Nokia Launches New Nokia X2-01, Low Priced And Accordingly Featured

Nokia has just launched its new Nokia X2-01; an inexpensive full QWERTY keyboard device with a few other good features. The Nokia X2-01 features a 2.4 inch display with a resolution of 320x240, a VGA resolution camera, Bluetooth 2.1, an FM radio, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The X2-01 runs on Symbian S40 and also supports quad band GSM. Unfortunately, the Nokia X2-01 doesn't feature 3G connectivity, but it does have a full QWERTY keyboard. It also has 55 MB of internal storage which is expandable via a microSD card slot, which supports cards of up to 8 GB. Another connectivity option of the X2-01 is a microUSB port. The X2-01 measures 119.4x59.8x14.3mm and weighs just 107.5 grams. The battery life on the Nokia X2-01 is also pretty good at 480 hours on standby and 4 hours and 30 minutes of talk time coming from a 1020 mAh battery. Other than those listed above the Nokia X2-01 doesn't have any distinctive features. There is no GPS, WiFi, or anything else that could separate a phone from the crowd. The lack of all of these more advanced features is remedied by the low cost of the Nokia X2-01, which is just $110 without contract. The Nokia X2-01 will be available this quarter and will come in Red, Deep Grey, Silver, Lilac, and Azure. Overall, the Nokia X2-01 is a lower-end phone, but it will still appeal to users who just want a phone with a good keyboard for texting and maybe some light browsing. The price is also great, and if you combine it with the features it is a pretty good match. More pictures below. We've also included a user review.

"The cell phone that I am currently using is the T-Mobile Nokia. This is similar to the blackberry from major cell phone carriers. I paid $50 for the phone last year at a pawn shop. I would not recommend the phone to anyone simply because it is an older model and does not have much to offer in terms of features. I pay month to month for service which is convenient for me. The phone would be a lot more exciting, however the internet never works. This is terrible because the phone looks like it would have a lot to offer if it did. The screen is small so it would be uncomfortable to play games or do major searches. It would be nice to check email or Facebook while out I’m of the house. Really that is the only time I wish the internet worked. The buttons are very small and has a blackberry set up. It is extremely annoying if you make calls regularly and typing is very uncomfortable as well. The buttons themselves are wearing off because of text messages and phone calls. The phone is extremely durable and holds up very nicely. When dropped the battery usually comes out. This is very frustrating because the cell phone takes forever to load up once it has shut down, making it very difficult to check messages for at least 20 minutes. Because the internet doesn't work on the phone, checking emails with this device is impossible. The best feature in this phone is the battery life. This phone will last for days when it is fully charged. I make calls for a living so I use the phone all day. I am very pleased that the phone holds a charge so well. Another wonderful feature with this phone is the available space it has and although it is not a “smart phone”, it does hold up much better because the phone isn’t bogged down by apps and unneeded background programs. The camera is also a nice thing to have. I often forget it is there but it is very nice to have. It doesn’t have a flash and the pictures are generally blurry. I have had trouble in the past with charging the phone and sending text messages. This is no longer an issue and I am very happy that I am able to receive and send. Even though I cannot access the internet, as long as I am able to connect through text messages I can make it work. I use this phone quite regularly, as I work from home as a telemarketer of sorts. I am on the phone steadily for 4-6 hours a day. This phone fits all of my current needs because I have an Ipod Touch for apps and a laptop for internet needs. I use the phone for exactly what is was made for, making calls and saving numbers. I would only recommend this phone to someone who has those same needs in a phone. It is not considered a “cool phone” but I am happy with it for now."

