Review: Nokia 8800 Arte Introduction

Nokia has been playing an important role lately in the enhancement in the field of internet and mobile communication. Meeting the demands of the picky and trend-following consumer, the company put two new mobile phones on the market at the end of last year; the 8800 Arte and the 8800 Sapphire Arte. High quality materials and a classy appearance are the characteristics of these mobile phones. We will review the Nokia 8800 Arte, the black version of the two. Design, user's ease and user's fun are key words for this technological masterpiece. The 3.2 Megapixel digital camera, MP3 player, ambient light sensor and the internal memory of 1GB are just a few aspects of the promising Nokia 8800 Arte mobile phone.

Nokia 8800 Arte retail package

In addition to the Nokia 8800 Arte, the black box contains a sophisticated Bluetooth headset with corresponding manual. The manual of the mobile phone itself is included too, in two languages and besides that a USB cable, battery charger and software CD are available. A leather pouch prevents the Nokia 8800 Arte from getting damaged and whilst charging the mobile phone, it can be placed in the included solid DT-19 desk stand.The Nokia Arte is a sophisticatedly designed slider phone. The black housing is crafted from glass and metal, which explains its weight of no less than 150 grams. When you take the handset out of the package, you will instantly feel the durability. The simplicity of the design ensures a classy, timeless appearance that will appeal to younger as well as older people.

Nokia 8800 cell phone design

The navigation buttons and some quick access buttons are available on the front, and when you slide open the Nokia 8800 Arte, a full keyboard becomes available. The 2 inch OLED QVGA monitor of 320x240 pixels supports a maximum of 16 million colours and is so very clear that it is a joy to scroll through the menus or to view pictures. Moreover, the Nokia 8800 Arte has been equipped with a sensor that detects ambient light, as a result of which the clearness of the monitor is adjusted automatically to the light circumstances. The device measures 4.3 x 1.9 x 0.57 inches and is neatly finished with silver-coloured edges. According to Nokia's press release, the 8800 Arte features anti-fingerprint coating, however; personally I did not experience the use of it. The back of the mobile phone has a matte coating, but I was forced to clean the shiny front on a regular base.


Nokia 8800 Arte menu

Nokia allow the user to adjust the main menu to his or her own preference. For example, the option button in the main menu allows you to choose from four different icon reproductions: 'List', 'Roster reproduction', 'Roster reproduction with labels' and 'Tabs'. You can even change the sequence of the icons which offers faster access to your favourite options. This saves a lot of time scrolling up and down. The time, the power of the signal and battery status remain visible in every menu; even while using most functions. Unfortunately, the menus respond remarkably slower the moment the battery starts to run low.



Nokia 8800 active standby

Not only the main menu; also the standby mode can be arranged to your own preferences. The active standby lets you collect all the preference functions in the standby screen of the Nokia 8800 Arte. There is room for four sections and a choice from eight different functions, such as the quick access bar, music player, agenda and notes. The quick access bar holds a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 48 icons, which gives you easy access to every far corner of the menu. You can also change the sequence of the icons in the quick access bar. Even the way of selecting the sections of the 'active standby' is entirely up to the user.


Nokia Arte digital camera

The Nokia 8800 Arte has been equipped with a 3.2 Megapixel digital camera. The 8x digital zoom lets you get the object you want to capture, a lot closer. Still I wouldn't recommend using the zoom function frequently since the quality of the end result drops drastically due to this zoom. The pictures turn out granular and blurred and the format of the pictures decreases. The camera features an auto focus and automatic light compensation, whilst it is also possible to adjust the brightness manually through the menu. In bad light situations, the night mode can be activated which compensates for the lack of the possibility to select an ISO setting. Where the normal mode achieves a bad result in badly lit circumstances; the night mode offers a slightly better result. You will have to do without flash, and that is a vast restriction in practising mobile photography. In this case; you will have to learn to live with colour noise and underexposure as obvious factors.


Quality of the camera
In addition to setting the white balance, you can also add a few effects such as sepia or negative. The colour and contrast reproduction of the mobile phone's monitor are not representative for the true colours. You can't expect that, to be honest, since calibration is not playing a role in this segment for the time being. Mobile photography is an area that is not mature yet on the Nokia 8800 Arte. In particular the colour shifting, the limited dynamic range and the lack of a built-in flash make mobile photography with the 8800 Arte a true deed of courage. The Nokia 8800 Arte feels at home in ideal circumstances and that's when you can expect a reasonable photo quality.


