Google Nexus One disadvantages

Introduction

All droids are equal but some droids are more equal than others. Google it. You’ll get the Nexus One. There are around 50 smartphones and tablets running Android today. That’s right, out of all the offspring they fathered with the Open Handset Alliance, Google finally have one to proudly call their own.
What does it mean? Well, not that the ones we’ve seen so far are some poor half-blood droids but the Nexus One is supposed to be THE thing. For one, it’s the first Snapdragon-powered Android and it shows. The Nexus One is wickedly fast. The WVGA touchscreen is a treat to look at and it’s only the second AMOLED display to find on an Android handset. D1 video is sure to sweeten the deal too, and perhaps so will the Live Wallpapers.

Official photos of Google Nexus One

Awash in rumors well before launch, the Google Nexus One was officially revealed in January 2010 and it became available right after the unveiling event. Of course, the first units were to sell only in a very limited number of countries (UK, Singapore and Hong Kong).
Anyway Google are to start shipping their Nexus One through various carriers across Europe, starting with Vodafone this spring. That’s about the time when Verizon subscribers will be getting a CDMA version of the device. Google have a phone to sell, so it’s a fair guess they’ll be seeing to it that everyone can have it. Now, will everyone want to? Let’s see.

Key features

·    Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support

·    7.2 Mbps HSDPA and 2 Mbps HSUPA support

·    3.7" 16M-color capacitive AMOLED touchscreen of WVGA (480x 800 pixel) resolution

·    Android OS v2.1 with kinetic scrolling and pinch zooming

·    Slim profile and some great build quality

·    Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 1 GHz processor

·    512 MB RAM and 512 MB ROM

·    5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and geo-tagging

·    D1 (720 x 480 pixels) video recording @ 24fps

·    Wi-Fi and GPS with A-GPS

·    microSD slot, bundled with a 4GB card

·    Accelerometer and proximity sensor

·    Standard 3.5 mm audio jack

·    microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1

·    Trackball navigation

Main disadvantages

·    No DivX and XviD video playback

·    No Flash support for the web browser (update is on the way)

·    No smart and voice dialing


·    Somewhat clumsy camera interface and limited camera features

·    No dedicated camera shutter key

·    Non hot-swappable memory card

·    No FM radio

·    The soft keys below the display are somewhat unresponsive

The Google phone has HTC fingerprints all over it. We just had the pleasure of the HTC Desire at the WMC and we quite liked what we saw. There’s no reason to expect less of the Nexus One – quite the contrary in fact, a little bit of nepotism only seems right.

Google Nexus One at ours

The Google Nexus One won’t come with the HTC Sense of course, but who would’ve expected so! The Android 2.1 novelties will keep you busy enough anyway, but the first thing on everyone’s mind will be: Is there any special Google treatment the Nexus One is getting?
The latest of the Androids is in a way the firstborn, for all the good and the bad of it. It’s all in the name really: a name that will open doors but that carries a certain obligation too.
Will the Nexus One raise above its droid siblings or will it get lost in the crowd? That’s the kind of questions we’ll be trying to answer on the pages to come. You’re welcome to join: let’s see what the Google Nexus One is made of (and packed in, as well).

Gigabyte GSmart S1205 disadvantages

Introduction

Dual-SIM smartphones are hard to get by. The Gigabyte GSmart S1205 is a fresh addition to that scarce product line, but doesn’t take its unique selling point as a license to empty your wallet. A well built phone, the GSmart is sturdy as a work horse – and probably as good looking. But that’s not the point – at this price you won’t look it in the mouth. It’s a straight deal: a dual SIM PocketPC within budget. The home-brewed Smart Pack user interface on top of the Windows Mobile 6.5 is the only bonus feature.

 

Gigabyte GSmart S1205 official photos

The GSmart S1205 hits the market a few months before the release of the new Windows Phone 7 OS and must fight among a slew of Android handsets. But it has one powerful weapon – dual-SIM dual standby support. We are sure there are many people out there who have to lug around both their home and work phones and would welcome a one-device solution. Their choice has always been limited and Gigabyte are pleased to offer a solution. The GSmart S1205 seems to have a whole niche all to itself. Let’s look at how it’s gonna handle it.
Key features

·    3.2" 65K-color resistive touchscreen at WQVGA resolution

·    Dual-SIM dual standby quad-band GSM/EDGE support

·    Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional OS with Smart Pack UI

·    MediaTek MT6516 416MHz CPU

·    128MB RAM, 256MB ROM

·    3 megapixel fixed-focus camera and VGA@30fps video

·    Wi-Fi connectivity

·    FM radio with RDS

·    Stereo Bluetooth 2.1, standard microUSB port

·    GPS receiver

·    3.5mm audio jack

·    Office document viewer and editor

·    Good audio quality

Main disadvantages

·    Low-end display resolution

·    Poor sunlight legibility

·    Smudge-prone screen surface

·    No 3G connectivity

·    No Back button

·    Task manager buried deep in the Settings menu


GSmart S1205 live shots

Gigabyte have made their own custom interface – the Smart Pack UI. It adds some fancy homescreens to offset the rather boring Windows Mobile looks. The new UI is not in the same league as the heavily customized HTC Sense, but still manages to impress. We are not talking a high-end smartphone here after all.
But let’s cut the foreplay. Follow us on the next page to see what the GSmart S1205 is made of.

