Sony Ericsson Jalou (Sony Ericsson BeJoo)

The Sony Ericsson Jalou is a very distinctive looking and lightweight fashion phone, due to hit the shops in time for Christmas.


Sony Ericsson describe the Jalou's shape as a "facet cut jewel form" and although the look is reminiscent of the Nokia 7070 Prism, the Jalou is a much more sophisticated handset.

The "Jalou" and "BeJoo" are two different names for the same device - the phone will be called the "Jalou" worldwide except for France where the "BeJoo" name will be used. The reason? Well, according to Sony Ericsson the "Jalou" name is too close to the French word for "Jealous", which goes to show that giving products a name rather than a number can be fraught with danger*.


In addition to the standard version of the Jalou, there is also a Dolce & Gabbana variant with gold plating, a rose colouring and exclusive D&G content. Alternatively the standard (and presumably cheaper) Jalou comes in "Deep Amethyst", "Aquamarine Blue" and "Onyx Black" colour combinations.


The diamond shape is not the only thing that gives the Jalou a distinctive look - it's also a lot less tall than most clamshell phones, measuring just 73 x 45 x 18mm when closed. Sony Ericsson have gone for this unusual size to make the phone as compact as possible, so it should fit it into the tiniest bag or jacket pocket. The Jalou is also very lightweight, coming in at just 84 grams.

So, what does the Jalou actually do from a technical perspective? Well, it's a fairly standard 3G phone with a 2" 240 x 320 pixel display, a 3.2 megapixel camera, microSD expandable memory, stereo Bluetooth and a multimedia player. There's a semi-concealed external display underneath the glossy casing, and you can also use the Jalou as a mirror to check just how gorgeous you are looking.


In Europe, the Jalou will support 2100 MHz UMTS plus HSDPA downloads, there will also be a US version which supports 900 and 1700 MHz UMTS and has the very useful addition of built-in GPS. We don't know why there's no GPS in the European version.. that would have been a pretty cool thing to have in a fashion phone. But, in other words.. the Jalou's beauty is not just skin deep.

It's an unashamedly girlie phone - some of the applications on the Jalou include a step counter, zodiac application and of course all the usual features such as a web browser and email client, plus a media player and FM radio. The display might be a little small for web browsing, but the inclusion of 3.5G data does at least mean that it will be quite fast.

There's no word on pricing, our best guess is that the standard Jalou will retail for about €400 SIM-free. Sony Ericsson say that both the standard and the D&G version should be available during Q4 2009.

Asus P552w 3.5G HSDPA PDA Smartphone

Asus have announced their new P552w smartphone which, in fusing 3.5G HSDPA connectivity with PDA and GPS functionality paired with Asus’s touch responsive Glide interface and full Google integration promises to ‘revolutionize the way users work, communicate and play’.

Powered by a 624MHz Marvell Tavor CPU, the Asus P552w PDA Smartphone sports a 2.8” 65K colour 240×320 resolution QVGA touch screen display, 3.5G HSDPA (3.6Mbps) data transfer allowing for fast internet browsing on the move as well as facilitating smooth video and audio streaming capabilities and thanks to integrated Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, WLAN 802.11b/g, inbuilt GPS and USB connectivity promises a high degree of connectivity with a wide range of supplementary devices.

Further highlights include the seamless integration of Google maps which, when used with the included Asus SMS Link feature can be used to guide two users at differing locations together with SMS based directions as well as the inclusion of EziPhoto and EziMusic applications offering a digital photo album with calendar and interactive music creation and playback respectively. Naturally, (and, lets face it, it goes without saying), the P552w also supports RSS feeds as well as online applications such as Youtube and Flickr.

Asus P552w PDA Smartphone Key Features:

* Networks: HSDPA 3.6Mbps, UMTS 2100
* EDGE/GPRS/GSM 900/1800/1900, Class 10
* Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
* Dimensions: 102 x 60.5 x 14.5 mm
* Weight: 105g (with battery)
* Standby Time: 300 hrs with 3G and 250 hrs with 2G
* Talk Time: 3 hrs with 3G and 5 hrs with 2G
* Display: 2.8″ TFT, Touch Screen 65K color, QVGA 240 x 320 pixels
* Processor: Marvell Tavor 624MHz
* Memory: 256MB Flash + 128MB DDR
* MicroSD with SDHC support
* WLAN 802.11b+g , USB v1.1(FS), Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
* WAP Browser
* HTTP / WAP 1.2.1/2.0
* SMS / MMS / Email / MSN / Push E-mail
* Battery: 1100mAh Li-Ion
* SiRF StarIII with internal antenna
* Google Maps, Anytime Launcher, ASUS Today, Multi-Home, EziMusic and EziPhoto.
* Camera: 2.0 Mega pixel Fixed Focus
* Video: Record:MPEG4 QVGA 24fps / H.263 QCIF 24fps
* Playback:MPEG4 QVGA 30fps / H.263 QCIF 30fps
* J2ME (CLDC 1.1 + MIDP2.0)

At the time of writing Asus are yet to announce either the Asus P552w’s availability or pricing but, lets hope that when they actually furnish us with such details they also see fit to offer somwhat better imagery than as is the case at present.