Photo editing options

A picture is taken reasonably fast, for mobile concepts, since the shutter release is just 1 second. Besides that, it is quite handy the camera switches automatically to the standby mode if there is no action for a certain amount of time. This saves energy without having to turn the camera function off completely. The photo editing option lets you crop the captured pictures afterwards and adjust the contrast. Various elements can be added e.g. a text, frame or pictogram. The Nokia Arte supports photo formats in JPEG, GIF, BMP, PNG and video formats: 3GPP, H.263 and H.264.

Nokia 8800 Arte MP3 player

Just like every mobile phone nowadays, the Nokia 8800 Arte, too, features an MP3 player. It is easy to operate this function; the navigation button allows you to scroll through the songs and adjust the volume. You can switch between the themes: 'Standard' (blue tones) and 'Magnetic' (grey tones). The music menu gives access to making play lists and to the songs via genre, album and artist. The equalizer in the setting menu lets you choose the right sound to the right song. To enable you to make a better choice when selecting a genre, the ratio between the bass and high tones is visible. The speaker produces a strong clear sound. Listening to music is also very interesting with the included Bluetooth headset. Of course the stereo effect is gone when you listen with only one ear but listening wireless and having an invisible volume adjuster on the touch-sensitive part of the headset, makes you stand out from all the headset and ear-set users. Finally; the Nokia 8800 Arte features an uncomplicated voice recorder to capture voice notes.


8800 Nokia Arte additional functions

A nice and fun function of the Nokia 8800 Arte is the 'tap for time' system. If you are in a rush wanting to know the time, you don't have to slide open the phone or wait for the monitor light. Just tap on the phone twice with your finger and an analogue clock will appear on the screen telling you the correct time. The Nokia 8800 Arte also features a sensor that enables refusing an incoming call or deactivating the alarm just by turning the phone face down. The Nokia 8800 Arte has a lot more going for it than standard conversion of currency, lengths and temperatures. Taking this Nokia phone with you, will end all insecurities about foreign clothes sizes. For example; use size conversion to insert the size of your shoes and a whole list appears with every size from different countries divided in male and female sizes. The function contains information about sweaters, suits, trousers, shirts, dresses and skirts. A superb addition if you like shopping. The translation function in the application menu also looked promising; however, it turned out to be somewhat poor still. It couldn't seem to find simple words such as: dog, office and sun. And when I filled in the word 'lamp' (Dutch for lamp), the English translation said: raspberry, which made my trust in this application disappear at once. The Opera Mini browser lets you surf the Internet with the Nokia 8800 Arte.

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Samsung L310 review | Introduction

Once again, Samsung have put a ladyphone on the market that fully aims at the needs of a woman, with both appearance and functionality. The Samsung L310 Allure is chic, elegant and attractively decorated with Zirconias. There is nothing left to desire as far as functions are concerned; the phone features an FM radio, MP3 player, 2 Megapixel digital camera and rather typical; a shopping list. Samsung created the L310 to add to a luxurious lifestyle. In addition, the phone comes with an exclusive clutch, designed by makeup artist and hairstylist Leco van Zadelhoff. Our findings can be read in the following Samsung L310 review.

Samsung Allure retail sales box

The oblong, black box that holds the Samsung L310 is as elegant as the mobile phone itself. A thin carton cover with cut-out forms accentuates the patterns on the package. Inside you will find the Samsung L310, with manuals in two languages, a quick charger, a USB cable for data transfer through the USB 2.0 connection and a software CD. In addition, you will find a headset in one of the four boxes inside. Unfortunately a protecting cover is not standard included; you will have to purchase one yourself if you’re afraid of getting the phone scratched and damaged. On the other hand; Samsung do deliver a nice addition aiming especially at the target group; a clutch. The latter is an evening bag, especially designed by the successful makeup artist and hairstylist Leco van Zadelhoff. The design of this shiny, black clutch with gold-coloured details fits in seamlessly with the design of the Samsung L310. This clutch has five pockets inside and a small mirror, and will undoubtedly serve many women whilst having a night on the town.


