Loyolacappella Music

Nokia’s Xpress Music range of mobile phones has quickly emerged as the ideal alternative to the Sony Ericsson Walkman range in terms of mobile music device, at least in terms of pricing. The latest addition to the range is the slimline 5310 which we will now be looking at in further detail to see if it makes an ideal addition to Nokia’s music phone family.

As a standard bar form is used, no space is required for a hinge or sliding mechanism so enough space has been saved to make the 5310 the smallest and lightest of the Xpress Music range, measuring at only 9.9mm thick and 71g. The quality of the materials used in such a small and lightweight phone only serves to showcase this aspect of it more clearly. A dimple-patterned rear cover has been used to provide for better grip combined with a smooth aluminium finish.

The keypad has been nicely-thought out as each key is been terraced making typing errors a thankfully rare occurrence. As usual the quality of the display is very good and stands in worthy comparison with most of the similar current Nokia range, but an enhancement over the 2” screen size would have been welcome.

The 5310 comes with a 2MP camera module which to be honest barely scrapes into average levels. No flash or autofocus is present which does limit the situations in which it can be used severely. Even if a camera isn’t the main point of the 5310, it might have been an idea to at least make the camera itself of an adequate level, which in this case clearly isn’t. I can only assume they did not want to eclipse the higher spec’d 5610.

Obviously the main point of the 5310 is as a music phone and happily here, it starts to show what it’s all about. Coupled with all the usual playlist features etc, the addition of a dedicated audio chip enhances the sound quality to above-average levels and also allows music playback for up to 20 hours. Though I suspect out of the laboratory this a little too-much to expect, 14-hours would be a more reasonable estimate, which is still pretty good and deserving of a few plaudits.

To complement this, the memory card slot is compatible with the new SDHC format of memory cards up to 4GB, allowing increased music-storage capacity. Up to 40MB internal storage is also available as well as an FM radio which adds to the music-features on offer in this compact handset. This coupled with a great screen and the excellent dedicated music keys on the side make playing music with the 5310 a great experience.

Although the 5310 won’t make many waves with its features, it’s designed to be a mid-range unit and the low cost and compact size make it an impressive device. This coupled with the quality of the music features means that the 5310 is an ideal choice for those looking for a decent music-phone on a budget.

The Nokia 5310 is currently available to purchase on Pay As You Go and on Contract.

Samsung Mobile have been at the forefront of mobile communications for the past five years due in no small part to the fact that the manufacturer consistantly delivers new and exciting features and technology to the mobile phone market place.

Gone are the days when you would have to squint at your small mobile phone screen to make out a picture before capturing it using a small VGA camera, these days Samsung consumers have the luxury of large full colour screens and multi megapixel cameras making for close to professional photography.

Samsungs newest edition offers these features but with their very latest technology – a five megapixel camera. There are only two other mobile phones currently offering this high quality camera, the LG KG920 Leo and the Nokia N95. The new Samsung G600 may sound like it already has competition but on closer examination it is easy to see why consumers will opt for this phone over its rivals. Firstly their is the sleek design, the outer casing is finished in a matt black paint and features Samsung’s trademark smooth slide. The exterior buttons almost fall into the central multikey allowing for easy navigation of the menu system.

The display screen is a large 2.2 inch QVGA offering sixteen million colours which compliments the high quality pictures when viewed on-screen. The most surprising thing about the new G600 is that it is a mere 14mm thick, this is astonishing when compared to its competitors like the LG KG920 at 18mm and the Nokia N95 at 21mm proving that Samsung have really thought about the overall design and how they could squeeze this amount of technology into a phone without bulking out the dimensions.

The camera also offers autofocus, digital zoom and photolight (flash), as well as one of the best video recording resolutions available with 352 x 288 pixels at 30 frames per second.

The Samsung G600 also offers an MP3 player for uploading new music either direct from a PC or via the internet and creating playlists with your favourite music tracks and artists, and with 1GB of onbaord memory there is no need to take a second standalone music player with you, there is even a built-in FM Radio for tuning into local and national radio station whilst out and about.

Other important features in the Samsung G600 include Bluetooth technology for wireless conenction to compatible devices for file transfer and safe hands-free driving, internet and email access for browsing, downloading and keeping in touch whilst out of the office and built-in hands-free speakerphone for either talking hands-free or sharing your music and sound recordings with friends. Overall, the O2 Samsung G600 is a stylish, spohisticated, if not a little masculine photographic masterpiece that outshines it closest rivals with its array of new technology and features.

The sophisticated sliding phone with premium finishing comes in smooth and sleek casing. The Nokia 6600 Slide is an awaited handset possessing many high tech features. The 2.2 inch wide screen of the gadget can display 16 million colours. Hence, giving the user a beautiful experience to view different colours. The device follows the tap commands. The handset works on the latest 3G technology. The 3.2 MP camera of the handset along with digital zoom and double LED flash gives the user a wonderful experience and making it comfortable for the user to use the high tech camera features.

The pictures can be captured with the help of dedicated camera keys. Videos can be recorded as it is supported by VGA & QVGA formats. Videos playing is supported by H263 & 3GPP formats and video streaming is supported by H264 & MPEG4 formats. The 3.2 MP camera possesses the function of 8 x zoom. With the help of zoom function one can take close takes of far standing subjects. Video calls can be made via handset. Hence, one can remain near to the near and dear ones. Music player can be listened in different formats like MP3, MP4, AAC, eAAC+ & WMA. Along with the music player FM radio is also present.

Along with radio one an also enjoy RDS and listen to the MP3, eAAC and AAC ringing tones. For further entertainment Java games and downloadable games can be played. The mobile email service gives the user the function to send, create, delete, edit and receive emails. The device gives high speed mobile web experience. One can share easily the videos, pictures with the near and dear ones with the function of MMS. Other than calling, one can also send SMS, MMS, Emails with attachments and take the help of instant messaging also. The instant messaging service supports AOL, ICQ, Yahoo & MSN. Nokia 6600 Slide poses the feature of Nokia maps, with which one can find out the nearest restaurants, lodges, hotels and lost ways. The gadget works on 3G, Bluetooth, Micro USB and EDGE technology. Wireless data transfer can be experienced with the help of Bluetooth.

Internet can be accessed on the screen of Nokia 6600 Slide. One can go through the WAP2.0 , XHTML and Opera Mini Browser . The device has built in memory of 20 MB which can be increased also, if he finds it insufficient. The micro SD card helps one to add an additional card up to 512 MB. Nokia mobile phones are always known for the good battery back up and the sliding phone gives the battery backup of 3 hours when in talk time mode and 240 hours when in standby mode. The sliding phone just weighs 110 gm and giving the dimensions of 90 x 45 x 14 mm. The user can view the screen even in closed position. The smooth edged square shape and blue coloured surrounding, whether the handset is closed or open gives gorgeous look. The keypad gives the blue lightening effect. The stunning sliding phone is integrated with the music player, digital camera and variety of messaging services.