Dell Mini 3i Android Smartphone Spied in the Wild [Dell Ophone Mini3i Specs Leak Out, It's Launch Ready]

Dell has been long rumored to come up with its own smartphone, but so far, nothing came on our doorsteps. Nothing until today, when we laid our eyes on a set of leaked blurry images with the new Dell Ophone Mini 3i (or is that Mini3i?) that shows on China Mobile’s customized Android interface. More to it, we got our hands on a full specs list and we can bring you all the details you need.

The new Dell Mini 3i comes with a 3.5-inch nHD 640 x 360 LCD with 262K colors, an on-screen QWERTY keyboard with handwriting recognition and multi touch UI, USB 2.0, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, A-GPS and a microSD slot. It also has quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE class 12 connectivity.

Another interesting feature of the new Dell Mini 3i is the 3 megapixel auto-focus camera that shoots video at 30fps, does 8x digital zoom, has flash and a built-in photo editor.

OTA capable, with Microsoft Exchange support and Google, AIM, Yahoo and MSN IM clients to chat with your buds, the new Dell Mini 3i is rumored to launch in China on August 17th. There are four more days and the bubble bursts with more goodies …

Nokia 6730 Classic

The Nokia 6730 Classic is an S60 smartphone with GPS, and it will be available exclusively through Vodafone. It's not a million miles away from the 6720 in terms of specification, but unlike some other "exclusive" handsets, the 6730 does seem to be a distinctly different device.

The specifications are fairly mid-market, with a 3.2 megapixel camera, a 2.2" 240 x 320 pixel display, FM radio, microSD expandable memory and a multimedia player. The 6730 Classic is a 3.5G device supporting HSDPA high-speed downloads and HSUPA high-speed uploads (maximum speeds are not quoted), and it comes with the usual features such as Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

The standard sales package includes a 1GB memory card, and the supplied 1050 mAh battery can provide up to 4 hours talktime on 3G or 10 hours on GSM. Standby time is about 20 days. Amazingly, the 6730 Classic weighs only 83 grams, which makes it one of the lightest 3G phones on the market.

One key selling point with the 6730 is the inclusion of A-GPS, plus turn-by-turn navigation. It is never going to be as useful as a dedicated satellite navigation system, but it is a very pocket-friendly approach.

This is an S60 series smartphone, so we expect it to come with the usual suite of applications that other S60 phones do. The 6730 also supports the Vodafone Music Client (whatever that is) and the whole user interface will no doubt be given a heavy Vodafone makeover.

As pictured, the 6730 is a striking white colour that could maybe be described as "1980s XR3i White", which is certainly distinctive enough and overall the 6730 Classic is a very tidy looking handset with a sensible mid-range specification that should give it wide appeal.

We don't have any details on pricing at present, but the Nokia 6730 Classic should be available during June 2009 across Vodafone territories.

Nokia N5800 XpressMusic Touchscreen

Set to become available in European HSDPA, North American HSDPA and GSM versions, additional highlights of what is, by anyone’s standards, a feature-packed handset, include integrated GPS, Wi-Fi and, of course, fully DAP (Digital Audio Player) functionality complete with Bass Boost, 8-band graphic equalizer, ‘stereo widening’ post processing and, for those determined to inflict their music tastes on others, built-in speakers. And, thanks to a bundled 8GB microSD card you shouldn’t find storage capacity to be a particular issue (and, just in case you do, you can always employ additional cards up to 16GB in capacity).

After a great deal of speculation, Nokia have officially detailed their new Nokia N5800 XpressMusic touchscreen cell phone – known as the Nokia Tube. Boasting a 3.2” 640×360 nHD resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio widescreen touchscreen display complete with tactile feedback, the Nokia Tube N5800 XpressMusic cell phone – which measures in at 111×51.7×15.5mm - comes with integrated 3.2 megapixel camera (complete with Carl Zeiss lens, autofocus, dual LED flash, 3x digital zoom and video capture capabilities up to 640×480 at 30fps) paired with a front mounted secondary camera allowing for video calling, an Alphanumeric and QWERTY keyboard (courtesy of the touchscreen) paired with handwriting recognition and, a ‘Dedicated Media Bar’ allowing for prompt access to the N5800’s image, video, music and web browsing features.