Samsung L310 lady phone design
What else would we expect from a lady phone; the Samsung L310 has a feminine appearance and a sleek design without making use of the colour pink! The nice decoration with Zirconia stones around the camera lens, the gold-coloured stripe around the black housing and the flowery ornament around the monitor and on the back of the phone, give this clamshell model its womanly characteristics. These flower ornaments are also placed on the top lid, showing a ‘heartbeat’, flashing continuously. If you place the Samsung L310 within sight and the ‘heartbeat’ is on, it might distract you tremendously. I had to glance continually to see what was happening, and if something was happening. So if you are as easily distracted as I am, you’d better turn off this light in the settings menu. Unfortunately, this also turns off the small envelope icon that appears on the top lid when you receive an SMS text message. Upon opening the Samsung L310, the beautiful S-shape of the mechanism becomes visible. The inside of the lady phone has a gold-coloured layer and the keys are sunken into the surface of the Samsung L310.


Samsung L310 TFT monitor

The Samsung L310 Allure features a 262,144 pixel colour TFT LCD monitor. With its resolution of 176x220 pixels, the monitor seems rather small in relation to the lid. A pity not all the space was used but there had to be room for the ornaments. Other than that, the monitor is bright and detailed. If you find the numbers too small when pressing the keys to make a call, you can change the text size in display settings. The standby mode offers two options; the regular and dynamic background. The dynamic background shows a peaceful landscape with a windmill in it. During daytime, you will see birds flying through your screen at intervals, and at night, you can watch the falling stars in between the clouds and make a wish if you like. Reproduction of a missed call and receiving an SMS text message is accompanied by a colourful show of fireworks. These details increase the fun of using the Samsung L310.


Samsung Allure L310 menu

The left function button will give you access to the main menu. When scrolling through the menu, it strikes you immediately that the Samsung L310 remembers which menu you last visited. Upon opening the menu again, the last viewed submenu or the last used option is selected. I find this very convenient, when trying out an option you’re able to check the effect of a certain setting whilst still easily returning to the particular option when it is not what you thought it would be. The menu is livened up with one of the available themes; “Peach-coloured bubbles” or “Gold Ivy”. Display settings allow for choosing how the switch between the menus is displayed, in which case ‘Door’ slides open the menus, as it were, and ‘Dia’ slides the menus away to the right or to the left. Finally, you enter ‘My Menu’ upon pressing the top navigation button. Naturally, you can collect all your favourite options in one spot, for optimal user’s ease.


Samsung L310 Allure operation

The buttons of the Samsung L310 lay, as mentioned before, sunken into the surface of the phone, which adds to the design of the handset. The navigation and function buttons take up lots of space on the key panel. Personally I would have preferred the most frequently used buttons to be somewhat more compactly situated. Upon entering a phone number, a fountain pen appears and the windmill that is displayed in the dynamic standby mode becomes a postcard in the background. The Samsung L310 offers suggestions from your phone book, so when you insert a familiar number you only have to submit it partially. In order to save energy, you can opt for the setting that offers an active lightened keypad in the evening or at an adjusted time. The volume buttons on the side of the Samsung L310 allow you to adjust the volume during a call or while listening to music. In addition, you can assign desired quick links to the navigation buttons, except for the top navigation button. The latter can only be used for ‘My Menu’.


Samsung MP3 player & Radio

The Samsung L310 Allure lets you enjoy your music through the MP3 player that enables making play lists, among other things. You can also repeat songs or you can opt for ‘random’, offering a random selection of your songs to play. The navigation button serves to operate the player, it is mentioned as to which button serves for which operation. A huge plus is the built-in FM radio that the Samsung L310 features. To be able to use the radio, you have to connect the headset, which functions as antenna. The loudspeaker function lets people around you enjoy your music with you. However, because of the sound quality, I’d recommend using the headset for both the MP3 player and FM radio. Due to the fact that the loudspeaker is placed on the inside of the top lid of the phone, the sound gets muffled when you shut the cell phone. The Voice recorder in the Extras menu can be used to quickly record voice notes.