The Lack of Tablets Available Readily for Consumers to Purchase

Let’s say you want to buy an internet tablet, a MID (mobile internet device), or whatever you want to call it. You go to the usual technology stores and some other stores, but guess what, you are only going to find two tablets, that’s right two. Currently there are only two tablets available for consumers to just go out and buy from the store, at least that I know of. Those are the iPad, and the new Augen Gentouch 78. Those are about the only two you will find. Let’s say that after your little scavenger hunt for a tablet you decide that the iPad is too expensive for you, but you still don’t want something as crappy as the Augen Gentouch 78, so you decide to expand your search online. You go to Google and search for “internet tablets”, you will find two more internet tablets, the Archos line of tablets, and if you delve a little deeper, the Fusion Garage JooJoo. That totals your tablet tally to four. Let’s say none of these tablets meet your needs either, so you look some more. You will most likely find the Nokia N900, and maybe some Vilivs. Other than that, there is nothing, nothing! At least this is what I have found in my experience of searching for a good internet tablet. Then you will decide to spend another 3 hours looking for an internet tablet. At the end of those two hours, you find yourself looking at you computer about to crash because of all of the tabs you have open. The tabs are mostly full of Chinese wholesale sites offering you strange tablets with manufacturers you have never heard of, unclear specifications, and you will have absolutely no sense of wanting to buy any of these tablets. You have never heard of the manufacturer, the OS is probably something you have never seen, or a hacked version of Android, and you are extremely depressed because you just spent about 4 hours of your life looking for a normal internet tablet, which, in the end, you did not find. Thinking of this will probably cause you to start yelling at your computer. This, sadly is how the actual tablet market is these days, and I have experienced this myself. You will only find a few, or five in my case, internet tablets that you have actually ever heard of or you can trust even a little. The rest is Chinese (no offense to the Chinese, they actually make some pretty awesome stuff) craptablets from sites that will probably steal your identity and never even send you the tablet. This is not how the market should be. In my opinion the tablet market should be like the laptop market, except for with a little less confusion. And I think that it is a shame that tablets are nowhere to be found now, but I think that in the next couple of years the tablet market will experience rapid growth. This is mostly because people have a growing need for devices and tablets that they can take anywhere and actually be productive with. So, I hope this has shortened those tablet lovers’ searches for a new internet tablet, and I really hope that tablets become a lot easier for consumers to purchase.

T-Mobile's New Nokia E73 Mode Is Finally Official

There were rumors that T-Mobile would be releasing a device similar to the Nokia E72 called the E73 Mode, but now it is finally official. The Nokia E73 Mode is almost exactly the same as the E72, except for a couple of specifications customized for T-Mobile. The E73 Mode features a 2.4 inch non-touchscreen display, a five-way scroll key, an optical trackpad, a full QWERTY keypad, and an accelerometer. It seems kind of strange that a non-touchscreen phone might have an accelerometer, but it is used for gaming and screen rotation. The E73 Mode also has a 5 MP camera with autofocus and flash, a microSD card slot (included is a 4 GB card), WiFi, A-GPS, and a video call camera on the front of the phone. One of the things on the E73 Mode that has been customized for T-Mobile is the 3G connectivity. The phone has one of the fastest 3G speeds of any T-Mobile phone at HSDPA 10.2 Mbps and HSUPA 2.0 Mbps. Some of the other more minor features are a digital compass, 250 MB of built in memory, Symbian 9.3, and Bluetooth 2.0. As for the battery, the E73 Mode has a 1500 mAh battery capable of delivering up to 16 days of standby time on 2G and 22 days on 3G. On the software side, the Nokia E73 Mode has Nokia’s Ovi Maps navigation software with free turn-by-turn navigation and T-Mobile’s uma calling feature which allows you to make voice calls via WiFi. The phone has pretty much all the features you could want, and it is almost exactly the same as the Nokia E72. The Nokia E73 Mode will be available on June 16 for $70 with a two year contract.

Nokia Announces Their Bicycle Charger Kit, Coming Later in 2010

Now there is an eco-friendly way to charge your cell phone, and it’s cheap. Nokia has announced their Nokia Bicycle Charger Kit, which can be used to charge any Nokia phone with a 2 mm charging port. As the name reveals, it is a bicycle charger. All you have to do is attach it to your bicycle and go for a ride, and your cell phone gets charged. Your phone starts charging when you are going at least 6 km/h, and it charges at the same speed as a wall charger when you are going at 12 km/h. That’s not as fast as it might sound, so it should be pretty easy to charge your phone even on an uphill. The maximum speed at which the Nokia Bicycle Charger Kit can charge is 50 km/h. The kit is dust and water resistant, and it can be installed on most bicycles. It also comes with a bracket and reusable ties so that you can attach your phone to your bicycle. In case you want to charge a device without a 2 mm jack, or one that charges via a micro USB port, all you have to do is pick up a micro USB adapter. This is not included with the kit, unfortunately. The Nokia Bicycle Charger Kit will be shipping worldwide at the end of this year for just €15. The Nokia Bicycle Charger Kit could be a great thing to take along on long bike trips or for navigating within the city, along with Nokia’s free turn-by-turn Ovi Maps navigation service.

T-Mobile Finally Getting a New Handset, Nokia E73 Mode

T-Mobile is finally getting a new handset. There are rumors and reports that T-Mobile may be launching a device known as the Nokia Mode. There is no word on specifications or anything detailed at all. All we know is that it is a full QWERTY device that looks an awful lot like the E72. T-Mobile has a record of taking existing Nokia handsets an renaming them (the Nokia Nuron), so it would be no surprise if this was just a renamed E72. Some of the specifications that we do know that the phone will have are 3G connectivity and WiFi. Everything else is unknown. The device will be released on June 16.

