http://www.fonearena.com/blog The Mobile Blog Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:38:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44907/motorola-razr-xt910-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44907/motorola-razr-xt910-review.html#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:31:19 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=44907 You saw the Motorola Razr XT910 unboxing recently, here is the full review of the phone. The Motorola Razr is the GSM variant of the Motorola Droid Razr. Motorola Razr started appearing on online retailer stores in India last November and Motorola officially launched the Razr in India later. Box Contents The box contents include, Earphones, AC plug, USB Data Cable and User Manual. There is no battery as the phone comes with an inbuilt battery. Specifications of the Motorola Razr 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced qHD (540 x 960 pixels) display with scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 1.2GHz Dual-Core, Dual-Channel RAM Processor Dimensions - 130.7 x 68.9 x 7.1 mm, weight 127 g Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread) 8 MP camera with 1080p HD video recording,  LED flash and 1.3 MP secondary camera 3.5 mm audio jack 3G HSDPA 14.4 Mbps (Category 10), Bluetooth v4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b,g, n (2.4GHz and 5.0GHz), aGPS (assisted), eCompass 16 GB internal internal memory with expandable memory up to 32GB 1780 mAh Li Ion battery Hardware There is a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced qHD (540 x 960) display with Gorilla Glass is clearly visible even under sunlight. The first thing you'll notice is that the phone is huge with a bezel around the display. The phone is definitely larger than the other phones with 4.3-inch display. There is a Motorola Branding on the top and ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44907/motorola-razr-xt910-review.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44696/samsung-galaxy-note-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44696/samsung-galaxy-note-review.html#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:54:37 +0000 Dhruv Bhutani http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=44696 Phone or Tablet ? Samsung themselves have been unable to decide how to promote the Galaxy Note. With a massive 5.3" screen , active digitizer, the Galaxy Note is also the perfect note taking device. How does it cope up as a phone ? Read the FoneArena Galaxy Note review to find out. For starters lets give you an  idea about the size of the Note, thats the device next to the iPhone 4S. And here is  Note next to the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy S2 Hardware One look at the Galaxy Note and all you can notice is the screen. Massive , bright , gorgeous. The screen is the highlight of the device which is essentially a giant sized Galaxy S2. Much heavier than the S2 , the Note weighs in at 173gms compared to the light 116gms of the S2. The build quality is above average and the patterned back actually feels quite nice in hand. The Note is definitely one of the most powerful devices in the market at the moment and comes equipped with a giant list of features which includes : 146.9 x 83 x 9.7 mm, 178g Phone-Tablet hybrid formfactor 5.3 Inch 16 Million colors Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen at WXGA ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44696/samsung-galaxy-note-review.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44593/sandisk-64gb-microsdxc-memory-card-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44593/sandisk-64gb-microsdxc-memory-card-review.html#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:05:38 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=44593 Here is the FoneArena review of the SanDisk 64GB microSDXC memory card that was launched recently in India. SanDisk doesn't mention which class it belongs to, but after further investigation on some sites it is clear that it is a Class 6 Memory card. SanDisk promises read speeds up to 30 MB/sec.  We tested this card on some phones including Motorola Razr and Samsung Galaxy S2 and even on a year old Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and it works fine. Both the Razr and the Galaxy S2 comes with 16GB internal memory which makes the total space into 80GB to store all your Photos, Full HD videos and more. The Motorola Razr, Galaxy Note, Sony Tablet S and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 officially supports 64GB cards. Let's get into the detailed review and see how it performs on some benchmarks. Reed Write speed test using CrystalDiskMark Read speeds were around 20 MB/s and Write speeds were around 9 MB/s. Read Speed measured using HDTach Read speeds were steady at 20 MB/s. AnTuTu for Android Benchmark   Maximum Read speeds were around 27 MB/s and the Write speeds were around 19 MB/s with the Antutu app for Android. The speed varied drastically, and the increase in speed might be due to the app. SD Tools ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44593/sandisk-64gb-microsdxc-memory-card-review.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43578/htc-radar-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43578/htc-radar-review.html#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:24:57 +0000 Dhruv Bhutani http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=43578 The HTC Radar marks the beginning of the next generation Windows Phone 7 devices. The fledgling OS had previously failed to grab much of market share owing to its lack of several basic features including multitasking , copy paste but with Mango onboard , WP7 stands a definite chance to make a dent in the market. The Radar is one of the first few devices to natively run Windows Phone 7.5 ie Mango on it. Lets take a deeper look at it  in the FoneArena HTC Radar Review. Hardware One look at the HTC Radar and you will immediately recognize the design fundamentals kept in mind during the development stage. The phone hardware focuses on minimalism and does so by using a very calming  color combination of white and silver. It might not jump out seeking for attention but the phone is definitely very elegant.  