Smaller, Thiner, Faster, Stronger. These are all desirable traits in a mobile phone, right?

That was the logic in Research in Motion’s development of the successor to the Bold 9000, the Bold 9700. But has the upgrade achieved it’s goal of making the next best thing?

We put them head to head in a Battle of the BlackBerry Bolds to test their mettle.

The Bold 9000 made waves when it first arrived on the scene because it was the first 3G/ HSDPA capable phone from the company. 3G is more or less a smartphone standard at this point, so this feature is less impressive considering the contemporary market landscape.

However one marked improvement, which has stood the test of time, is the notably more negotiable keyboard for people with fingertips larger than pencil points. 

This feature helped reduce the typos and user frustration that were associated with previous RIM BlackBerry projects.

Size, Weight, and Build Quality:
The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is smaller, lighter and more technologically advanced than the 9000. What is not to love? At 122g, the Bold 9700 weighs a little over half as much as the 9000 which weighs in at 133g, and in a package with slightly smaller dimensions (the 9700 manages to shave a few millimetres off of each dimension).

The pleather battery cover for the previous BlackBerry remains, but it is an understated revised version which sits dutifully round back. Overall, the updated version of the Bold wins on it’s chassis size, lean weight and overall feel.

The Camera:
The Bold 9000 has a 2-megapixel camera, which was underwhelming even at the time. It delivers tolerably clear pictures and incorporates a competent flash function.

It can record reasonable video as well, although only if there is enough memory space. In the case that there is not enough space, a micro-SD card can be implemented.

These images are all fine for MMS to friends, but don’t expect to be floored if you upload them to your computer. The Bold 9700 has a 3.2-megapixel camera, also equipped with video and with flash, which when compared to today’s standard of 5, 8, or even 12-megapixel cameras doesn’t seem like much, but again, it does the trick so to speak. Its most notable improvement is the addition of an auto-focus feature.
           
The Screen:
The Bold 9000 has a 480x320 pixel screen, equipped with light sensing. This screen is a brilliant one, without a doubt, but the newer BlackBerry comes with a screen full of 480x360 pixels. This is only a small change that doesn’t make much of a difference outside a media viewing context. Both screens are competent, if not exceedingly so.

TrackBall vs. TrackPad
Everyone knows the famous BlackBerry trackball. It has been a staple navigation tool of the company for some time now.

Continuing the theme of upgrading and improving, BlackBerry has installed a new trackpad in lieu of the trackball. This is a step forward for BlackBerry, bringing a trendy touch element to the phone.

There have been reports of a creaking noise when users navigate with the pad, but it has been said on forums that with continued use the noise dissipates.
           
The Battery:
The battery life on the Bold 9000 was deplorable, due predominantly to the 3G capability consuming the power like a Hummer on a highway. Users could expect only a few hours of use before needing to charge again.

The Bold 9700 addresses this issue effectively and will generally allow users at the very least a day, typically longer, without being moored to a socket. This is a significant improvement that does not go unnoticed.

Design Features:
Like all upgrades, the new Bold’s design aspects have been streamlined and tweaked to update its look and feel. BlackBerry has gone about this remodelling with a candid and class touch. The 9700 has a more modern look than the original Bold, with sharper lines and a sleek black finish.

The 9000’s slightly larger chassis sports slick and shiny chrome accents around the edges, highlighting the phone’s soft lines. These accents come on the 9700 as well, but they are considerably less gaudy.

One interesting side note is that we’ve found one notable drawback to the redesign of the Bold. The 9700’s keyboard is smaller, which makes typing a little more difficult. Moreover, the designated number keys on the full Qwerty pad are no longer distinguished by red characters. This design flaw takes a little getting used to when first using the phone.

Browser:
The original BlackBerry Bold came out and utilised many features that previous RIM phones did not. Features like WiFi capability and HSDPA made the Bold an appealing handset to the business consumers that BlackBerry targets.

With the addition of these features, the mobile internet browser was put to serious use. It rapidly became apparent that this browser was just not up to the task of loading complex web pages.

Although it came with a competent processor, web browsing was fickle and lagged at times.

With the BlackBerry 9700 came a new, more powerful processor, that proved to be a semi-effective remedy to this firmware folly. The Bold 9700 still can’t perform like we’d like it to, but there are noticeable improvements in performance when browsing.

Verdict:
The BlackBerry Bold 9700 marks a serious improvement over its predecessor in almost all aspects. It is smaller, sleeker, stronger, and has better stamina. For legions of “Crack-Berry” addicts this handset makes good on RIM’s development reputation of quality and innovation.

The BlackBerry Bold 9000 was a great phone for RIM and was fielded well by the press and consumers alike, but as we seen so many times before, it was eventually eclipsed by the new thing, the next thing, or the better thing. The good news in this story is that the replacement handset is a winner. The Bold 9700 has great battery life, a sparkling screen, and a good brain - all in a smaller, sleeker package. We call that a win. 

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The iPhone may have ruled the roost for quite a while now, but the Google Nexus One is here to knock it off its perch. Will it though?

That’s a question only time can answer, but it’s a lot easier to check out the stats and compare them – to see which is better in theory.

When it comes to mobile phones, there are a lot of boxes to tick, from screen types to the amount of built-in memory, so we thought we’d try them, one-by-one to see which box-ticker uses the most ink.

