Life of A Phone Lover

Nokia New Phone: N96, N85 and N79

Written by ImagesLab.net on Sunday, August 31, 2008

Nokia just launched 3 new N series phones, the N96, N85 and N79


Nokia N96


Nokia N85


Nokia N79

Samsung i900 OMNIA

Written by ImagesLab.net on Tuesday, August 26, 2008

I've blog about the Samsung Omnia previously somewhere back in June. That was just a preview of the specification and function review. Lately I've got a chance to actually try out this phone as a friend of mine recently purchased it.

First contact with the phone felt like I'm holding an iPhone. At the top of the front panel of the Samsung i900 Omnia is the earpiece, the ambient light sensor and the video-call camera. The screen is a 3.2" touchscreen and situated at the bottom of the front are the Call and End keys as well as the optical joystick. At the left side of the panel is the USB port while the volume key and the camera key are located at the right side of the panel.

Let's take a look at the user interface. To launch the main menu, there is a button located at the top right side. It has a unique small touchpad that operates in two modes - either a normal touchpad or you can use it to navigate as on-screen mouse pointer. In short, it works something like the touchpad from our laptop.

Samsung uses their latest technology called TouchWiz in this phone. The user interface looks more simple and easy to use. Users can customize and personalize their phone depending on their needs. The high resolution touch-sensitive screen uses intuitive tap, sweep, drag and drop operations as well as an on-screen qwerty keyboard.

The Samsung Omnia runs on the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system, which means user can download additional programs/software according to their daily need. On top of that, user can access to MS Office documents such as PowerPoint, Excel and Word. With Outlook, you can also send and receive email wherever you are.

The Samsung Omnia pack comes attached with a 5 megapixel camera that has maximum resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels. The features include autofocus, digital image stabilizer, face recognition, smile detection, and geotagging courtesy of the built-in GPS receiver. Too bad it only comes with LED flash. I actually took a few photos with this phone. The photos are quite sharp and have good color composition. You may records VGA video (640 x 480 pixels) at 15fps or QVGA video (320 x 240 pixels) at 30fps. Nothing too special about the video recording function though.

Never got the chance to test out web browsing as my friend doesn't subscribe to any internet service provider. It has built-in GPS function but it doesn't come with license, so you will need to purchase it.

Overall, I personally think that Samsung Omnia is a better phone compared to the iPhone. There are two versions; Samsung Omnia 8GB & Samsung Omnia 16GB version. This phone is retailing at RM3,199.

Blaze Media Pro Multimedia Software

Written by ImagesLab.net on Sunday, August 24, 2008

What kind of software do you use for mp3 conversion if you want a song from CDs to be say, your phone's ring tone? There are so many software out there; some may be free, some may require you to purchase.

Today, I am going to introduce to you a powerful all-in-one multimedia application that offers conversion, ripping, editing, recording, burning, playback, and much more which is the Blaze Media Pro software.

With this software, you can easily convert audio and video files to your desirable format. It also comes together with CD burning software. For audio conversion, formats supported include CD, MP3, WAV, WMA, OGG, MPEG-4, AIFF, M4A, AAC, AC3, FLAC, and ALAC. Wow! Almost ALL the file formats you can think of is supported! Now, no matter what phone you are using, I think your phone supports at least one of the above formats.

If you have a DVD burner, this software comes with a DVD burning software. Cool huh? You also save a great amount of your time looking for a powerful software like this that offers conversion, ripping, editing, recording, burning, playback, and much more.

Kudos to the DVD converter as it actually allows you to convert DVD to AVI, MPG, WMV. I have been looking high and low for a software which actually allows me to convert DVD to those format. This product really solves my problem and I'm very satisfied with this software. On top of that, you can do video editing for AVI (uncompressed), AVI (compressed using any available codec), MPEG-1, MPEG-2, WMV, as well as ASF.

One word to describe this software... Powerful!

Call Center - Answering Service

Written by ImagesLab.net on Friday, August 22, 2008

Today's post is somewhat different from what I usually blog about. But still, it is something related to communication.