The unibody construction of the HTC Radar is a solid combination of plastic and aluminum. The white plastic segments not only add to the  aesthetics but also let the phone maintain a good signal connection. The front of the phone is dominated by a 3.8" SLCD screen.  The screen is bright and vibrant. It retains good visibility even in ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43578/htc-radar-review.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44153/motorola-defy-review-2.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44153/motorola-defy-review-2.html#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:49:05 +0000 jonchoo http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=44153 The Motorola DEFY+ is an evolution of the original Motorola DEFY, which won our heart last year as the only complete smartphone that offers some form of physical protection against water, dust and the occasional drop. In a form that doesn't make it differ much from a typical smartphone. Read on to find out if this phone has what it takes to survive in the hands of a nefarious phones reviewer. Exterior wise, the DEFY+ looks exactly like the original DEFY. In fact not much has changed on the outside, if at all. The look is now almost recognizable Motorola. It is small, light and looks nothing like any rugged phones out there. Not only does it actually look cute, it is also stylish. You would not be embarrass to use this IP67 certified phone in a fancy bar for example as you would, say, a JCB Tradesman. In addition to the phone itself, included inside the DEFY+'s compact box are a large 1700mAh battery, microUSB cable, 2GB microSDHC card, headphones and USB wall charger. The headset looks rather ordinary and if you are serious about listening to music on the DEFY+, you would be best to invest in a better quality ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44153/motorola-defy-review-2.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42140/lg-optimus-3d-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42140/lg-optimus-3d-review.html#comments Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:41:03 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=42140 Here is the FoneArena LG Optimus 3D (P920) review. The LG Optimus 3D is the world’s first smart phone with Tri-Dual (dual-core, dual-channel, dual-memory) architecture with the full 3D platform for glass free viewing, recording and sharing 3D content. It is powered by Android 2.2 (FroYo) and features 1GHz Dual-core Texas Instruments OMAP4430 processor. Features of the LG Optimus 3D GSM Quad Band , HSDPA 7.2 Mbps World’s first phone to comes with Tri Dual Technology Dual Core 1Ghz Texas Instruments OMAP4430 processor with PowerVR SGX540 GPU 4.3 inch (480x800 pixels) 3D Stereoscopic Capacitive touchscreen display Dual 5MP auto focus camera with LED Flash VGA video calling camera 1920x1080px Video playback , HDMI out and DLNA Android 2.2 with the update to 2.3 expected this fall 8GB memory, supports up to 32 GB MicroSD cards Bluetooth v2.1 , WiFi b/g/n , aGPS Browser with Adobe Flash Player 10.3 Stereo speakers FM Radio 1500 mAh 3.7 V battery Accelerometer , Gyro sensor Hardware The phone has great build quality which is sturdy to hold and sleek with just 11.9mm thickness. It has 4.3 inch (480 x 800 pixels) 3D LCD capacitive touchscreen and the screen is smooth and accurate while typing. The screen is too glossy, so it gets smudged due to your finger prints. You have the video calling ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42140/lg-optimus-3d-review.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43408/lg-optimus-pro-c660-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43408/lg-optimus-pro-c660-review.html#comments Mon, 28 Nov 2011 04:42:49 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=43408 Here is the FoneArena review of the LG Optimus Pro. It is a touch screen Android phone with a QWERTY keyboard. It became official in July in Italy and was available in India last month. It is powered by 800 MHz processor and runs on Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread). Hardware The phone has 2.3 inch (240 x 320 pixels) TFT capacitive touch screen display and a full QWERTY keyboard. The phone has nice curve shape and a good build quality. It is 12.9 mm thick and weighs 129g. There is a physical menu button, home button, back button and a search button below the display. The numbers are on the left on the QWERTY keyboard with an alt option to switch between alphabets and numbers / symbols. There are shortcut buttons on the last row of the keyboard for the upper case characters, browser, calendar and email. The delete key and the enter key are on the far right. The keyboard is not very comfortable to type if you have large fingers, but you can manage to get the words right if you have smaller fingers like me. The volume rocker is on the left side. The Micro USB port is on the right side. The power / lock button ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43408/lg-optimus-pro-c660-review.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43989/theres-a-special-spot-in-hell-for-the-nokia-n9.