Dell Streak

Introduction

The Dell Streak has crossed the line where phones stop – and by some distance too – but we are still not completely convinced it’s beyond the point where tablets start. Is the Dell Streak sitting on a fence or sitting right in the middle of nowhere?
We’ve reviewed all sorts of devices over the years but never did we have more trouble telling exactly what it is that we’re reviewing. And the device itself doesn’t help us make our mind up either. Sure it has a SIM card but those landscape-oriented buttons reveal its tablet intentions. It all boils down to what you want it to do, not what you think of it, we guess.


Key features


·    Quad-band GSM and tri-band 3G support, 7.2 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA

·    Full phone functionality

·    5" 16M-color TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen of WVGA (800 x 480) pixel resolution
·    Android OS v1.6 (Donut) with nicely customized homescreen
·    1GHz Snapdragon CPU
·    512 MB of RAM, 2GB internal storage
·    microSD slot, 16GB card included in the package

·    5 MP autofocus camera with smile detection and geotagging

·    VGA video recording at 30fps; 720p video recording after 2.1 Eclair/2.2 Froyo update

·    Wi-Fi 802.11b/g support

·    GPS with A-GPS; Digital compass

·    Accelerometer, ambient-light and proximity sensor

·    Standard 3.5 mm audio jack

·    Stereo Bluetooth v2.0

·    10mm slim profile, impressive build quality

·    Office document editor

·    Secondary video-call camera

·    Swype predictive text input

·    Very good speaker performance

Main disadvantages

·    Too large and heavy for a phone, and too small for a tablet

·    Proprietary 30-pin connector for charging and USB connectivity

·    Disappointing screen quality and sunlight legibility

·    No Eclair/Froyo update yet (most units are still stuck on 1.6 Donut)

·    No smart dialing

·    No DivX or XviD video support out-of-the-box

·    No Flash support in web browser (yet, Froyo will add it)

·    No FM radio

·    Homescreen has landscape-only orientation

This smartphone / tablet may have identity issues but its timing is right. With smartphones getting better and bigger – and tablets riding the Android tide – the moment is ripe for the Streak. And the best chance Dell have of making a difference in the smartphone game is to take opportunities like this and make them count.
We for one would love to see how that experiment pans out. It’s all to play for in a segment so vastly undeveloped (and that’s an understatement really). So will the Streak prove that a 5” screen is the right balance between portable and usable or will it fail to convince? We’ll have to wait until the end of our review. Looks like we start on the right foot anyway – with design and hardware

Gigabyte GSmart S1205 Disadvantages

Introduction

Dual-SIM smartphones are hard to get by. The Gigabyte GSmart S1205 is a fresh addition to that scarce product line, but doesn’t take its unique selling point as a license to empty your wallet. A well built phone, the GSmart is sturdy as a work horse – and probably as good looking. But that’s not the point – at this price you won’t look it in the mouth. It’s a straight deal: a dual SIM PocketPC within budget. The home-brewed Smart Pack user interface on top of the Windows Mobile 6.5 is the only bonus feature.

Gigabyte GSmart S1205 official photos
The GSmart S1205 hits the market a few months before the release of the new Windows Phone 7 OS and must fight among a slew of Android handsets. But it has one powerful weapon – dual-SIM dual standby support. We are sure there are many people out there who have to lug around both their home and work phones and would welcome a one-device solution. Their choice has always been limited and Gigabyte are pleased to offer a solution. The GSmart S1205 seems to have a whole niche all to itself. Let’s look at how it’s gonna handle it.

Key features

• 3.2" 65K-color resistive touchscreen at WQVGA resolution
• Dual-SIM dual standby quad-band GSM/EDGE support
• Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional OS with Smart Pack UI
• MediaTek MT6516 416MHz CPU
• 128MB RAM, 256MB ROM
• 3 megapixel fixed-focus camera and VGA@30fps video
• Wi-Fi connectivity
• FM radio with RDS
• Stereo Bluetooth 2.1, standard microUSB port
• GPS receiver
• 3.5mm audio jack
• Office document viewer and editor
• Good audio quality

Main disadvantages

• Low-end display resolution
• Poor sunlight legibility
• Smudge-prone screen surface
• No 3G connectivity
• No Back button
• Task manager buried deep in the Settings menu

The lack of 3G support is perhaps the most important drawback. Still, there is EDGE to cover data connections and Wi-Fi for heavy use, which should be enough for most. The three megapixel fixed-focus camera is perhaps more of a disadvantage rather than a key feature. But dual-SIM smartphone shoppers are not quite likely to care about imaging anyway.