximum): - Up to 15 Days
Music playback time (maximum): 12 h 14 min
Variation in operation times will occur depending on SIM card, network settings and usage. Communication and navigation
Communication and navigation
Operating frequency
Dual-band EGSM 900/1800 and GSM 850/1900
Automatic switching between GSM bands
Flight mode
Data network
GPRS class B, multislot class 10
EGPRS, multislot class 6
EDGE class B, multislot class 6, maximum speed 42/177 kbits/s (UL/DL)
Support for MS Outlook synchronisation of contacts, calendar and notes
Local connectivity and synchronisation
Bluetooth version 2.0
Call features
Integrated hands-free speakerphone
Automatic answer with headset or car kit
Any key answer
Call waiting, call hold, call divert
Call timer
Logging of dialled, received and missed calls
Automatic redial
Speed dialling
Fixed dialling number support
Vibrating alert (internal)
Contacts with images
Messaging
SMS
MMS version 1.3
Nokia Xpress Audio Messaging
Distribution lists for messaging
E-mail
Supported protocols: IMAP, TCP, POP3, SMTP
Web browsing
Supported protocols: WAP
Opera Mini 4 browser
Image and sound
Image and sound
Photography
1.3 megapixel camera
Full-screen viewfinder in landscape mode
Dedicated camera key
Landscape (horizontal) orientation
Music and audio playback
Music Player
Music playback file formats: MP3, Midi, AAC, WAV, AMR
FM radio with bundled headset and recording capability
Ring tones: MP3, AAC, polyphonic (24 built-in tones)
Personalisation: profiles, themes, ring tones
Customisable profiles
New HTC Smart Phone Soon To Be Release
H
TC (High Tech Computer Corporation) is a Taiwan based manufacturer of smart phones and other Window's CE portable devices. HTC is unique due to the fact that its main business is an outsourcing company for other larger brands including Dell, Orange, T-Mobile, Cingular, Vodafone and O2.
For the most part, HTC creates windows based PDA's and smart phones including the Dell x50, HP Compaq i-mate and Qtek. HTC phones are extremely high tech and are feature filled. Newer phones will be able to run Windows Vista Business OS and have large touch sensitive screens. Smart phones which are more like extremely portable computers will include 30 GB of hard drive space and a dual core Intel processor. However, at this time, most smart phones created by HTC are comparable to the Palm and BlackBerry models.
While most consumers aren't familiar with the HTC brand, they are familiar with many of the products that they manufacturer for others. HTC is known in the industry as providing high quality, cutting edge products at reasonable prices.
HTC-S743: 2009 Model
The HTC S743 is a new smartphone from T Mobile with an unusual look to it. It has a slim slider body with the keyboard hidden underneath the main screen.
It is a modern smartphone that comes with the most sought after options available, including 3G connectivity at 7.2 Mbit/s, aGPS, and Wi-Fi. The shiny black color adds a nice touch as well. 
Although there is no touch screen, it boasts a nice clean and clear color screen, and the separate 12-key numerical keypad is a plus. The slide out full keyboard really appeals to heavy texters and people who correspond frequently via email on their phone.
The HTC S743 comes with a pretty heavy price, and should hit the US market in the beginning quarter of 2009. (The price should range anywhere from $400 to $500, which many might consider a little bit high, particularly since the phone is not a touch screen or in the vein of the Blackberry.)