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43989/theres-a-special-spot-in-hell-for-the-nokia-n9.html#comments Sun, 27 Nov 2011 06:00:35 +0000 Rita http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=43989 After a few hours with the N9 in my hands, I was even more convinced (as if that was possible) of why Nokia had to make the decision to go with Windows Phone as its main Operating System. Despite the sheer joy of discovering a new OS, using and abusing the swipe gestures, and marveling at the well thought-out package between Meego and the N9's hardware, I have to say that Meego is simply not up to par with other OSes at this point, and the N9 also comes with some terrible decisions. I am therefore fairly certain that despite deserving its own spot in heaven, the N9, even on PR1.1, should have a special spot in hell as well. The wonderful display that isn't As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I barely knew anything about the N9 before trialling it, but the one constant I saw in many online comments was that the screen was awesome. Imagine my jaw drop in horrified disappointment when I turned it on for the first time and could see everything slightly blurred and pixelated. I tried to track down the display resolution settings (which do not exist, obviously), then I asked the question on Twitter, only ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43989/theres-a-special-spot-in-hell-for-the-nokia-n9.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43988/theres-a-special-spot-in-heaven-for-the-nokia-n9.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43988/theres-a-special-spot-in-heaven-for-the-nokia-n9.html#comments Sat, 26 Nov 2011 09:22:03 +0000 Rita http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=43988 For the past two days, I have had one of the most elite and exclusively available smartphones in my hands: the Nokia N9. Prior to trialling this unit, I was what you can call an N9-virgin: I knew it had something called Swipe, I knew there was a PR1.1 firmware that fixed a lot of bugs and added the possibility to share a picture to Twitter, and I knew everyone loved the design. That's about it. I hadn't seen any videos or read any extensive reviews because I wanted to avoid adding any other expectations about the N9. The device, and the OS, had already a lot of baggage and prejudice attached to them, what with Nokia's decision to go with Windows Phone as its main platform, so I needed to leave a little bout of mystery around the N9 and give it the chance to surprise me. In this post, and the following one that will come tomorrow, I will discuss the different aspects of the Nokia N9 and Meego that WOW'ed me then the ones that made me swear to the gods of mobile phones for the torture they were putting me through. These are, by no means, a ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43988/theres-a-special-spot-in-heaven-for-the-nokia-n9.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43511/nokia-lumia-800-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43511/nokia-lumia-800-review.html#comments Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:19:21 +0000 jonchoo http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=43511 Welcome to the FoneArena Nokia Lumia 800 Review. It is barely eight months after Stephen Elop’s infamous burning platform memo, Nokia has announced their first ever Windows Phone 7 device and has even begun shipment to retailers in Europe. Many thought it was impossible, but Nokia did it anyway. Is this a sign that the once complacent giant has finally woken up to the reality of mobile phone business in the 21st century? Speak to many Nokia employees and in their views are the same: the Lumia 800 is Nokia’s comeback phone. It isn’t the high end device that many hoped for, but it is the first step. After all you need to learn to walk before you run. For Nokia to be able to get the Lumia 800 into the hands of the press eight months after they started working on this device is impressive, but would that be enough. Read on to find out what we think about the new Lumia 800. Hardware: Chassis one with a speed bump The Nokia Lumia 800 is easily the most stunning smartphone I have ever held, period. It is made of a single piece of polycarbonate (basically a posh variety of plastic), a first as far as I ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43511/nokia-lumia-800-review.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42844/nokia-c2-03-review-dual-sim-touch-and-type.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42844/nokia-c2-03-review-dual-sim-touch-and-type.html#comments Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:40:33 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=42844 Here is the FoneArena review of the Dual SIM Touch and Type phone Nokia C2-03. This phone was announced in June and available in India from August 2011. Thus is a Dual SIM phone with Dual Standby. It runs on Nokia Series 40 6th Edition OS. Box Contents : Nokia C2-03 dual SIM mobile phone Nokia BL-5C 1020 mAh Li-Ion Battery Nokia Charger AC-3 Nokia Stereo Headset WH-102 Nokia 2 GB microSD Card Data Connectivity Cable CA-101D Hardware/Design : The phone has nice curved design and good build quality. There is Nokia logo on top along with C2 on the top left corner. It has 2.6 inch (240 x 320 pixels) LCD transmissive touch screen display and a slide-out four row keyboard. The call and end keys are located below the display. The 4 row keyboard slides out. The hot swappable second memory card slot is located on the left side. The Volume rocker and the lock button are on the right side The 3.5mm audio jack, Micro USB slot and the Nokia 2mm charger slots are on the top. The 2MP camera is on the back with the speaker grill next to it. When you open the back cover you can see 1020 mAh BL-5C battery and there are SIM card and the MicroSD card slots. Software: The C2-03 comes with S40 6th ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42844/nokia-c2-03-review-dual-sim-touch-and-type.html/feed 1 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42851/nokia-n9-review-a-swipetastic-device-from-finland.