The screen
The Google Nexus One features a 3.7-inch screen, up against the iPhone 3GS’s 3.2-inch example. As size of screen also dictates size of device, this is a subjective point to argue, but there are other factors that sway the fight in the Nexus One’s favour.

First there’s the resolution – it’s much higher on the Nexus One, 480x800 pixels against the iPhone’s 320x480. This allows for more detail on-screen with Google’s offering, and means you’ll be able to make better use of higher bitrate videos.

However, an even more important feature of the Nexus One is that it uses an AMOLED screen, offering better contrast and black levels than the TFT type used on the iPhone.

Winner – it’s a clear one. Google Nexus One

Touchscreen
Both phones use a capacitive touchscreen, so this is a more closely fought battle than that of the screen itself. In fact, it’s one we can’t really judge until we get our fingers onto the Nexus One’s offering.

However, we do know that the iPhone offers just about the most responsive touchscreen in town, so the Nexus One needs to be quaking in its booties right about now.

Winner – Jury’s out. Odds on iPhone winning

Storage

To be honest, both the Nexus One and iPhone are pretty bad in this category. Apple has made sure you can’t upgrade the memory in your iPhone yourself, leaving it to charge whatever it likes for the different versions of the phone. There are 16GB and 32GB iterations available at the moment.

On the other hand, the Nexus One comes with a measly 512MB of onboard storage and a reported 4GB microSD card bundled in the box.

Both are nothing to write home about, unless it’s to write a furious rant, but the ever-falling price of microSD storage means you can bump it up to iPhone levels without spending too much cash. Plus, if you want to watch movies on the go, you can always carry multiple memory cards around with you – they’re around the size of the nail on your little finger!

Winner – Both lose in our book, but Nexus One by a whisper

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Latest BlackBerry Storm Prices

Latest BlackBerry Storm2 Prices

It's a clash of the touchscreen BlackBerry titans as we see how the original Storm (9500) stacks up against the newly released Storm2 (9520). When Research in Motion (RIM) unveiled the BlackBerry Storm users were shocked. It was the first device from the Canadian mobile giant that missed one historical vital ingredient: the keyboard.

The Storm (9500) was a touch screen beauty, but despite the innovations it brought to the market, it wasn’t without irritation for some users. Fast-forward and we now have a younger sibling having just arrived on the scene in the form of the Storm2 (9520).

So is the second generation better than the first or, just like sequels in films, is the original hard to top? We put the two devices head to head to find out. Looks From a distance the Storm and Storm2 look twin-like. Both feature a very minimalist design and put the lavish, large display centre stage as the main attraction. However, on closer inspection, there are a few subtle differences.

On the second generation Storm, RIM has done away with the gap between the screen and outer casing that attracted dirt and grim and generally annoyed users. The call and menu keys are also now part of the touch screen themselves, rather than attached but somehow separate. While it’s a subtle design change, it looks much sleeker.

Another key difference between the two is how the touchscreen kicks into action. The first generation Storm operated in a see-saw like fashion, where you pressed and the whole screen moved down or up. It was a bit off putting and you couldn’t really gain any speed in typing without a great deal of practice.

The Storm2, on the other hand, still boasts a depressing screen, but it’s much more subtle in how it responds to user commands, thanks to four electrical actuators under the hood. Although, some may argue, the Storm2 is so responsive that you may find yourself accidentally pressing buttons and letters you didn’t intend to.

The twin-like status continues when you take into account the main vital statistics of each handset. Both sport a 3.25in (360x480 pixels resolution) display that serve up the reddest reds and the blackest blacks you can imagine.

Both handsets measure in at 62.2mmx13.95mmx112.5mm (WDH). Interestingly, there’s a slight weight difference between the two with the Storm2 5g heavier than its older sibling at 160g. The real difference emerges when you look at connectivity options. While the Storm boasted HSDPA, A-GPS and Bluetooth, Wi-Fi was notable by its absence.

Thankfully, this makes a late, but much needed, appearance at the party in the form of the Storm2. The two siblings also share the same tastes when it comes to camera ratings, with 3.2 megapixels a piece with flash, auto focus and 2x digital zoom. When it comes to memory, however, the Storm2 gains a lead again with 256MB of Flash memory to the original Storm’s 128MB.

The former also comes bundled with a 2GB microSD card, while the Storm comes with just a 1GB version. When it comes to battery life, there’s a slight different between the two siblings. Both claim to offer six hours of standby, but they differ when it comes to talk time.

Much of this can be put down to the addition of Wi-Fi in the Storm2, as that’s likely to consume quite a bit of juice if you’re a regular user. The 3.5mm headphone jack is also flushed within the casing on the Storm2 adding further to its aesthetics.

That’s not to say the first generation Storm was ugly. Far from it. It was and still is a thing of beauty, but RIM has just added a touch more finesse. Let’s not forget that the 9500 made its debut in a James Bond film too, so it clearly does have some level of sex appeal.

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Palm Pre UK prices and deals

Apple iPhone 3GS UK prices and deals

Palm has remained pretty silent of late. The reason for the quietness? It was cooking up the latest so-called ’iPhone killer’ in the form of the Palm Pre. US users got the new handset first, back in June, whereas poor UK users had to wait until Friday last week.

