Samsung i8510 INNOV8 review: Roaring V8 engine

Samsung INNOV8 is back to our shop and quite ready to strut its stuff again. Not so long ago we saw it in heavy duty cameraphone action, it's now time to explore the whole package. And there's a lot. The ample TFT display, abundant storage space, latest Symbian OS and the 8 megapixel camera all promise a nice ride. Multimedia and entertainment won't go unnoticed either, to make it as fun as it gets.
The INNOV8 has already got a star on the 8 megapixel boulevard and might as well be eyeing Symbian domination. Here it goes, but watch out 'cause this thing rides fast.

Key features:
The most feature-loaded S60 handset to date
2.8" 16M-color TFT display of QVGA resolution
8 megapixel camera with mechanical shutter, automatic lens cover, dual PowerLED flash, digital image stabilizer, geotagging, auto panorama shot, face detection, smile detection, blink detection
VGA video recording at 30fps and slow-motion video recording
Symbian OS 9.3 with S60 3.2 UI
3G with HSDPA support
Quad-band GSM, dual-band UMTS, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
128 MB RAM
Wi-Fi with DLNA technology
Built-in GPS with A-GPS functionality
Massive 8/16GB internal memory
microSD card slot with microSDHC support
Built-in accelerometer for UI auto-rotation
3.5 mm audio jack
TV out
Stereo FM Radio with RDS
Optical trackpad navigation
USB and Bluetooth v2.0
Stereo speakers
DNSe audio technology
DivX support
ShoZu integration
Main disadvantages:
Sizeable body
No xenon flash
No screen auto rotation in the main menu and homescreen
No office document editing out of the box
No smart dialing out of the box
No FM transmitter (which may be nitpicking though)

Nokia N79 review: Swiss Army knife

Nseries keep on throwing heavy-spec'd phones at us and there's no question they're hitting their best form in quite a while. About time we got less of a curve ball lookswise, Nokia N79 embodies a new approach to Nseries styling. As to the insides, the N79 sides with N85 to make quite a number of Nseries veterans fear retirement. A true all-in-one, and less N-gage, Nokia N79 is big enough on personality and inspiration. No wonder we're eager to see it in action.

Key features

• 2.4" 16M-color LCD TFT display of QVGA resolution
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera with dual-LED flash and AF assist light
• VGA video recording at 30fps
• Symbian OS 9.3 with S60 3.2 UI
• ARM 11 369 MHz CPU
• 3G with HSDPA support
• Quad-band GSM support
• Wi-Fi with UPnP technology
• Built-in GPS with A-GPS functionality and 3 months of free voice-guided navigation
• microSD card slot with microSDHC support
• 4GB memory card included in the retail package
• Built-in accelerometer for UI auto-rotation
• Swappable Xpress-on smart covers (two of them in the box)
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• TV out
• Stereo FM Radio with RDS
• FM transmitter
• Stereo speakers
• Navi wheel navigation
• USB and Bluetooth v2.0
• One free N-gage game
• Keylock switch

Main disadvantages

• No smart dialing
• Doesn't charge off USB
• No office document editing out of the box
• Not the best camera performance
• Zooming in on a photo takes ages
• No dedicated 3D graphics accelerator
• The GPS performance is not the best among Nseries

Nokia N79 is certainly one of the best equipped bars on the market. In fact there is very little (and certainly not too important) features that the phone lacks. The best part is it excuses itself from the company of most recent Nseries devices and makes an impact with its own distinct appearance.

If you are eying this attractive package, it currently goes at about 320 euro (400 US dollars). Let's now have a brief look around for what else that kind of cash can get you.

We've been there already with Nokia N85. A complete multimedia gadget with full-ranging connectivity, Nokia N85 comes out as a potential upgrade for a number of Nseries phones - from the classic N73 to the imaging headliner N82.

N79 is of course the direct successor of N78 - it doesn't look it and that's a downright improvement, on top of the boosted camera.