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42851/nokia-n9-review-a-swipetastic-device-from-finland.html#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:39:15 +0000 Michael Hell http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=42851 It's been a week since I picked up my (test-) Nokia N9 from the kind of folks of Grayling, an agency for Nokia Austria in Vienna. Of course, I was not too anxious to get it in my hands as soon as possible, i just wanted to save them some money for the delivery ;-) In this week I have tried and tested almost everything possible, and to give you a first conclusion of what i think: I love the N9. This is no fanboy rubbish or something like that, I simply speak as an honest, independent blogger, who has tried Android, Windows Phone, Symbian and even iOS. The N9 does not have the most powerful processor, it does not have the most Megapixels and thank god not the biggest display. It's a smartphone with solid hardware, and the one thing Nokia needs so desperately: a decent OS. Yes, I know the whole story around Meego's end before it really started, however, this is not subject of this review. For now, let's have a look at what the N9 has to offer and what you can expect from it! HARDWARE It's an incredibly sexy device, this N9. I would even go as far ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42851/nokia-n9-review-a-swipetastic-device-from-finland.html/feed 10 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42992/iphone-4s-at-a-glance.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42992/iphone-4s-at-a-glance.html#comments Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:24:36 +0000 Sloan Bowman http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=42992 Apple has released another addition to the iPhone series this year and they named it the iPhone 4S. As many of you remember the S indicates upgrades in hardware and software alike. In June of 2009 Apple made this very same bold move by releasing the 3GS which was a performance boosted 3G. Many claim to be "disappointed" by the decision yet the record sales disprove that claim abruptly. Whether you approve of the decision or not the 4S claims to be a faster, more efficient version of the wildly popular 4 released in June 2010. Let's take a few minutes and look at the noticeable differences at a glance. Please note this is not a full review of the hardware or software. With that in mind lets move along to the good stuff. The Why Each year we have all come to expect Apple to release a new revision of the iPhone. In the mobile industry it brings excitement because along side it comes speculation, assumptions, and in some cases out right lies. Followers of the mobile space have come to appreciate this because it gives them something to look forward to. Let's just admit it, even if you don't like the iPhone you always read about what ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42992/iphone-4s-at-a-glance.html/feed 3 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42330/nokia-x1-01-dual-sim-music-phone-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42330/nokia-x1-01-dual-sim-music-phone-review.html#comments Mon, 17 Oct 2011 06:50:08 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=42330 Here is the Fonearena review of the Nokia X1-1. This is Nokia's first Dual SIM Music phone that comes with dual standby. The phone was announced in May, and it is now available in the market in four colors, Red, Ocean Blue, Dark Grey and white. We have the red colored one. This Music phone has speaker that can produce up to 106 phon of loudness and it runs on S30 OS. Specifications of the phone 1.8 inch (128 x 160 pixels ) 65,000 colours, TFT display 16 mm thick and weighs 91.05 g Dual SIM with dual standby Expandable external memory up to 16 GB with MicroSD 500 phone book entries and 250 SMS storage Stereo FM radio and Music Player 3.5mm audio jack Dedicated music keys and torch 1320 mAh Li-Ion battery with 786 min talk time, 43 days of standby and 36 h music playback Hardware / Design The design of the phone is unique with a curved look with the front part of the phone in black color and the the back part in red color. The phone is easy to grip and has a a 1.8 inch TFT display and a 4 row T9 keypad. The name of the phone X1 is on the top left corner and the Nokia ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42330/nokia-x1-01-dual-sim-music-phone-review.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42834/sony-ericsson-xperia-ray-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42834/sony-ericsson-xperia-ray-review.html#comments Fri, 14 Oct 2011 22:23:32 +0000 jonchoo http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=42834 The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Ray is one of the most intriguing smartphone I have ever used. This phone goes against the current trend of expensive larger screen smartphones with high-specs or small and fat smartphones with low-specs. So I found it refreshing when Sony Ericsson announced the XPERIA Ray, a small screen smartphone with a reasonably high specifications. For all intent and purpose, the XPERIA Ray is a midget version of the rather excellent XPERIA Arc. When I reviewed the XPERIA Arc earlier this year, I noted how much I actually enjoyed using it. Despite only having a single-core Snapdragon, the device was speedy and it had a decent camera with works well in low light. They have not locked the boot loader and have even made big promises regarding future firmware updates. In fact the XPERIA Arc has received so many updates it would be difficult to imagine that this was the same company that made the much criticised XPERIA X10. The XPERIA Ray is exactly like the Arc. Well not exactly - the XPERIA Ray is actually better than the Arc is several respects. It does have a front camera for video calling, and the smaller screen has a ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42834/sony-ericsson-xperia-ray-review.html/feed 2 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42808/nokia-n9-video-recording-samples-autofocus-action.