Nokia’s Tube N5800 XpressMusic Touchscreen, which will be made available in black, blue or red with the aforementioned 8GB microSD card.Further detailed information and specifications can be attained via the now live Nokia Tube N5800 XpressMusic official site.

N97 Have a large touch-sensitive display

The Nokia N97 is arguably Nokia's most powerful handset to date, and it combines a large touch-sensitive display with a QWERTY keyboard, 3.5G high-speed data, a 5 megapixel camera plus GPS and mapping support.Clearly, the N97 incorporates several elements from the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. But the N97 is more than just a 5800 with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It also steps into the territory of the Nokia E90 and Nokia N810 series of devices, and it competes effectively with the Nokia N96 in most respects. However, all these alternative models have different strengths and weaknesses compared with the N97.

The slide-out QWERTY keyboard seems to have good spacing between the keys, the slider mechanism now angles the screen and keyboard slightly to make the N97 easier to use. One notable thing is that the key alignment is different from the E90 and N810 (which had Q, A and Z all in a column), the N97's arrangement is similar to that used by HTC with a Shift key directly underneath A instead).

So, what exactly do you get with the Nokia N97? The large touchscreen display is an obvious place to start - the 640 x 360 pixel display is the same resolution as the 5800, but the N97's panel is larger at 3.5". As with the 5800, this is a touch-sensitive widescreen unit, Nokia call this resolution "nHD" which we guess is "near HD". It's almost the same as the VGA resolution that we have seen in some rival devices, but the E90 manages a 4" 800 x 352 non-touch screen, and the N810 is 800 x 400 pixels and 4.1". Crucially though, the N97's display does look to be better than the arch-rival Apple iPhone 3G. The N97 also lacks the TV tuner from the N96, and there's no mention of an FM radio either.

Integrated GPS Ability
The Nokia N97 has A-GPS built in, and usefully it comes with a digital compass. This can be used with the Nokia Maps application or one of Nokia's city guides. It should also be possible to use Google Maps instead, if you prefer. Of course, some of these mapping applications will cost extra.In addition, the Nokia Maps application has had a major upgrade, making it as good as (or better) than a dedicated satellite navigation system in many respects. The new version of Maps synchronises with a PC and comes with a satellite view, 3D view of major landmarks, camera alerts, traffic information and integration into Nokia's Ovi service.

Multimedia Features
The camera is pretty much as good as you will get with a Nokia - it's a five megapixel unit with autofocus and dual-LED flash and a Carl Zeiss Tessar lens. Video capture resolution is 640 x 480 pixels at 30 frames per second. Recorded video clips can be played back using the N97's TV-out port. Ovi integration means that photos can be uploaded as soon as you take them. Nokia don't mention if the N97 has geotagging, but we think guess it almost definitely does.
Music playback supports MP3, WMA and AAC variants, plus there is MPEG4, WMV and Flash video playback at up to 30 frames per second. Audio output is via a standard 3.5mm socket, which is an improvement over many previous devices.
Internal memory is an impressive 32GB, and this can be expanded by a further 16GB using a microSD card. It is nice to see that Nokia have given the phone both an impressive amount of internal memory and a card slot.

Internet
Underneath it all, this is a quad-band GSM phone with tri-band HSDPA support plus 802.11 b and g WiFi. This should mean that the N97 will be able to get a high-speed data connection pretty much anywhere you go. The N97 also comes with stereo Bluetooth and USB 2.0 connectivity.
Nokia have improved the operating system again, to give easy one-touch access to favourite services, and of course there's a web browser (with Flash support) that takes full advantage of the large screen, an email client and an RSS reader. As you would expect from Nokia, this is a Symbian S60 5th Edition device which comes with all the usual features.
At 150 grams, the Nokia N97 is fairly heavy (but much lighter than the E90). The large 1500 mAh battery gives up to 5 hours talktime and 16 days standby time on 3G, 4.5 hours of video playback or 37 hours of music playback. The Nokia N97 measures 117 x 55 x 16mm (although it is a little thicker where the camera is).
Nokia say that the N97 should be available during the first half of 2009 for around €550 before tax and subsidy, in what appear to be white and black colour schemes.
It isn't quite a replacement for the Nokia E90 though - we think that Nokia will announce a new Communicator class device in February, but it will be closely based on the N97.

Advantages
We are definitely looking forward to this one when it comes out - it's only a shame that we have had to wait so long for a touchscreen Nokia with a QWERTY keyboard!

Disadvantages
This price the N97 quite an expensive phone compared to the 5800 XpressMusic (which is half the price), but contract customers can expect a big subsidy in any case. Since the N97 is almost viable as a laptop replacement, then the cost isn't so bad.