Nokia Nuron Review, smartphone with tons of features, relatively small pricetag

The Nokia 5230 Nuron is a great smartphone. It has most of the features that you could ever want without the huge price tag. The Nuron delivers 3G connectivity, GPS, a 3.2 inch resistive touchscreen display, a 2 megapixel camera, and a built-in accelerometer. It also has a proximity sensor, a 3.5mm jack, 70 MB of storage, a microSD card slot, 128 MB of RAM, a 434 MHz processor, a 1320 mAh battery, and, of course, the Symbian S60 5^th edition operating system. The phone is on T-mobile’s network, which is great because it is not as slow as AT&T’s but is still has a lot of 3G coverage available, and it is ever increasing. Now that we have gone over all of the specifications it is time to get to the review.

In the Box

In the box you will find a 3 inch USB cable, user manuals, a Nokia headset, and a charger. The phone also comes with a 4 GB microSD card, which is already installed in the phone and is extremely hard to get out.

Physical Appearance

The phone is pretty light at just 115 grams. It is also small and easily fits into your pocket. The phone has a couple of hardware keys including the menu, send, end, power, and lock buttons. It also has a button on the top of the screen giving you easy access to all of your media and the web browser. On the side there is also a sim card and microSD card slot. They are both extremely hard to take out. On the other side there is a lock switch, volume keys, and a dedicated camera key. On the top you will find the USB port, the charging port, and the power button. A strange thing about the Nuron is that it does not charge through USB, but with a separate charger. On the bottom there is the microphone and a hole for a lanyard.

Full

Back

Side

Bottom

Side

Top

Front

User interface

The user interface is pretty much unchanged from previous S60 phones. The home screen offers shortcuts to contacts or applications, and is relatively clean looking. Kinetic scrolling has been integrated into most of the menus, but it is not very smooth. You also have to double tap items to select them, which is unusual, but easy to get used to. The menus are pretty easy to get around in, and they do this without sacrificing the ability to customize everything. Customization is pretty easy, especially with all of the themes available in the Ovi Store. You can also switch through a number of profiles, allowing you to quickly change the settings of the phone if you are in a meeting or just somewhere where you do not want your phone to ring. Overall, the user interface is pretty good. It could use a little fine-tuning and the scrolling is a little rough, but for the most part it is good enough.

Web browsing

Web browsing in S60 is the same as it has always been. The browser has not been changed much, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t great. The browser supports full HTML. Since the screen is resistive and does not support multitouch so you will not be able to pinch-to-zoom, which is a big disadvantage. You can still use the handy zoom bar, or double tap. Since the phone supports 3G web browsing is fairly fast. The browser does lag a little at times, but you can install Opera mini or Skyfire browsers, which have more features, and are in my opinion, better browsers. T-Mobile’s 3G network gives you access to 3G in most areas and it is fairly fast. The 3G connectivity makes up for the lack of WiFi on the Nuron.

GPS

GPS on Nokia devices is great now that Ovi Maps has become free for all Nokia devices. With Ovi Maps you can get free turn-by-turn navigation with voice guidance, offline maps, and more. Offline maps are a great feature for people who do not have a data plan. Voice guidance is also great and available in a large variety of languages. Now that Google have released Google Maps with voice guidance for Android, Symbian is not the only smartphone operating system with free voice guidance. The GPS receiver is also very accurate and supports assisted GPS for faster fix times. Usually the GPS receiver finds my location within a couple of seconds, even without assisted GPS. Overall, GPS navigation on the Nuron is great. If you do not like Nokia’s Ovi Maps navigation software for whatever reason, there are many alternatives available.

Call Quality

Call quality is great on the Nuron. You can hear the person that you are talking to very clearly and they can hear you just as well. The speakerphone is also loud and clear. The phone does not support video calling but there are third party applications that enable it. Calling on the Nuron is great.

Camera

The camera on the Nokia 5230 Nuron is 2 megapixels, but it seems like a lot more. The camera does not have autofocus or flash, but it still takes very high quality photos and videos (for a cell phone camera). Videos are recorded at a VGA resolution and at 30 fps. Low light photos are grainy and not very high quality but in normal lighting conditions photo quality is average. The camera also features geo-tagging so that you can know exactly where your photos were taken. You can also customize a lot of the camera settings easily. The phone comes with a 4 GB microSD card so you have a lot of room for photos, videos, music, and other media. Overall, the Nuron’s camera is great for taking photos every once and a while or when you don’t have a higher quality camera with you.

Input methods

Input methods on the Nuron aren’t different from input methods on other devices. If you have the device in portrait mode you get a standard t9 keyboard, and if you tilt the device so that it is in landscape mode, you get a full keyboard. One of the unique features of the Nuron is that it has handwriting recognition, which is a little hard to use, but it is still there, which is a plus. A bad thing about text input on the Nuron is that when you are inputting text the keyboard takes up almost the entire screen, and you have a small text field on top, so if you were typing something in the browser you would not see the webpage.