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42808/nokia-n9-video-recording-samples-autofocus-action.html#comments Thu, 13 Oct 2011 02:30:35 +0000 Michael Hell http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=42808 The Nokia N9 has added a lot of new features to the Nokia smartphone range. Of course, it's the first Meego device, and with Meego comes an almost unknown wind of freshness. One feature I'm particularly proud of though, is the enhanced video capturing capabilities. I have been using the N9 for 5 days now, absolutely love it to bits, and the new video features just add to the fun. The Nokia N9's 8 Megapixel camera is shooting videos in 720p HD resolution at 30fps, and now finally features a very nicely working Autofocus while shooting video! As opposed to the Nokia N8, the N9 also seamless switches to Macro functionality, bringing your world up close. The one thing i love the most though, is touch to focus while shooting video. Since the N9 has no hardware camera button (which is a point not everyone might like), the whole focussing business happens directly on your display, so a decent touch AF system was the next logical step - and it's my pleasure to report that Damian Dining, Nokia's camera mastermind and his crew have done just that. I know this might be already present in other devices, however, it's a ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42808/nokia-n9-video-recording-samples-autofocus-action.html/feed 4 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42560/vodafone-blue-facebook-phone-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42560/vodafone-blue-facebook-phone-review.html#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:46:14 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=42560 You saw the first impressions of the Vodafone Blue. Here is the FoneArena review of the Vodafone Blue 555 Facebook phone. This phone was launched in India earlier this month. It has dedicated Facebook button that lets you upload pictures, visit profiles and update status at a single click and a dedicated camera button. It has 2.4 inch screen, Full QWERTY keypad and an optical track pad for navigation. Specs of the Vodafone Blue 2.4 inch TFT 256k display Full QWERTY Keyboard and Optical Trackpad Dual Band GSM phone 2MP camera with flash Bluetooth 2.1 and Micro USB 2.0 3.5mm headphone jack and FM Radio Supports multiple audio (AAC, AAC+, AAC+ Enhanced, MP3,WMA, MIDI) and video (MPEG4, H263) formats 40MB internal memory that is expandable up to 16GB with MircoSD 1000 mAh battery that offers 3h talk time and 324 hours standby Unboxing Video httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKLx1YZ21ic Hardware The phone has good build quality which is sturdy. It has 2.4 inch TFT 256k display, Full QWERTY Keyboard and an Optical Trackpad. There is an optical track pad in the center, below the display and the menu keys are located next to it. The call and end buttons are on either sides. There is a QWERTY keypad below that with also has the shortcut keys for Facebook and ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42560/vodafone-blue-facebook-phone-review.html/feed 3 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42458/proporta-impact-protective-crystal-case-for-samsung-galaxy-s2.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42458/proporta-impact-protective-crystal-case-for-samsung-galaxy-s2.html#comments Tue, 20 Sep 2011 23:04:16 +0000 jonchoo http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=42458 We at FoneArena like the Samsung Galaxy S2. We think it is a great smartphone, one that deserves the accolades it has been getting. And like all great smartphones, it demands the best protection one can give it. Proporta has kindly sent me an Impact Protective Crystal hard case to test. The case here is hardly a case. Like Samsung's official case, Proporta's offering  is more of a shell, offering very basic protection and little else for people who want to retain as much of the Galaxy S2's slimness as possible. The Impact Protective Crystal case features a very slim design and features a soft feel finish (available in red only). The front is raised by about 0.5mm so you wouldn't have to worry about placing the phone face down. In addition to that the camera module sits flush behind the case. The top and bottom of the phone are completely exposed, so don't expect the phone to survive drops from a significant amount of height. In fact the right top corner (where I suspect the antenna of the phone lies) is particular vulnerable as there is a cut out here, similar to the one seen in SGP's Neo Hybrid case. There are also ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42458/proporta-impact-protective-crystal-case-for-samsung-galaxy-s2.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42249/osun-mushroom-green-zero-charger-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42249/osun-mushroom-green-zero-charger-review.html#comments Sat, 10 Sep 2011 10:16:38 +0000 jonchoo http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=42249 Do you find yourself sometimes leaving your device connected to a charger overnight, or just before you leave home and worry about unplugging them? Well with the Osun Mushroom Green Zero AC charger, you wouldn't have to. It looks like an ordinary (albeit stylish) USB wall charger, but Osun has employed some form of electrical wizardry where the charger shuts down whenever the plugged in device is fully charged. The concept behind this charger is once your device is charged it switches off, drawing zero power hence reducing electrical consumption as well as the effect of overcharging. This also means lower costs. Simply kick the green rubber mushroom thing (hence the name) if you want it to start charging again. It outputs at 1000mA. Between the mushroom cap is a space where you can wind your cables. Unfortunately, contrary