Samsung L310 ladyphone

Like previous lady phone editions of Samsung, the L310 also offers various functions that are especially interesting for women. These functions are found in the submenu Extras and are called ‘Lifestyle’. A questionnaire will help you find out what fragrance type you are. For example, if you love the deep blue sea, enjoy life and beautiful things, the Sea fragrance might be your type of fragrance. And if you’re not feeling well and you wonder why, you can use the Biorhythms function. It will tell you all about your physical, emotional and intellectual state at a certain day. With the Samsung L310 in your possession, you never again have to worry about having left your shopping list at home while standing in the shop, and you also have five shopping bags at your disposal that this lady phone offers. Besides that, you can monitor your daily activities to see how many calories you burned that day. The section lifestyle has a certain fun factor. Some function can actually come in handy, the shopping list for example, others shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

Samsung Allure with 2 Megapixel Samsung digital camera

The Samsung L310 Allure features a 2.0 Megapixel digital camera with 4x digital zoom and a CMOS sensor. The applied CMOS technique is energy-saving for this device, which adds to the battery-life. In daytime the camera takes good and reasonably sharp pictures that show surprisingly true-to-nature colours. In badly lit circumstances, the camera performs considerably worse as far as colour rendition and sharpness are concerned. The lack of the flash is cause for this and it is a real minus. Exposure correction might be the solution, however, only when a small correction is required because if a lot of compensation is needed, there’s no way of saving the picture. Increasing the ISO value might be a better option in that case. Unfortunately noise peeks around the corner when ISO is increased. It’s therefore up to the user to decide between colour quality, sharpness and noise. The shutter lag is around two seconds which I find acceptable since I don’t expect any better from a mobile phone. But I am not saying that there’s no improvement possible here, though. The possibility of setting the correct white balance is also enabled on the Samsung L310’s camera. Last but not least; you should set the viewing mode to ‘Reproduction standard ratio’. If you set this mode to ‘Full reproduction’ the composition of your end result will differ tremendously to what you see on the monitor whilst taking a picture. Even editing of pictures is possible in the Extras menu, and you can make adjustments such as adding effects, frames and emoticons.

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Review: Samsung L870

Samsung Electronics introduces the L870, a S60 embedded Smartphone designed for a life-enhancing experience. With an exquisite stainless steel body fully packed with the most-up-to-date OS applications, Samsung L870 will upgrade both style and productivity in everyday life. Like a tailored pair of suit, every millimeter of the Samsung L870 is carefully custom-designed to match the user’s lifestyle. A magnificent stainless steel body softly brushed with elegant hairline pattern, and a 13.5mm slim and sleek outline, will perfectly complement every outfit and style. A minimalistic key pad that appears when sliding up, is deliberately designed to provide enough spaces between each keys to provide convenience.

Internet access via the Samsung L870 smartphone
Leveraging the capabilities of S60 platform, Samsung L870 brings full connectivity and application that surpass expectations for a handset device. The applications and features of the S60 software are not only easy to learn and use, but also enable maximum productivity. With Full-speed internet browser and more than 6,000 open applications are also compatible with Samsung L870 to customize the device for each individual's needs.

Samsung L870 with useful pre-installed applications
Samsung L870 features many useful Samsung pre-installed applications such as an advanced task manager Checkit, PIMs (Personal information manager) homescreen, Team manager and business card recognition function. With these applications, users will experience better time and life managing experience than ever.

3 Megapixel digital camera on the Samsung L870
Samsung L870 boasts many other latest applications and interfaces. Creative user interface (UI) featuring three different themes, 2.4-inch QVGA TFT display, a 3-megapixel camera, FM radio with RDS, music player and Bluetooth v.2.0 supports are all embedded within Samsung L870 for satisfying visual and audio entertainment needs.

Samsung L860 S60 mobile
"We are happy to compliment our product portfolio with yet another appealing S60 mobile, Samsung L870 that is fully customized with style, performance and user interface," says, Jongin Kim, the Vice President of Mobile Communication Division of Samsung Electronics. "With S60, we can successfully deliver the latest mobile technology with fully customizable applications and the intuitive user interfaces."

Samsung L870 mobile phone availability
Samsung L870 will first be launched in Europe around August, then will continue to be available in all regions where GSM is available.