So after many rumours, some of which turned out to be true and some of which were completely made up, the Palm Pre is here to make its mark on the mobile world, offering something solid for businesses and consumers alike. But will it punch the iPhone’s lights out in the process?

Read on to find out.

Looks
Most reviewers spend a lot of time ascertaining just how different the handset in question looks to the iPhone. Interestingly, straight out of the box, it’s actually quite uncanny how similar the Pre and iPhone are. They could almost be from the same family. OK, maybe distant relatives.

Palm has clearly tried not to just serve up another iPhone wannabe like so many other manufacturers, but there are distinct similarities between the two, in addition to obvious differences.

Both put large screens centre stage and prefer the minimalist approach when it comes to hard keys. Each features just a small rectangle above the display and a round, home button at the bottom. The latter is a more polished silver affair on the Pre, which gives it a slight one-upmanship in the class stakes design-wise. To the untrained eye, that is all you see, whereas next to the home button you’ll find touch sensitivity in residence, which comes to life when swiping apps into and out of play.

The Pre’s display is quite curved. It almost feels as if the items on the screen have been laid on a tablecloth and stretched over the surface. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but it does take a bit of getting used to. Our reviewer described the Pre’s display as “luscious, with a bright image and vivid colours.” We’d have to agree.

Indeed, as the Pre’s screen is a tad smaller than the iPhone’s it benefits from pixel density and is therefore capable of serving up slightly sharper images than its Apple-flavoured nemesis.

Both displays are crisp and offer great clarity, despite the obvious greasy finger issues that plague all touch screen handsets these days. Mark-for-mark, the iPhone doesn’t suffer as much from irksome smudges as the Pre.

Icons on both the Pre and the iPhone are vibrant and easy to navigate, with both screens being very responsive to users’ commands.

That’s where the aesthetic similarities end. The iPhone’s keyboard is a virtual one, while the Pre’s is neatly hidden underneath the screen and slides out smoothly whenever required.

But that’s all that’s smooth about it. The keys are fairly small and hard, akin to an 80s calculator watch and using it feels a little bit too alien and awkward. That said, the keys are well spaced and you can get up quite a bit of speed with some practice, not unlike the iPhone’s virtual QWERTY, which has the same training levels as a pre-requisite if you want to type emails and texts quickly.

The Pre’s volume rocker is also less pretty than the iPhone’s, with black plastic offered up rather than a brushed chrome effect. Sometimes it’s these little touches that can add that deal-breaking level of finesse to a handset, particularly if you’re a style conscious business user.

While users can easily charge their iPhone via their USB port or in the traditional way, the Pre features a fiddly little USB port that is hidden beneath a ‘nubbin’ on the side. At first it feels like you’re breaking the phone by trying to open it but you’re not. Our review unit also came with a Palm Touchstone Charging Dock that makes it easy to charge the handset wirelessly.

As we said earlier, on first glance it doesn’t look like there’s much in it between the iPhone 3GS and the Pre so we’ll let the stats do the talking.

Both handsets weigh in at a nifty 135g, which is very lightweight when you consider just how much the two devices are packing inside their tiny bodies. We’ve then got the Pre’s 59.5mmx16.95mmx100.5mm (WDH) against the iPhone’s 62.1mmx12.3mmx115.5mm (WDH), revealing the fact that the iPhone is slightly taller and slimmer than its marginally more portly counterpart. That said, both are very pocketable and certainly unlikely to cause any questionable trouser pocket bulges, or conversely get buried at the bottom of a bag or briefcase.

While the iPhone has a 3.5in (480x320 pixels resolution) screen, which overshadows the Pre’s 3.1in offering of the same resolution, the fact that pixel density is greater means you’re not missing out that much.

At three megapixels, give or take, each, the cameras also match up when it comes to raw numbers. But the iPhone does beat the Pre when it comes to storage. The 3GS is available in 16GB and 32GB flavours, while the Pre boasts just 8GB. Neither have microSD card slots for additional storage capacity, which is a shame.

Most business users are fully aware that using Wi-Fi and checking emails frequently and so on is going to drain the battery more than someone who simply sends the odd text and makes a few calls, but the Pre and iPhone 3GS seem to be on a fairly level playing field from the off. Both handsets claim to offer five hours’ talk time, but the iPhone has a slight edge when it comes to standby figures with 300 hours to the Pre’s 250. That said, at least the Pre’s is removable and therefore you could, in theory at least, carry a spare. Although, neither could claim innocence as a battery sucker upper.

The Palm Pre is certainly harder than the iPhone. Quite literally, if the Gizmodo video below of someone using it to slice cheese is anything to go by. But being harder doesn’t necessarily give it what it takes to win this particular head-to-head battle.

Features
The Palm Pre is the first of its handsets to feature webOS. Bearing in mind it’s as new to us as anyone else, it’s incredibly intuitive and pleasant to use.

Just like the iPhone wowed everyone with its sleek interface when it first launched, we’re pretty impressed with what we’ve seen of webOS so far too. It certainly has lots of potential.

Being able to swipe away items to discard them, like throwing them into a virtual dustbin, is a really neat touch. It may be the novelty factor, but it certainly at least attempts to out innovate the press-and-you’re-binned mentality the iPhone OS employs.