to their website which states that an iPhone charging cable is included, Osun does not supply any cables with the Mushroom Green Zero with my review unit. Personally this isn't a huge concern to me as I counted four microUSB cables on my desk and I am sure many readers of FoneArena will have access to whichever cables they need. Still I do ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42249/osun-mushroom-green-zero-charger-review.html/feed 1 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42160/exomount-universal-car-mount-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42160/exomount-universal-car-mount-review.html#comments Tue, 06 Sep 2011 01:44:03 +0000 jonchoo http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=42160 As the uptake of smartphones with built-in GPS receiver increases, so are people's reliance to using their smartphone as a car navigation solution. These days even a cheap Android smartphone is more than capable of handling all sorts of navigational duties in a motor vehicle. All you need is a car mount. The problem with universal car mounts are there aren't all that reliable. A one size fit all solution doesn't necessarily mean it's good. From my experience with universal car mounts, they are either flimsy or can't be mounted on any surfaces. Enters Exogear with their Exomount universal car mount to prove me wrong. Exogear reckons that they have the answer with the Exomount. Exogear's argument is that most car mounts are designed to be fitted on a front windscreen, which leads to block of sight from the driver's point of view. With the Exomount, they have fitted a suction technology that enables you to mount it on any surfaces, including glass, wood and even a dry wall. More importantly, it can be mounted on a car's dashboard. The Exomount is a stylish car mount made of two pieces connected by a flexible ball and socket joint - the bottom suction ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42160/exomount-universal-car-mount-review.html/feed 1 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41868/avg-anti-virus-android-app-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41868/avg-anti-virus-android-app-review.html#comments Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:39:58 +0000 Ajit Pillai http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41868 With Android being affected by various malwares these days, it is necessary to have an Anti-Virus application installed on your device to protect the device from these malwares and also for the security for your Android smartphone or tablet. When I was searching for an app to secure my phone from these malwares I came across AVG Anti-Virus which had loads of features in it's free version including remote location of your device. First you need to install the free version of AVG Anti-Virus from the Android market, as soon as you open the application it will show you a screen as you can see above, asking you to touch the screen for a quick scan, once you touch the screen the app will scan all your apps which are installed, your system settings, messages which you have received, URLs, Bookmarks, contacts and the data in your device including the audio files, images and videos. While scanning if any malwares are detected a new window will be opened with the option of ignore and fix, if you choose the fix option then it will make you delete that application/media, when I ran a scan it showed me superuser application as a virus but ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41868/avg-anti-virus-android-app-review.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41872/love-confession-mugen-1800mah-extended-battery-for-htc-desire-z-incredible-s-g2.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41872/love-confession-mugen-1800mah-extended-battery-for-htc-desire-z-incredible-s-g2.html#comments Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:06:59 +0000 Rita http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41872 One of the main issues of modern smartphones is battery life. The more we move ahead the more it seems that manufacturers are cramming juice draining features in their devices, and disregarding how long these last under normal usage. GPS, bigger screens, accelerometers, cameras, faster processors,..., all of these are aimed to enhance our mobility and yet cripple us a mere couple of hours afterwards as the dreaded "Battery Low" warning starts flashing in front of our eyes. Enter Mugen Batteries. I like to think of them as the modern day geek version of a knight in shining armor, riding on a white horse and whipping their swords to decapitate poor battery life all across the world. A couple of months ago, I received the Mugen extended OEM-sized battery for the Desire Z for review. At the time, I was about to open my pharmacy, and move from spending most of my time at home, where power sources are abundant and time to charge is not a hindrance, to spending 12 hours a day working, plus more than an hour driving, and generally not really having the time to care about charging my phone except at night. My Desire Z had ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41872/love-confession-mugen-1800mah-extended-battery-for-htc-desire-z-incredible-s-g2.html/feed 1 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41701/sony-ericsson-w8-walkman-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41701/sony-ericsson-w8-walkman-review.html#comments Tue, 23 Aug 2011 09:32:55 +0000 Dhruv Bhutani http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41701 Back in 2005 , Sony Ericsson launched a line of Walkman branded cellphones. The W550i and W800i were to make up for the shrinking market share of Sony's Walkman line of music players. Extremely popular and bundled with great earphones , the Walkman series of phones became well known for their superior audio quality. Fast forward to 2011 and we finally have our first smartphone as part of the Walkman series. Here is the FoneArena Sony Ericsson W8 Walkman phone review Design : The Sony Ericsson W8 is a small phone and fits very well in the palm of the hand. Coming with interchangeable back covers the phone lets you chose between the rather bright orange and a much more sober black. The phone which weighs in at about 108gm is surprisingly thick. The W8 is basically the SE X8 but with some Walkman centric enhancements including an updated UI shell. The display here is a 3" capacitive panel with 320x480 resolution. Curiously the display lacks multi-touch  capabilities which is definitely a downer. The screen is quite sensitive and we never had any problems while flicking across the UI. The screen has a yellowish tinge to it which makes everything look overtly warm.  