N95 Large Screen, Cool to Connect Internet and GPS

N95 History

The phone was unveiled in September 2006 and was released at the end of March 2007.
On March 22, 2007 Nokia was shipping N95 in key European, Asian and Middle Eastern markets.
On April 7, 2007, the N95 went on sale in the United States through Nokia's Flagship stores in New York and Chicago and through Nokia's nseries.com website. No US carriers were expected to offer this phone. The U.S. version started retailing without carrier branding or discounts in Nokia's flagship stores in New York and Chicago on September 26, 2007.
On August 29, 2007, two updated versions of the N95 were announced at a press event in London; first, the N95-2 (N95 8GB), an updated version for the European/Asian markets with 8 gigabytes of internal storage and larger screen, secondly, the N95-3 (N95 NAM), replacing the original 2100 MHz W-CDMA air interface with support for the 850 MHz and 1900 MHz frequencies used for the 3G networks of most GSM-compatible mobile carriers in the Americas, including AT&T Mobility.
Finally, later on January 7, 2008, Nokia introduced the N95-4, which is the US 8Gb version of the N95-3. The phone got its FCC approval in January 30 and launched March 18. The first carrier to utilise this approval was Rogers Wireless in May 2008.

Its capabilities include:
- A Global Positioning System receiver with maps and optional turn-by-turn directions
- 5 megapixel digital camera with Carl Zeiss optics, flash, video recording and video conferencing
- Wireless connectivity via HSDPA, IrDA, 802.11x and Bluetooth
- A portable media player with the ability to download podcasts over the air; a FM Radio tuner; Composite Video output via included cable
- Multi-tasking to allow several applications to run simultaneously
- A web browser with support for HTML, JavaScript and Adobe Flash
- Messaging via SMS, MMS and e-mail
- Office suite and organizer functions
- And the ability to install and run third party Java or Symbian mobile applications.

Integrated GPS Ability
The N95 contains an integrated GPS receiver which is located below the 0 key on the keypad. The phone ships with Nokia Maps navigation software. Maps can be downloaded either over the air (via a carrier's data packet network) or through the phone's built-in WiFi. Maps can also be downloaded via a PC using the Nokia MapLoader application, This is free map. To use voice navigation within Nokia Maps a license needs to be purchased from Nokia. Individual city guides are also available for purchase. A-GPS was later added in firmware, which greatly improved the GPS locking time.

Internet
The N95 has built-in Wi-Fi, with which it can access the Internet (through a 802.11b/g wireless network). The N95 can also connect to the Internet through a carrier packet data network such as UMTS, HSDPA, or EDGE. The web browser displays full web pages as opposed to simplified pages as on most other phones. The N95 also has Bluetooth built in and works with wireless earpieces that use Bluetooth 2.0 technology and for file transfer.
It should be noted that the original N95 does not support US based versions of UMTS/HSDPA; UMTS features in these versions of the phone are disabled by default. Furthermore, the later N95 US versions support only AT&T's 850/1900 MHz UMTS/HSDPA bands, neither 1700 MHz of T-Mobile USA nor 2100 MHz bands are supported internationally.
The phone can also act as a WAN access point allowing a tethered PC access to a carrier's packet data network. VoIP software and functionality is also included with the phone (though some carriers have opted to remove this feature).

Multimedia Features
The N95's dedicated multimedia keys are accessed via the 2-way slider
Out of the box, the N95 supports audio in MP3, WMA, RealAudio, SP-MIDI, AAC+, eAAC+, MIDI, AMR and M4A formats. Its two-way slide, when opened towards the keypad, allows access to its media playback buttons. Users can also use Bluetooth for audio output using A2DP, or use the built-in stereo speakers. The N95 is also capable of playing video in 3GP, MPEG4, RealVideo and in newer firmware, Flash Video formats. All of the phone's video output can also be played through the TV-out feature. The N95's built in UPnP capabilities also allow the user to share the phones' media over a WLAN network. This provides easy access to the photos, music and videos stored on the phone, from other UPnP capable devices on the network, enabling them to be watched or downloaded over the air.

N-Gage
The N95 is compatible with the N-Gage mobile gaming service.

Disadvantages
It is common for the slider to feel rough as the phone ages. This is the result of the ribbon cable rubbing off paint powder beneath the slider and collecting over time, leaving the slider feeling similar to sandpaper grinding. The same build up is also what causes almost all N95s to scratch and collect grit right above the 3 on the keypad. Disassembly and cleaning often improves the condition.

Advantages
The N95 has built-in Wi-Fi, with which it can access the Internet on the wifi area, and have a large screen.