The quality of images served up by the Pre’s camera are good. But the iPhone’s are much better. There’s no auto focus or video recording capability, which is a massive let down for us. That said, we lamented the camera in the first generation iPhone, so we should cut Palm some slack.

Both the iPhone and the Pre feature Google Maps, although we had a few issues getting up and running here. We launched the app at the same time for both handsets to see what happened. The iPhone found our location in a matter of seconds, while the Pre was still struggling to load the app.

After a few minutes, internet connection dropped and it gave up. So did we. As both handsets are on O2 we can only assume it’s an internal issue but we’d want to test this more thoroughly before suggesting it’s a mainstream fault with the Pre.

That said, finding Wi-Fi on the Pre was a breeze in the same way as it is on the iPhone. Call quality was also far superior on the Pre compared to the iPhone, although both handsets suffered from the heat when charging and under hard usage as their base gets very warm indeed.

Video quality on both devices is a very pleasant experience – whether YouTube or something else - and perfect for winding down between meetings or, of course, watching your company’s latest motivational training video. That said, the Pre wouldn’t let us view them in portrait mode, for some reason, which niggled somewhat.

But, back to business. Both the iPhone and the Pre stack up well when it comes to surfing the web, with a webOS brower and cut-down version of Safari put to good use. Both also feature good search facilities in the form of the iPhone’s Spotlight and the Pre’s Universal search, although the iPhone steals a march here as being slightly more useful.

Indeed, the Pre’s search offering throws up related results across the board, starting with what’s on the handset, then what’s on the web, while the iPhone has a dedicated search function for email or contacts alone, as well as across the rest of the handset and the web, which certainly helps to find exactly what you want speedily.

When it comes to email, both handsets support the usual suspects of Exchange and POP3/IMAP so which one is best comes down to personal preference of how the emails appear on the device itself. And, of course, the speed of delivery. The Pre does offer a one-stop-shop for multiple inboxes, providing access to different accounts through one logical place.

The Pre really wins out on its multi-tasking ability. The O2 website describes it as like “shuffling cards’ and it’s something business users will most definitely appreciate. Apps continue to run in the background in snapshot form when you go back home, which works for us. Yes, the iPhone can ‘multi-task’ to a certain extent, but the Pre takes things one step further, juggling multiple applications and making it look very easy indeed – a boon for business users who are more often than not trying to do three things at once at any given time.

If you’re a business user overwhelmed by too many contacts, or a consumer trying to keep track of different friend groups, the Pre has something for you in the form of Synergy. This handy tool unites your contacts, calendaring and messaging together in one place, saving you both time and effort.

If you’ve had a conversation with one person spread out over multiple mediums, for example, Synergy will thread them together in a unified view. Synergy also unites your calendaring information so you know what you’re meant to be doing when at a glance rather than having to trawl through multiple online diaries.

AOB?
You can pick up the Palm Pre for free, provided you’re willing to shell out £30 or so a month and commit to O2 for two whole years, which is a long time to be stuck with one phone. For the iPhone, however, things could all change very soon.

Orange will be making the iPhone available on its network by the end of the year, followed quite soon after by Vodafone (although it will only say early 2010 at this stage). This flurry of activity is likely to result in better pricing for users.

The Apple App Store is maturing nicely and growing in popularity every day. As such, Palm’s App Catalog looks barren in comparison. But, due to the age factor, we’d be comparing apples and oranges here by suggesting it was fair to make a call. So we won’t. Although Apple’s is clearly superior at this stage. For obvious reasons.

Verdict:
It is a tough call. The Palm Pre offers users who are scared of saying goodbye to their keyboard the best of both worlds. But for that safety blanket they have to compromise a little on the comfort of the keys. It’s also got lots of business-focused goodies on board, but lacks the support network of a big app portfolio.

The iPhone, on the other hand, is more of a finished article as it stands now. Particularly when you consider that there’s an app for pretty much everything, whether work rest or play, waiting for a loving home in the App Store.

In some respects, the Pre may well be a caterpillar waiting to butterfly, but in those areas it’s not there yet. But when it comes to features we can’t really argue with the facts.

The ultimate winner will depend on whether inner beauty or aesthetics are more important to you.

From a comparison written by IT PRO

Palm Pre UK prices and deals

Apple iPhone 3GS UK prices and deals

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HTC Hero UK prices and deals

Apple iPhone 3GS UK prices and deals

Looks
Apple is renowned for its aesthetically pleasing hardware that screams “Buy me” as people walk past. The iPhone is no exception and is certainly a stunner. When the first generation was launched it served up a big dollop of the wow factor and Apple continued in that ilk with two subsequent generations.

A massive 3.5in (480x320 pixels) capacitive screen dominates the handset, which features minimalist buttons (just one home button in the centre at the bottom, volume adjuster on the left-hand side, next to a mute button and a power button on the top right-hand side).

Prior to the iPhone’s arrival, many thought it was only possible to have good-looking devices that lacked brains or boring but brilliant products. Never the twain shall meet it seemed. While the original and second generation

iPhones weren’t without fault, the iPhone 3GS signalled the arrival of a product with as much inner beauty as its outer skin - which despite its look isn’t plastic. Apple hasn’t divulged exactly what the back casing is made of, although it did file a patent for a ceramic coating called Zirconia a while back. Mystery solved?

