Announced last week at CTIA Enterprise and Applications in San Francisco, the Sanyo Zio (by Kyocera) is one of three new Android devices to come with Sprint’s new “Sprint ID” interface pre-installed. Known for dated devices like the Kyocera 7135, the Zio is the manufacturer’s first smartphone in recent memory. While they wouldn’t commit to a specific number, Sanyo confirmed plans to launch… Continue reading
Noah and I were working away on Friday morning when we received the HTC (T-Mobie) G2. I was a bit skeptical about the design, and more interestingly, the hinge. Once we finished up the unboxing (which you can watch here), my opinion was changed. Here’s what I’ve discovered about the G2 in a weekend of testing:
T-Mobile was kind enough to send me a BlackBerry Curve 3G for review, and outside of some design changes, it’s very similar to the Curve 8520. That said, I noticed the following things in my initial impressions:
What’s Good: Thin and light; fast processor; nice high-end addition to Verizon’s Android lineup.What’s Bad: Device has some issues; doesn’t ship with Google Maps out of the box; Verizon has disabled Google search in favor of Bing, and the average consumer can’t change it.The Verdict: The Fascinate is a decent device and a nice alternative to the DROID line, but the Verizon-inspired changes and random… Continue reading
Verizon’s Samsung Fascinate is the fourth Galaxy S device (shipping after the Vibrant, Captivate, and Epic 4G, respectively), and the last one to come to a nationwide carrier. It’s available now for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate (instantly when purchased online), and competes with the DROID lineup of Android devices. Like the other devices, it offers the beautiful 4.0-inch Super AMOLED display, 1 GHz… Continue reading
What’s Good: Good call quality; loud earpiece; full QWERTY keyboard.What’s Bad: No 3G connectivity; camera is sub-par.The Verdict: While the Motorola Rambler is a basic phone without 3G connectivity, it’s a nice option for those watching the budget.
Prepaid has become quite the popular alternative over the years, due in part to the recession and ever-increasing costs in the postpaid… Continue reading
What’s Good: Thin and light; long battery life.What’s Bad: Resistive screen isn’t entirely accurate; suffers from occasional lag.The Verdict: The Eternity II is a decent mid-range touchscreen featurephone, but it suffers from some lag. In a world of sub-$100 smartphones, it’s a bit pricey.
The Samsung Eternity II is the replacement to the original Eternity, which closely resembled the Samsung Behold… Continue reading
The Good: Easy menu and roomy physical keyboard makes this a choice for more than one demographic.
The Bad: Lackluster 2.0-megapixel camera.
The Verdict: With an easy to use menu and physical QWERTY keyboard, the Pantech Ease is a nice device that will appeal to casual phone users and text addicts alike.
In the past few years, we’ve seen several devices launch that are targeted towards an older… Continue reading
What’s Good: 1 GHz processor, mobile hotspot capabilities, 8 GB of internal storage, and a much improved physical keyboard.What’s Bad: Battery life isn’t great, and the signal strength indicator isn’t very accurate.The Verdict: The DROID 2 is the most well-rounded Android device on Verizon at the moment. Just be sure to carry a spare battery when you’re traveling.
What’s Good: Fast; offers a beautiful Super TFT display; fantastic build quality.
What’s Bad: Desire has a strange way of calculating bars of service, and might lead people to believe that the device has reception issues.
The Verdict: With a fast processor, Android 2.1 with Sense, and a beautifully constructed body, the HTC Desire is US Cellular’s best smartphone yet.
I enjoyed the… Continue reading