Samsung L870 specifications

• HSDPA (2100MHz) 3.6Mbps + EDGE/GPRS 900/1800/1900
• 2.4" QVGA 16M Color TFT display
• 3 Megapixel digital camera
• Symbian 9.3
• S60 3.2
• New Thematic UI
• Quick Office document viewer
• Push Email (Visto, Seven, Intellysync, Good)
• Advanced PIM Applications
• Music Player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, RA, AMR, WMA)
• Video Player (H.263 + AMR, MPEG4, Real One, WMV)
• FM Radio (RDS)
• Bluetooth v.2.0 EDR
• USB 2.0 (Full Speed)
• Memory : 100MB internal memory + Micro SD up to 4GB
• Size : 103.5 x 50.5 x 13.5mm

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Review: Sony Ericsson C905 CyberShot

The C905 is Sony Ericsson’s first Cyber-shot slider and its most advanced camera phone yet. With an 8.1 megapixel camera and real camera flash amongst its cutting-edge capabilities, it offers easy photo-taking in a phone that derives its looks from a digital camera and offers the picture quality to match. “The Sony Ericsson C905 CyberShot has been developed to make us all better photographers! That means making it easier to take great shots and never missing that magic moment.” said Sven Totté, Head of Imaging Marketing at Sony Ericsson. “The 8.1 megapixel Sony Ericsson C905 is a viable alternative to a digital camera.”

Sony Ericsson C905i CyberShot

• Complete digital camera experience on a phone - true digital camera styling and an 8.1 megapixel camera with Xenon flash
• Outstanding picture quality - complete with face detection auto-focus, smart contrast and image stabilizer
• From baby's first steps to an amazing sunset; store them all on the 2GB Memory Stick Micro (M2) included
• The USB adaptor (CCR-70) provided in-box allows for easy transfer of your photos to-and-from your PC.
• View high-quality pictures on the phones impressive 2.4" scratch-resistant mineral glass display
• Share your memories - send your photos wirelessly from your phone to your TV via Wi-Fi (using DLNA), or connect with wires using the TV-Out Cable ITC-60
• Upload photos to your own online blogsite or print your photos with fantastic resolution up to A3 size
• Much more than a camera phone - GPS-enabled for geo-tagging of photos and navigation support.

Sony Ericsson C905 8 Megapixel camera phone
Building on Sony Ericsson's camera phone heritage, the Sony Ericsson C905 Cyber-shot phone is an all-round performer that maximises its camera credentials. The C905 CyberShot is a powerful 8.1 megapixel camera phone that looks, feels and acts like a real camera.

Sony Ericsson C905 Price & Availability
The Sony Ericsson C905 Cyber-shot will be available in three colours (Night Black, Ice Silver and Copper Gold) in selected markets from Q4 2008. It will support the following networks:

• Sony Ericsson C905: GSM / GPRS / EDGE 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 UMTS / HSDPA 2100
• Sony Ericsson C905a: GSM / GPRS / EDGE 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 UMTS / HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100
• Sony Ericsson C905c: GSM / GPRS / EDGE 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

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Review: Sony Ericsson W902

Sony Ericsson has announced the W902 Walkman for those who want it all. The 8GB Memory Stick Micro lets you store more than 8,000 songs and switches seamlessly from music to media to experience crystal clear video capabilities. No longer do you need to make a choice between music, media and imaging when picking your next phone. The Sony Ericsson W902 Walkman is a phone that goes beyond music and gives users everything they need in one pocket-sized stylish device. Downsize your bag, free your pockets and leave your music player and camera at home - use the premium W902 phone to play your favorite tunes, snap those precious moments or watch crystal clear video on the bright, scratch-resistant 2.2” QVGA display.

Sony Ericsson W902 - Multimedia experience

"We all want more from our mobile phones than ever before." said Ben Padley, Head of the Music Category at Sony Ericsson, "If you love music but don't want to compromise on imaging and video, we have used our expertise as music phone specialists to give users a truly multimedia experience with this latest phone. The Sony Ericsson W902 is one of our most high-performing phones yet and perfect for those who want it all."