The HTC Hero, on the other hand, is also somewhat of a design leader. It copies the minimalist design showcased in the G1 and HTC Magic. Its 3.2in screen is also capacitive and ‘oleophobic’ like the iPhone, the latter meaning it should at least minimise the dreaded finger mark effect that plagues every touch screen handset we’ve ever encountered. But this magic can only do so much and both handsets are not impervious to grease. The white HTC Hero also has a Telfon-coated rear to help further minimise any smudge marks.

Below the 3.2in (480x320 pixel) screen, sits more hard buttons than the iPhone 3GS, but still far less than on your average handset. There are four hard keys directly below the display for calling, bringing up the menu and the like, while a trackball is present for navigation. Nestling next to said trackball you can find a search key and back button. And, while the iPhone 3GS is a straight up and down affair with curved sides, the HTC Hero sports the banana-esque lip, which is a love it or hate it piece of design.

The iPhone 3GS and Hero also share the existence of a 3.5mm headphone jack which can often be a deal breaker for users who aren’t prepared to use anything but the best headphones.

Both handsets are also available in black and white, with size (8GB or 16GB) the only restriction determining which hue you can have when it comes to the iPhone 3GS.

Vital statistics
There’s not much in it screen-wise between the two handsets, with the iPhone just edging ahead of the HTC Hero with its 3.5in display to its 3.2in offering. The two mobile heavyweights are also level pegged when it comes to weight at 135g a piece.

Getting out our measuring tape also proved an interesting experience as, although the two handsets clearly differ in size in the hand, when you look at the stats on paper there’s not a world of difference between them, with the iPhone 3GS measuring 62.1mmx12.3mmx115.5mm (WDH) to the Hero’s 56.2mmx14.4mmx112mm (WDH).

While the iPhone 3GS comes in either 8GB or 16GB format, you can’t top up storage through external cards. That’s not the case with the Hero which has 288MB onboard memory and a microSD card slot for that all-important boost. Both are more than adequate for the average business user’s needs.

The two handsets are really set apart by their cameras. While you can take more than decent snaps using the iPhone 3GS’ 3.0 megpixel camera, they’re not mind blowing. The HTC Hero’s inbuilt camera is a whole two megapixels bigger and it also supports geo-tagging, meaning you can nail exactly where you were when that drunken office party picture was posted to Facebook.

Features
The iPhone 3GS features the (at the time at least) latest version of the iPhone operating system, 3.0, which brought with it the ability to send and receive MMS and copy and paste among other things. Both are considered almost basic human rights in the mobile space these days so their arrival was a welcome relief for die-hard iPhone fans considering their options. It also likely swayed many users who had previously ruled out the iPhone for those very reasons.

The HTC Hero, on the other hand, boasts the 1.5 version of the Android OS, otherwise known as Cupcake. It’s also the first HTC handset to feature the company’s new Sense UI, which serves up colourful, context-sensitive menus aplenty.

The Hero boasts a context sensitive search function too, which adapts depending on what application you have open at the time. The iPhone 3GS doesn’t ignore the power of search either, but its Spotlight search functionality is across the board rather than specific to each app. Both options have their merits.

Whether you’re a business user or a consumer, the ability to personalise your device - beyond buying a different coloured case to your friends/colleagues – is key. Both handsets offer this option, with the iPhone 3GS letting you move the position of icons around so what’s dear to you is also nearer to you. The Hero goes one step further with customisable widgets and home screens that bring a little bit of the desktop to the handset.

The iPhone 3G’s Safari browser is clean, quick and easy to use, as is the browser sported by the HTC Hero. Thankfully, both handsets also support multi-touch making viewing web pages and images a much more pleasant experience.

A shortcoming for both handsets lies in the area of video. Clips shot on the Hero are of average quality although watching content shot elsewhere is a much more pleasant affair. While, in the case of Apple, video (which is captured at 30fps at 640x480) still has a lot to learn, having only recently come to iPhone users with the iPhone 3GS. That said, it does make life easier for the novice video editor, which is a bonus.

While the iPhone 3GS still doesn’t support flash, we had some success with the Hero, with it coping – just about – with flash content on IT PRO. It did drop some frames and took a while to load, but audio remained intact.

AOB?
While business users and consumers alike are demanding more and more out of their phones, it’s important to realise that we still need to be able to make and receive calls on them – especially in the corporate world.

iPhone 3GS users do suffer from the odd dropped call, but this could be attributed to network issues, and some handsets also experience echo and other sound problems. However, in the main, Apple’s baby does offer good call quality. The Hero’s call quality is excellent and this even extends to its speakers, which does come in handy for conference calls during business meetings.

The Hero sports a 528MHz processor and the iPhone 3GS a 600MHz ARM processor, both of which are fairly meaty and essential for business users who are likely to have multiple apps open and require a workhorse of a device. Threaded contacts also help users keep track of the different people in their life (whether work or play) and what they’re up to, while the iPhone favours a more traditional approach to contacts management.

In addition to digital compasses, both the iPhone 3GS and HTC Hero offer strong support for corporate and personal email accounts, with POP3 and IMAP both on the menu. Set up is relatively quick and pain-free for both handsets.