Applications

Out of the box the Nuron includes all of the default applications including a music player, the gallery, and more. Music on the Nuron is great especially with the 3.5mm port, which allows you to connect any standard headphones. Music quality directly from the phone is also pretty good. The phone also comes with office applications and can open a large variety of files. The Nokia Nuron also has access to most of the applications in the Ovi Store. Applications are available for almost all purposes and more are being added continuously. You can also download S60 applications from other sources. A great thing about the Nuron is that it supports multitasking, and with 128 megabytes of RAM you can run a lot of apps are the same time. Applications on S60 are not that advanced or anywhere close to how great iPhone applications are, but they are still pretty good.

Performance

The Nokia Nuron’s performance is great. With 128 MB of RAM and a 434 MHz processor everything runs quickly and smoothly. You can also run multiple apps at the same time without any problems. The 1320 mAh battery is also great. I was able to use the phone for about 5 days with moderate calling, messaging, and web browsing. I also used it for GPS navigation. The phone’s battery life is better than some high-end phones and I think that it is the best that it could possibly be. Web browsing is the thing that drains the battery the most, but even if you are web browsing a lot the battery will still last for 1-2 days. The Nuron is fast, responsive, and has great battery life. Overall, the performance of the Nuron is great.

Overview

The Nokia 5230 Nuron is pretty much the 5230 for T-mobile. T-mobile is selling it for $70 with a 2 year contract. This is an outrageous price considering that it is about $140 off contract. Plus, you are signing a 2 year contract, and the ETF is about $200. Of course, it can be found for cheaper at most places. T-mobile also does not require you to purchase it with a data plan so you can avoid the $10 a month data plan cost. This is worth it especially with Ovi Maps, which can be used offline. A big disadvantage of the Nuron is that the screen is resistive, which means that there is no multitouch, pinch-to-zoom, or other gestures. There are also not as many applications available for S60 as there are for the iPhone or Android phones, but the number is ever increasing. Overall, the Nuron has most of the features that you could want, but the operating system could be improved. The user interface is not very refined, which is a big disadvantage but probably fairly easy to fix on Nokia’s part. The features on the Nuron are great, except for the fact that it does not have WiFi, but this is easily made up for with the 3G support. The camera could also be a little better with the addition of flash and autofocus. I would say that the Nuron is not worth the price that T-mobile is offering it for, maybe if the user interface were to be improved, but with the current features and software, it is just not worth it. If you can find the Nuron for a good price and you are not expecting too much I would buy it, but if you expect a lot from a smartphone, I would get an Android phone or an iPhone.

The iPod Touch review will be coming shortly and you can expect reviews for both the Nokia 5230 Nuron and the iPhone coming up in a couple of days.

Nokia Nuron First Look

The Nokia Nuron is a fully featured smartphone without a fully featured price. The Nuron has all the features that you could ever want in a smartphone including 3G, GPS, a 2 megapixel camera, a 3.5mm jack, a 3.2 inch resistive touchscreen display, a great battery life, speed, with a 434MHz processor, and more. The only thing that it doesn't have is WiFi, which is not needed because of the blazing fast 3G connectivity. It also runs the Symbian smartphone operating system, which gives you access to the Ovi store, offering more applications by the minute. For now the Nokia Nuron is looking good, it is fast, sleek, and delivers everything it promised. It runs on T-Mobile's network. As this is only a first look at the Nokia Nuron we will not go into detail about the phone, but you can expect a full review coming up soon. You can also expect a review of the Ipod Touch and apps for it.

Nokia introduces the Nokia 3720 classic, its most rugged mobile phone yet

Today Nokia introduced its 3720 classic handset, an IP-54 certified phone made to withstand water, dust, and shock. The Nokia 3720 classic in completely sealed and encased in durable materials to withstand anything you can throw at it. The Nokia 3720 classic is great for construction sites, beaches, or any wet, dusty, or rocky places. The Nokia 3720 classic also has a lot of useful features like a 2.2 inch QVGA screen with 16.7 million colors, and a 2 megapixel camera with LED flash and 4X digital zoom. Some other great features are a stereo music player and FM radio, 20 MB internal memory, support for a microSD card up to 8 GB, Bluetooth 2.1, Tri-band GSM, and support for Java MIDP 2.0. The battery is great with up to seven hours talk time and 18 hours standby time. The phone also comes in a range of colors and weighs in at 94g. It measures up at 115mm x 47mm x 15.3mm. The Nokia 3720 classic is expected to go on sale this the summer for $174 unsubsidised. The Nokia 3720 classic is perfect for any environment.

Gallery

Nokia 3720 hands on

Nokia 3720 against the elements