As to the real competition, Samsung i7110 comes to mind straight away. Having the same form factor and virtually identical set of features the only difference between it and the Nokia N79 is the slightly larger display with OLED technology. However we are yet to see how they stack up in terms of pricing.

Now that we know the N79 is not totally without alternatives, let's get to work and see what makes it tick.

HTC Touch HD review: Windows almighty

The Touch HD is storming the WinMo stage to leave a footprint the size of half the HTC portfolio. Not so long ago we saw Windows Mobile changing for the better thanks to the TouchFLO 3D, The latest flagship gets things even hotter with a multimedia twist. And the new screen… well, beauty's in the numbers.

Looks like all that stands between the Touch HD and legend is the actual performance. A bold statement it is, so what we're about to do is push it to its limits. An unforgiving spec sheet calls for unforgiving scrutiny. Join us as we set sail to explore the HTC Touch HD big sway and little secrets.

Key features

• Massive 3.8" 65K-color WVGA display
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS
• TouchFLO 3D Home screen and gesture controls
• Wi-Fi and built-in GPS receiver
• Qualcomm MSM7201A 528 Mhz CPU and 288 MB DDR SDRAM
• Dedicated graphics chip (64MB RAM reserved for graphics)
• Quad-band GSM and dual-band HSDPA support
• 5 MP auto focus camera with nice image quality
• microSD card slot
• Accelerometer sensor for auto screen rotation and turn-to-mute calls
• Proximity sensor to automatically turn the screen off during calls
• Fingerprint resistant rear panel
• Touch sensitive keys with vibration feedback
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Standard 3.5mm audio jack
• miniUSB slot and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
• Active magnetic stylus
• MS Office Mobile document editor
• Excellent Opera 9.5 web browser
• Rich retail package, including 8GB microSD card

Main disadvantages:

• A wee bit overweight
• Sizeable body (still within acceptable limits though)
• Average sunlight legibility
• Video recording maxes out at CIF@30fps
• There's no dedicated camera key or flash
• No D-pad (offers more precise navigation)
• Power key is really hard to press
• No TV out port

HTC Touch HD is simply the next big thing in the Windows Mobile realm. And big is by no means limited to size. Indeed, the handset does come out a little too hefty but the feature pack is the kind to make you forget about size. The massive screen and so-unlike-WinMo multimedia skills give HTC Touch HD the kind of crossover appeal to reach beyond the hardcore PocketPC following.

The main market competitor is probably the Samsung i900 Omnia. Now, technically, it should be the Omnia upgrade competing against the HD, but there we are for the want of any. While the Omnia has a smaller screen with merely a quarter of the pixels, it certainly comes closest to the Touch HD among all WinMo devices. In addition, it is a bit smaller, has some massive embedded memory and goes at a lower price, having been around for quite a while now.

Among the HTC very own - the Touch Diamond will probably seem more appealing to those who find the HD too big for a nice ride. The Diamond lacks the 5MP shooter but it ain't much of a loss from our point of view. And if QWERTY is higher on your list than screen estate - the HTC Touch Pro is a must consider.

Having mentioned Touch Pro, the archenemy Xperia X1 inevitably leaps to mind. However we're not quite sure whether we can call the Xperia a direct competitor of the Touch HD. It's not only the smaller screen and full QWERTY. It's just that the Touch Pro seems better suited to keep Sony Ericsson X1 busy.

Anyway, we seem to finally be getting to the point. The resemblance between HTC Touch HD and the Apple iPhone 3G is just too strong to overlook. While the user experience of the iPhone is still well ahead of anything WinMo gadgets can offer, the Touch HD is as close as we've seen one get. It's got quite a larger screen than iPhone 3G, which takes fingertip navigation to a whole new level (in Windows Mobile terms that is).

With the alternatives behind our back, we can now give the HTC Touch HD the attention it deserves.