I believe everyone of us have got the experience of calling those toll-free number to various service providers, such as the credit card center to check on your statement/balance, or even calling your internet service provider to lodge a complaint on their services. Because you are not the only one calling them at the same time, have it ever cross your mind how they can take your call within 20-30 seconds?

After doing some research, I found that most call center have their own answering service. Some of them outsource the contract to an external company to run the entire call center. And yes, there are so many outsource companies out there.

So how does one company choose the right outsource company to run its call center? There are many points to begin with. For instance, does the company require a 24 hours answering service? Or do these companies require a custom design for their answering service system? After having all the software that is required, please do not forget that hardware such as computers, phones, headsets and video camera (if required) plays an equally complementary role too.

From what I understand, the most effective and efficient way of answering services is to have first call resolutions, which means avoid putting clients on hold, and most importantly staffs must have the right information/knowledge on hand or by fingertips. Observing the habit of "putting a smile in your voice", let the client feels that you are happy serving them.

So if anyone of you are looking for a great outsource company, do consider those elements that I've mentioned above.

Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte

Written by ImagesLab.net on Thursday, August 21, 2008

Nokia today introduced the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte, a new premium mobile phone that marries the timeless design of the Nokia 8800 Arte range with materials that reflect a new exclusivity based on refinement and authenticity. Engineered from carbon fibre, titanium, polished glass and stainless steel, the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte is for individuals who appreciate uncompromised high performance.

Carbon fibre is an ultra light and strong material that expresses a woven pattern that is both high-tech and sensuous. Custom built to ensure the precision engineering that these materials require, the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte features 3D patterns that express the inherent performance and lustre of carbon fibre.

Inspired by the use of these materials in a range of areas, including architecture, sports cars and aerospace, the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte reflects a modern feel through the unique tones, textures and sculpted shapes that carbon fibre and titanium deliver.

In keeping with the tradition of the Nokia 8800 Arte range, each detail of the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte is carefully considered to enhance the premium value and quality of the device. The minimalistic and seamless surfaces, slide mechanism and impressive weight of the phone all feature throughout the Nokia 8800 Arte line. Also available on the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte are soundtracks and wallpapers created exclusively for the range.

Combining timeless style with superb functionality, the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte offers the unique tap-for-time feature - consumers can tap the steel surface below the display twice and a clock appears on the screen. Background images organically change during the day, giving a unique appearance to the display. The turn-to-mute silencing mechanism allows individuals to silence incoming calls in a discrete manner by turning the phone over, screen-side down.

In addition to the 3G capabilities and 3.2 megapixel auto focus camera and high quality audio, the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte boasts a stunning OLED display and built-in memory that has been expanded from previous offerings in the range to 4 GB. Meanwhile, Nokia's anti-fingerprint coating reduces smudges on metal and glass and unsightly outer seams are hidden by a unique all-in-one microUSB connector.

Enhancing the experience, the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte is delivered with an exclusive range of accessories. These include a Bluetooth touch-sensitive volume control headset, a stylish desk stand and a beautiful leather carrying case.

Info taken from: Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte

Written by ImagesLab.net on Sunday, August 17, 2008

I got this news while I browsing thru the net...

"If you’re a fan of Nokia, Monday’s going to be a rather good day for you, because news has come down the wire from the Boy Genius Report that Nokia are going to be privately unveiling two brand new mobile phones, to select people, a week before their official unveiling.

Which means you can guarantee someone will leak it out onto the net before the official unveiling, in which case, I’ll be there, waiting, with a gleam in my eye, and notebook in hand!

There’s no official word yet on what mobile phones Nokia will be shouting (well, whispering, really) about on Monday, but the Boy Genius Report is saying they reckon it’ll be the N79 and the N85, which look to be designed to fill in the gap between the already available Nokia N78 and the upcoming Nokia N96, which, let’s face it, will be a vastly more powerful phone. It even has a kick-stand for when you’re watching mobile TV.