W902 Sony Ericsson phone - Sound quality and Premium headphone

The new Sony Ericsson 902 delivers music as it was meant to be heard through Sony Ericsson's revolutionary clear audio experience. With crystal clear sound quality and a dramatically richer bass, together with Sony Ericsson premium headphones, HPM-77 included in-box, your favorite tracks will sound better than ever. The Sony Ericsson W902 features the same superior sound quality as the W980, about to launch shortly, which was rated "best audio experience" this month, in a trial conducted in Germany by TESTfactory.

W902 Features :

• Fast forward to fantastic sounds
• Outstanding music sound
• Clear Stereo + Clear Bass+ premium headphones = clear audio experience
• Retro music navigation keys - skip forward, back, play and pause with the push of a button
• Crystal clear video playback
• 5 megapixel camera - snap your stills and videos
• Scratch-resistant 2.2" QVGA screen and lens - made with mineral glass
• 8GB Memory Stick Micro (M2) for more than 8,000 songs
  

Sony Ericsson W902 Walkman phone - Availability
Look beyond music and have it all with the new Sony Ericsson W902. Convenient, stylish and compact - why carry your life around in your bag when it can fit in your pocket? The Sony Ericsson W902 Walkman is a UMTS/HSDPA 2100 and GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets in Volcanic Black, Wine Red and Earth Green in Q4 of 2008.

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Review: Sony Ericsson W595

The Sony Ericsson W595 is unveiled. “We all want more from our mobile phones than ever before.” said Ben Padley, Head of the Music Category at Sony Ericsson, “If you love music but don’t want to compromise on imaging and video, we have used our expertise as music phone specialists to give users a truly multimedia experience with this latest phone” For the real rocker in you, the Sony Ericsson W595 Walkman, is packed full of innovations for great music and media moments. The W595 mobile phone features a 2.2” bright and large screen for impressing video capabilities. Store and play over 1900 tunes in the 2GB Memory Stick Micro (M2) or share great sounds through the built in stereo speakers.

Sony Ericsson W595 phone - Entertainment package

Get up close and personal with the stereo Share jack so your best friend can listen in from an additional headset. Make play lists that match your moods with SensMe and change your tune or raise the volume with a flick of your wrist using Shake control. The Sony Ericsson W595 also comes with preloaded games for a full entertainment package - the possibilities are endless! Look beyond music and have it all with the new Sony Ericsson W595. Convenient, stylish and compact - why carry your life around in your bag when it can fit in your pocket?

W595 Sony Ericsson mobile phone - Features

• Walkman player - music on the go
• 2GB Memory Stick Micro (M2) - store and play more than 1,900 songs
• Share jack and stereo speakers - share your sounds
• Bluetooth - use the many wireless speakers for loud sound
• TrackID and SensMe - lets you know what you are listening to
• 3.2 megapixel camera - snap some great shots and share with friends

Sony Ericsson W595 HSDPA phone - Availability

The new Sony Ericsson W595 Walkman is a UMTS/HSDPA 2100 and GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets in Active Blue, Cosmopolitan White, Jungle Grey and Lava Black in Q4 of 2008. The Sony Ericsson W595c Walkman is a GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets in Active Blue, Cosmopolitan White and Jungle Grey in Q4 of 2008. The Sony Ericsson W595a Walkman is a GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets in Active Blue, Cosmopolitan White, Jungle Grey and Lava Black in Q4 of 2008.

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Review: Motorola U9

Motorola's mobile phones division is in a bit of trouble at the moment having been hived off as a separate business and suffered the indignity of a very public lambasting. The company can only remain a serious player if it produces handsets that people want to buy. With that in mind, what do we make of the U9?

Well, the opportunity to buy it is certainly widespread. Checking online as I wrote this review you can get it from O2 from free on contract and for £99.99 on pay and go; on Vodafone from free on contract and £72 on pay as you talk; and from Orange for £89.99 on pay as you go.

This is a quad-band clamshell phone and it comes in pink and purple. I feel duty bound to explain that Moto suggests this is a handset for the ladies and offers an inane quiz to help you decide which colour suits you. If you are Barbie-like and/or dim enough to think you need a quiz to decide what colour phone suits you, then try it here. Motorola really should have more sense than to try such a patronising marketing effort.