The Hero also boasts a few more work-centric feature onboard as standard, including Quickoffice, a PDF viewer and voice recorder, although the iPhone 3GS also sports the latter.

Finally, both handsets share a common love of applications, offering a world of opportunity for work and play through Apple’s App Store and Android Market, both of which are incredibly easy to use.

Verdict
It’s unlike us to sit on the fence, but on this occasion we feel we have too. The iPhone 3GS wins in the looks department and the HTC Hero has slightly more to offer users out-of-the-box, but with two quality app stores on tap, business users can quickly and easily add pretty much whatever they choose to their respective devices, so the edge comes down to personal preference alone.

From a comparison written by IT PRO

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Palm Pre UK prices and deals

Samsung Jet UK prices and deals

Since the iPhone bounded onto the scene back in 2007, all eyes have been on other manufacturers to see what they’ll serve up touch-wise. Many have contended for the iPhone’s throne and failed miserably, while others have provided viable alternatives for those who aren’t afraid of using touch to get in touch.

We check out the Palm Pre and Samsung Jet in this head-to-head review to see whether both, or neither, have got what it takes to please ever-fickle mobile users.

On the outside

The Palm Pre and Samsung Jet are two very different looking handsets, but they have a lot in common. Firstly, each boasts a 3.1in luxurious touch screen and minimalist design when it comes to hard keys.

Although the Pre has something slightly different up its sleeve. Clad beneath its black coat, you’ll find a keyboard that slides out fairly smoothly. While nicely space, the keys may prove a little too compact for those with larger-than-average digits but, with a bit of practice, speed typing is entirely possible.

The Jet is slightly thinner but also longer, measuring up at 53.5x11.9x108.8mm (WDH) to the Pre’s thicker but shorter 59.5.x16.95x100.5mm (WDH). Both handsets are entirely pocketable, despite their grand screens, although the Jet is much lighter at 110g to the Palm Pre’s 135g. Both look stylish but robust at the same time, so you’d have confidence they’d pass the drop-on-the-pub-floor test without issue.

Samsung Jet’s AMOLED screen is primed for consuming media on the go, making it the ideal companion for long commutes or hanging around waiting for people. And, at 480x800 pixels compared to the Pre’s 320x480 pixels, the Jet steals a march for crisp and sharp imagery.

Our reviewer tested out both Divx and Xvid files on the Jet and no problems were reported, meaning it offers a truly portable option for video on the go.

Video quality is also good on the Pre, although it’s a shame it doesn’t offer up any recording capabilities too.

Another aesthetic difference of note is the finish on the handsets. The Jet is quite sleek and soft and the Pre mirrors similar curves, save for its rather hard bottom edge – so hard, in fact, there’s a video doing the rounds of someone at Gizmodo using it to cut cheese!

Beauty and brains
Multi-tasking is a shining star of the Palm Pre. You can have several applications open at once so that you can truly juggle workloads or leisure pursuits. Indeed, our reviewer had 20 apps open at one time and was amazed that the Pre didn’t crash.

An 800MHz application processor lies at the heart of the Jet, helping users do the things they want, when they want.

While pictures taken with the Pre were average, we were a bit disappointed. We hadn’t expected too much from the 3.1 megapixel snapper, particularly as it lacks auto focus but, if we’re honest, we had hoped for more than it delivered.

The Jet, on the other hand, wins on pure numbers alone with a 5 megapixel camera, with auto focus that results in sharp and high-quality images.

Here to help
Both the Pre and the Jet appear to make doing what you want their main role in life, with speed and ease of use high on the agenda. Samsung’s proprietary operating system and TouchWiz interface is intuitive, with customisable – through widgets or mini apps - home screens that give the user an experience akin to what they’re used to on the desktop. The Jet’s fast processor no doubt helps this feeling sail along. We weren’t quite sure what to make of the 3D cube-based menu, which was a bit too show offy and superfluous as far as we’re concerned.

Palm’s webOS, as sported by the Pre, is also pleasant to use. The ability to use sweeping gestures to action and dismiss apps by throwing them off the screen is a nice touch, as is Palm’s Synergy feature. This handy tool unites all your contacts, calendaring information and discussions into one handy place, which could prove a time saver for business users and consumers alike.

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Looks aren’t everything but in the world of fickle mobile users they certainly count for a lot. Nobody wants a phone that others laugh at, nor do they want one so heavy it’s almost hernia inducing, or so light that it’s easily lost down the back of the sofa.

No, mobile users want the moon on a stick. Or at the very least the mobile equivalent of the moon on a stick.

Acer’s first dabble into the mobile phone market certainly looks like something you’d find on the moon. It’s quite chunky and – we mean no disrespect here – looks a bit like a plastic Fisher-Price toy.

But what it lacks in looks, it certainly makes up for in other areas. We'll keep the suspense building for a few more paragraphs on that topic.

Older and wiser
HTC, however, has been in this game a whole lot longer than its wet-behind-the-ears counterpart. And, its maturity is starting to pay dividends.

At 53.1x13.7x107.9mm and 117.5g, there’s something reassuringly familiar about this device. Indeed, those who loved the way the HTC Touch Diamond looked, will find their senses equally as pleased by the aesthetics here. HTC has also increased the screen size a bit – pushing it up from 2.8-inches to 3.2-inches to form a full touchscreen that does the job perfectly.