Outdoor visibility was average ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41701/sony-ericsson-w8-walkman-review.html/feed 2 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41809/sgp-neo-hybrid-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41809/sgp-neo-hybrid-review.html#comments Fri, 19 Aug 2011 23:10:37 +0000 jonchoo http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41809 For a little known company in Britain, SGP has a huge amount of accessories available for most mid to high end smartphones on the market. Last week I looked at the SGP Glas, an upmarket screen protector that allows people to customise the Samsung Galaxy S II to something a bit more unique. This time I will reviewing the Neo Hybrid, a case that has raised a few eyebrows. Do read on. The Neo Hybrid is a two piece hybrid case that retains the basic design of the Samsung Galaxy S II. The two separate parts are made of a silicone base, which goes on the phone first, and an exo skeleton hard frame made of polycarbonate that goes over the base silicone layer. This gives the case a unique look, as well as offering users a small degree of customisation. A single piece of clear screen protector is also included with the Neo Hybrid. Installing the case is easy. First slip the silicon case over the phone. Unlike the many dodgy silicon cases you find on eBay, the silicon case here is soft, thin and flexible. The matte texture is nice to touch and is easy to clean. Once the ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41809/sgp-neo-hybrid-review.html/feed 4 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41654/sgp-glas-screen-protector-for-samsung-galaxy-s-ii-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41654/sgp-glas-screen-protector-for-samsung-galaxy-s-ii-review.html#comments Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:32:32 +0000 jonchoo http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41654 SGP is a US based company that designs and manufactures cases and screen protectors for electronic devices. They make products for almost all smartphones, tablets and even select mainstream notebooks and digital cameras. Today I will be reviewing the SGP Steinheil Glas screen protector for the Samsung Galaxy S II. Unlike most screen protectors which are mainly translucent plastic sheets, the SGP Glas is actually a reinforced glass with oleophobic coating. Oleophobic coating is a type of chemical property that prevents oil contamination and fingerprints. That isn't to say that oil and fingerprints do not stick on the glass, but is less than a normal none-coated screen. The SGP Glas is available in three versions, where the outer edges are coloured giving users the ability to personalise the look of the phone. I decided to go for the white version and it looks rather classy on the Galaxy S2. It is also available in black and pink, but I do wish SGP made more colours available. Six coloured epoxy buttons are also included giving users even more ways to personalise the phone. Installing the protector is straight forward, but beware that once installed it can not be reused. This, I am guessing, is ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41654/sgp-glas-screen-protector-for-samsung-galaxy-s-ii-review.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41554/review-official-mesh-case-for-samsung-galaxy-s-ii.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41554/review-official-mesh-case-for-samsung-galaxy-s-ii.html#comments Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:00:43 +0000 Sandeep http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41554 This is the review of the Samsung Galaxy S II mesh case. The case is made by Samsung themselves. Initially it was available only in Black but later more colours were released including Blue, Pink, Red etc. We are reviewing the Blue version. Now I’ll state this first since a lot of people have accidentally purchased the fake version. At first look they appear genuine but they are not. Here are some of the steps to identify the fake ones: Check the logo on the backside of the cover. The logo has the same font as the Samsung Galaxy  S II start up logo etc. It is cursive (the S letter is stylized) and has been engraved on a silver palette. The fake models however have a basic font and are engraved onto a gold palette. Even if the palette if silver, the font should help you recognize it. I have included three pictures below to demonstrate the differences. The first one is the original case. The second two are examples of fake cases. Secondly there’s the price, the fake ones will be priced lower and they will be of inferior quality. Lastly the original cases will most likely come in a Samsung see ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41554/review-official-mesh-case-for-samsung-galaxy-s-ii.html/feed 1 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41475/review-casemate-barely-there-for-samsung-galaxy-s-ii.