Anyway, I got the purple version, the PRs having cleverly picked up on my dislike of pink. The phone is Christmas-decoration shiny all over the front and rubbery on the back. The visual design is distinctly PEBL making it two years old in concept.

Despite the design's age I can't really fault Motorola on the rounded ‘bar of soap' style shape. It means the U9 feels as comfy in the hand as the PEBL ever did. And dimensions-wise you are looking at a pocket-friendly 90mm x 49mm x 16mm that weighs a reasonable 87g.

And there is something very new to this mobile - its outer OLED display. Now, OLED displays should not be new to regular readers, but Motorola has done something rather clever with its implementation. The front OLED sits under the outer shell and you'd never know there was a front screen at all when it's not active. When it is, its 128 x 160 pixels provide information in a way that dominates the front of the phone. Moreover there is a touch-responsive element.

When playing music, for example, the screen displays track info for a few seconds and then turns itself off. You can reactivate it by touching the front screen, and this could be handy because there are touch controls for forward, back and pause/play.

When a call comes in the OLED pops up and tells you who is making contact. When nothing much is going on you can tap the volume rocker and change profiles.

When someone sends you an SMS the OLED alerts you. It can display the message and you can send a quick reply using a combination of the left side volume rocker and select key. There are various predefined texts and you can add more. It is a bit of a fiddly system, especially as you need to unlock the side keys before using them, but it could come in handy.

Open the flip and you are greeted by a 2in, 320 x 240 pixel, 262 thousand colour TFT LCD which is amazingly sharp and bright, and a retro flat number pad. There is nothing remarkable about the number pad though it does have a key dedicated to launching the music library.

Which brings me on to the phone's features, and I'll start with music. The formats supported are a standard bunch - MP3, WMA, AAC and AAC+ among them.

The phone's memory card will sync with a PC. There is a microSD card slot under the battery cover where it is as difficult to get at as it could possibly be. Moto says cards of up to 4GB in size are supported, which must mean SDHC is supported. You can't send music to the internal memory, but with just 256MB built in the absence of this ability is not going to worry you too much.

You can use Bluetooth stereo headphones or the set supplied by Motorola which, irritatingly, use a proprietary connector and are one-piece i.e. there is no way of using a headset with a 3.5mm jack.

My battery test indicates that this is not the ideal phone for music lovers. From a full charge it gave me 4 hours 47 minutes of continuous tunes through its loudspeaker, which is hardly record breaking.

There is a camera which shoots stills at resolutions up to 2-megapixels. The lens is on the front of the flip and with the phone closed you can use the OLED as a viewfinder to frame photos of yourself shooting with a side button. You can zoom using the volume rocker but can't access any other settings.

With the flip open you shoot facing away from yourself and use the main screen as the viewfinder. Now you can get to the camera's settings using the up and down controls on the navigation button to choose the type of setting (zoom, scene, exposure, lighting conditions etc) and then the left and right buttons to make selections. This system makes it really fast and easy to make changes.

The camera can be best described as average, and that may be doing it a kindness. Certainly my test shots, as usual taken with the camera on auto settings, did not perform wonderfully.

The coloured dish, photographed indoors under normal household lighting conditions is rather dark and grainy. The chair, which has become my standard outdoor shot, shows variation in its white tones and definition is not what it could be. The white flowers fare better, with an acceptable level of detail as far as camera phones go and less over-exposure than I had anticipated. All the test images, however, appear to suffer from a spurious colour shift at the centre of each exposure. Odd.

Interestingly you can set the phone to automatically send all photos to a list of contacts you specify. Not sure that is a good idea, really, but there you are.

As well as voice dialling you can set up a talking phone system where the phone reads stuff out to you such as the caller ID and content of incoming texts and emails. The voice used is rather more human than some, but making the setting is fiddly enough that you may not bother with it.
Yes, there is mobile email support, and there is an HTML Web browser which, frankly, I'd steer clear of on a quad-band phone with a 2in screen. There is a calendar, to do list, three alarms, world clock, calculator, and notepad too.

Verdict
So has Moto done enough with the U9 in view of its present difficulties? Well, the front OLED display is distinctive, the shaping is old-hat but remains attractive, and there is a reasonable array of software on board. Other mid-range mobiles do have better battery life, though, and I think a company with such a good past design pedigree could have done better.

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