With dimensions of 60.5.x17x106mm, Acer’s DX900 isn’t exactly a beast compared with the TouchDiamond2, but it’s certainly a lot heavier at 147g. When pocket friendliness matters, this could prove a deal breaker.

However, the DX900 does do something that the Touch Diamond2 doesn’t. While HTC’s handset only has room for the usual one SIM, Acer has made its device a home for two. Although this may prove useful for those who want one handset for work and play but two numbers, the dual-SIM approach hasn’t really set the world on fire in recent years.

A phone by any other name...
Acer’s handset has all the hallmarks of E-TEN, the smartphone house the company acquired in 2008. That said, it could well be saving its really special Acer-specific features for the next generation? While we like the DX900, we certainly hope this is the case.

Both the Touch Diamond2 and the DX900 run Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional as their operating system of choice. For many, this will be a match made in heaven, for others it will be like trying to enjoy a really nice picnic while sitting on an ants’ nest – a massive irritation.

But there is also good news OS-wise for those opting for the Touch Diamond2. The first iteration of the Diamond simply used HTC’s TouchFLO 3D UI as a skin to hide the perceived ugliness of Windows Mobile. To a certain extent this worked, but it didn’t really fool many people into loving it. This time around, however, TouchFLO has actually been integrated with the OS, meaning it’s a much more pleasant experience for the user.

Acer - or should that be E-TEN? – clearly understands that not everyone loves the mobile software equivalent of marmite and has catered for that taste by using the SPB Mobile Shell. This tarting up helps make things a bit nice to both look at and use.

Users also get to choose from a host of applications on firing up the handset. Business card apps, location-based apps, an easy keyboard and more are all up for automatic installation, or you can simply choose to ignore them and save that memory space for other things.

HTC also has a few other UI tweaks up its mobile sleeve in the Touch Diamond2. For starters, there’s a whole lot more to like about the presentation of calls and messages, which are now interlinked by contact.  This threaded construction makes keeping track of what you’re supposed to have said – and what you certainly haven’t said after a few drinks – much easier, a la iPhone.

The rest of the features story
Acer loses the battle when it comes to photography. Its 3-megapixel camera is overshadowed by HTC’s 5-megapixel snapper. Although, as we know, it’s not all about stuffing as many megapixels as you can into a mobile camera so this alone is unlikely to make average users opt for the Touch Diamond2 over the DX900.

Both the HTC Touch Diamond2 and Acer DX900 feature a range of solid connectivity options like Bluetooth, HSDPA and Wi-Fi so the web and email hungry are unlikely to suffer from malnutrition.

When it comes to using either handset as a phone (you know to call people like they did in the old days), both come up with the goods and we didn’t have any complaints during the review period.

Verdict
Considering the DX900 is Acer’s first foray into the mobile phone space, it’s done amazingly well, offering up home for not just one but two SIMs. But, with ages comes knowledge and HTC has gained a slight edge by being around that little bit longer and refining its handsets so they get better with time. Maybe next time Acer?

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There’s one thing abundantly clear about both the Nokia 7100 Supernova and Sony Ericsson W715; both are phones made with fun in mind.

At the risk of sounding like a cheesy father at a school disco, dancing badly while trying to use the kidz’ lingo, they look like ‘party phones’.

If you’re aged 12 or over, we’re not quite sure whether you’d necessarily be interested in the party Nokia’s 7100 Supernova has to offer. In fact, we tactfully described the handset’s design as ‘distinctive’ others would perhaps not be so kind. That said, we do realise that everyone has different tastes when it comes to colour.

Playground slider
The 7100 is a slider that’s available in three different hues: Black with a turquoise blue-framed navigation pad, one with a turquoise belt and back, and, finally, a third where the belt and back are sickly sweet pinky red. They’re fairly pretty but reminded us of the pencil tins we used to keep our geometry sets in back in the day.

The Sony Ericsson W715, on the other hand, while not exactly a high-end smartphone looks-wise, seems a little more understated, a little classier, and much less, well, playground. If the mobile world were a school, the younger kids would be happily playing with 7100 Supernova handsets, while the bigger kids would be wielding W715s.

When it comes to vital statistics, there’s not that much to separate the two devices, with the 7100 Supernova measuring 48.4x15x98mm (WDH) compared with the W715’s 47.5x14.3x95mm (WDH).

Weight wise, it’s a close contest with just a couple of grams separating the phones. At 98g, the W715 is a bit lighter than the 103.5g ‘heavy’ 7100 Supernova, but this slight difference is unlikely to become a deal breaker.

Camera worlds apart
What is likely to make or break the deal, however, is how the two stack up in terms of features. For starters, the 7100 Supernova’s camera is a pathetic 1.3MP compared to the W715’s 3.15MP. OK, so a 3MP camera isn’t going to take the photography world by storm or win any awards for its photographic genius, but it blows the Nokia’s one out of the water.

The 7100 Supernova has a few quirky features such as a night shooting tool and an image sequence mode but it’s sans flash and auto focus, making us wonder why Nokia even bothered to include a snapper on this mobile.