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41475/review-casemate-barely-there-for-samsung-galaxy-s-ii.html#comments Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:08:04 +0000 Sandeep http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41475 This is the review of the Casemate Barely There case for the Samsung Galaxy S II. The review unit is the Chrome model. You can also get the Galaxy S II case in other colours such as Black etc. The case is meant for the International version of the Galaxy S II and I doubt it will work with the Korean version since the Korean model is thicker. The Korean version also has an antenna for which the case doesn't seem to make room for. From the name itself, you can gather that the case is really thin especially considering the fact that it is a hard case. It is one of the thinnest cases for the Galaxy S II along with the SGP Ultra Thin Air Case. The case is mainly aimed for those people who need to protect their device against scratches while still retaining much of the original thickness and design of the phone. The case could possibly be as thin as most silicone and flexishield cases. It is made out of plastic and has a glossy finish (the finish varies depending on the colour, the black version has a matte finish). The glossy finish manages to attract a lot ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41475/review-casemate-barely-there-for-samsung-galaxy-s-ii.html/feed 6 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41436/review-samsung-galaxy-s2-performance-and-benchmarks.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41436/review-samsung-galaxy-s2-performance-and-benchmarks.html#comments Wed, 03 Aug 2011 10:38:47 +0000 Ajit Pillai http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41436 I had heard a lot about the sales and speedy performance of the Samsung Galaxy S 2 from various reviews and friends who had already bought the device and I was very excited when it finally came to me for review, and I was certainly not disappointed, the device was extremely lightweight and blazing fast. Now I have used the SGS2 for about a month and I would like to say that this is one of the best devices out there, powered by  a 1.2 GHz dual core processor and a quadcore GPU. This review will mainly concentrate upon performance of the device and benchmarks. At first it took me some time getting used to the super responsive touchscreen and the really fast device coming from a Nexus One which was one of the fastest devices some time back. The opening of the application drawer, animation effects, slide effects, etc are really fast without any lags, though I found the Home screen lagging sometimes after closing an application and returning home. The device comes with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) pre-installed. The speed at which the 3D gallery opens is really amazing and I have never experienced the gallery open up so quickly with ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41436/review-samsung-galaxy-s2-performance-and-benchmarks.html/feed 4 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41164/viber-for-android-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41164/viber-for-android-review.html#comments Sun, 24 Jul 2011 00:11:30 +0000 jonchoo http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41164 Viber is a popular VoIP and free messaging service on the iOS platform. In fact it has been downloaded over 12 million times on Apple's app store. The Android version recently graduated from beta and is now available to the Android Market. Read on to see what I thought about it. Viber is different from many other VoIP services in that instead of requiring you to create a new login, it uses your phone number as an identifier, not at all dissimilar to WhatsApp. This would mean having to give out your number to people. Once activated (a process that took me a couple of seconds), the app scanned my phone book and found 12 of my contacts that was also on Viber. The neat thing about Viber is the app also a universal phone dialler, allowing you to dial other none Viber users on a traditional phone line. Viber features a tabbed based UI suspiciously similar to the iPhone phone app. In fact the dialler is a straight copy off the one on the iPhone with a different colour scheme. You get to see all recent and missed calls (including those made via Viber and normal phone calls). The contacts ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41164/viber-for-android-review.html/feed 3 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41082/mugen-power-battery-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41082/mugen-power-battery-review.html#comments Thu, 21 Jul 2011 08:32:36 +0000 jonchoo http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41082 We at FoneArena are big fans of Mugen Power batteries. For those who doesn't know, Mugen Power manufacturers third party replacement batteries for smartphones. Their speciality are batteries which retains the same size as the standard battery that comes with your phone; and the extended battery with twice the capacity and size. These extended batteries are popular among power users. However today I will be reviewing the normal sized replacement battery. Mugen Power has been kind enough to send a normal size battery for my Motorola Milestone 2. The battery from Motorola has a rated capacity of 1390mAh where as the one supplied by Mugen Power has a capacity of 1700mAh - a 20%  increased in Lithium Ion battery cell capacity. Yet the battery remains the same size physically as the one by Motorola. I find this to be very impressive, but will the extra battery capacity translate well in real life? I have been using the Mugen Power battery for a couple of weeks, swapping between it and the standard Motorola battery everyday and I am happy to report that there is an improvement with the one provided by Mugen Power. This review isn't based on any scientific test as I ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41082/mugen-power-battery-review.html/feed 2