You also get more screen for your money with the W715. Almost half an inch, to be exact. Our reviewer found the 7100 Supernova’s 2.0 inch screen a little small in the casing, meaning it was a bit of a disappointment. The W715 is a bit more generous with 2.4 inches of screenage and a very nice looking navigational set up.

Music to your ears (ish)
Sony Ericsson is renowned for its Walkman line of music phones, so from the off Nokia faced a tough time trying to compete on the tune front. In this instance, it looks like it ran away from the battle ground long before Sony even turned up ready for a fight.

While the loudspeaker on the 7100 Supernova served up fairly decent volume levels and boasts an FM radio to boot, there’s no flash card support and just 4MB of onboard memory, meaning it’s not music to a music lover’s ears. Sony’s W715 has 120MB onboard memory and room for an abundance of tracks thanks to M2 support. The audio quality is also on a par with higher end Walkman handsets, with the usual suspects like SenseMe and shake control present and correct.

UI A OK
Both phones are pretty user friendly though. With Nokia’s using the S40 OS and Sony opting for its own proprietary platform, those who’ve used a handset from either manufacturer before will find them easy to get to grips with.

In addition to HSDPA and Wi-Fi as connectivity options, the W715 also boasts A-GPS, which is a handy addition.

Surprisingly, we found web browsing to be quite pleasant on the 7100 Supernova, despite its smallish screen and lack of 3G, thanks largely to the inclusion of Opera Mini. So good things do come in small packages, then? Sort of.

Verdict
Both the Sony Ericsson W715 and Nokia 7100 Supernova are crowd pleasers when it comes to looks, but Nokia’s handset lets us down with a less than thrilling features set beneath its pretty face. If you want cheap and cheerful, you’ll probably be quite happy with the 7100 Supernova, however, if you want style and substance and are prepared to shell out a bit more, the W715 is the one that you want.

What’s in a name?
Tag the word budget on to the name of a handset and any smiles of anticipation and excitement expressed a moment before tend to turn quickly into a disinterested smile.
Budget handsets are basic, boring and very unsexy, right? Not so. Not when you do it right. And with two thoroughbreds in Nokia and Sony Ericsson, from the off we had high expectations that the 3120 Classic and W302 would be budget phones with a twist.

Thankfully, we were right.

With all the bells and whistles you get on mobiles these days, handsets lower down the phone food chain often don’t get much of a look-in. Nokia and Sony, with their Nseries and Walkman lineups respectively are just as guilty of giving more love to the higher end devices than the more frugal ones, but that doesn’t mean they’re still scrimping when it comes to features.

When faced with the 3120 Classic, out reviewer was reminded of Nokia’s expertise in churning out so-called “every man handsets”. Or every woman for that matter. Resisting the urge to break into song with Whitney Houston’s tune of the same name, the Finnish giant’s heritage in this space is a rich one.

The look
At just 85g, the 3120 is pretty light on its feet, although not quite as light as the W302 which is a good few grams lighter at 78g. Dimension-wise it’s a close call with 45.4x13.4x111.3mm and 46x10.5x100mm (WDH) for the 3120 Classic and W302 respectively.

When it comes to looks both phones are distinctive. With the 3120, Nokia appears far from keen to break up its love affair with plastic. But it’s no size zero with a fairly spacious keypad (great for textaholics) booty with its round, tapered bottom. The W302, has a slightly classier edge thanks to an aluminum fronting to partner its plastic casing. The keypad may be small, but it’s also perfectly formed and we found it a pleasure to use, despite its wee stature.

Neither have a high level of wow factor, but they’re fairly pleasant to look at and quite stylish in their own right, given their associated price tags.

Both handsets are big on user friendliness. If you’ve use any handset from either maker before, you’ll find navigating your way around the menus a complete doddle thanks to Nokia’s user of S40 and Sony Ericsson’s own proprietary operating system. Customisation is also on the menu for the 3120 Classic.

Camera wars
In the camera stakes, the W302 wins by less than a mile, but still quite a fair distance. The 3120’s 2MP camera is pretty basic with no real redeeming features that make you want to use in very much at all. In fact, our reviewer founds it was only really fit for MMS, blogging and wallpapering.

The W302’s camera is also a slightly pathetic 2MP, but it’s still a nifty tool, with 2.5 x digital zoom, a timer, 1600x1200 resolution and the ability to easily and quickly upload snaps to the array of social networking and blogging sites out there.

The Walkman lineup is famed for its music prowess and, despite the budget moniker, the W302 doesn’t let the side down. Adding tracks is easy, TrackID is on board and, while the headphones aren’t the best out there they do the job very well, serving up a fine platter of audio for the senses to feast on.

Given such stiff competition, the 3120 Classic was pretty much beaten before it started, but it still puts in a valiant effort in the music front with a good built-in music player and FM radio. Our reviewer did lament the lack of bundled headphones with the handset, however.

The 3120 Classic boasts 384Kbps 3G, while the quad band W302 doesn’t which is interesting considering the W302 has had the upper hand in most other respects, including battery life which way outperforms Nokia’s handset.

Verdict
Both handsets have very similar features set and storage capabilities, but Sony Ericsson’s W302 steals a slight edge on Nokia’s 3120 Classic by being more light weight, having much superior battery life and a bumper set of camera goodies. As a result, the W302 wins out.

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