And it’s sleek. Come to think of it, the Nokia N96 is probably one of the few Nokias I actually like.

But I digress…

Needless to say, since they’ve not actually been announced yet, specs and features are a bit thin on the ground, but both mobile phones are expected to pack a 5 megapixel camera, with the higher-end Nokia N85 packing in GPS and a dual slide in the N95-style.

And before anyone asks, I’m willing to say categorically that the Monday announcement almost definitely won’t include the Nokia 5800 aka the ‘Tube’ aka Nokia’s first S60 Touch touchscreen mobile phone. Because it’s not an Nseries phone. And the announcement has Nseries at the top. So it’s relatively safe to assume it’ll be an Nseries announcement…

Logical, that.

So, those of us waiting to see official info and pics about Nokia’s iPhone-Killer, better known as Batman’s phone since it appeared in The Dark Knight, will have to wait a bit longer…"

Yeah... 2 new mobile phones from Nokia. Can't wait for it !!

Source: New Nokia Phone

Nokia 5320

Written by ImagesLab.net on Thursday, August 14, 2008

I assume most of us are aware of Nokia's Xpress Music mobile phone. Just recently, Nokia launched another Xpress Music phone called the Nokia 5320.

Nokia 5320 is not only a music phone. It combines HSDPA/3G connectivity, 2.0 megapixels camera (can't expect too much from the camera since it falls in the music phone category), 3.5mm audio jack and up to 24 hours of playback time into a small and light package (90 grams).

Similar as the Nokia N-series, the Nokia 5320 operates on the popular Symbian S60 UI. The extra function that caught my attention is that it comes with an innovative new voice-controlled Say and Play feature where you simply say the name of a favorite artist or song and it plays it automatically. Very cool huh?

Also not forgetting to mention, since it's categorize under music phone, it also comes equipped with dedicated Xpress Music keys at the side, dedicated N-Gage gaming keys as well as landscape view for a better gaming experience.

The 5320 Xpress Music phones are on sale now for RM1,085. If you are a music lover, this phone will definitely find its place in your wish list.

Samsung i8510 INNOV8 First look

Written by ImagesLab.net on Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Samsung is proud to present their new upcoming model; the Samsung i8510 INNOV8. I think the model name is a tad too long and kind of hard to remember. But anyway this is how the sliding phone looks like:


Some of the main features:
-General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100 MHz, GPRS/EDGE class 10, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
-Dimensions: 106.5 x 53.9 x 17.2 mm, 140 g
-Display: 2.8-inch 16M color TFT, QVGA resolution (240 x 320 pixels)
Memory: 128 MB RAM, 8/16GB flash storage, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
-OS: Symbian 9.3, S60 3rd edition UI, Feature Pack 2
-Still camera: 8 megapixel autofocus, mechanical shutter, automatic lens cover, dual -Power LED flash, digital image stabilizer, geotagging, auto panorama shot, face detection, smile detection, blink detection

-Video camera: MPEG4 VGA@30fps, QVGA@120fps high-speed recording
-Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, Wi-Fi with DLNA certification, 3.5mm audio jack, TV-out, universal microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS
-Misc: Accelerometer for screen auto rotate, Optical touchpad, 3D hardware accelerator, DivX support, stereo speakers, DSP audio technology, FM radio with RDS

-Battery: Li-Ion 1200 mAh, Talk time: 8 h 30 min, Standby: 310 h
-Expected release date: August 2008
-Expected retail price: 750 euro (1170 US dollars)

By just looking at its design and features, makes me drool. This is no doubt a great phone to own. I'm satisfied with the HSPDA 7.2 Mbps connectivity and find the expandable memory of up to 16GB very irresistible.

Also not forgetting to mention the plus points which are the built-in GPS and Wifi connectivity that makes this a very excellent phone. The only let down is that it doesn't come with xenon flash for its camera. It comes attached with a LED flash. However, I'm excited about the 8MP auto focus camera. It is definitely a feature worth anticipating for. My DSLR only has 10.2 MP. Haha...

We shall wait until this phone is officially available in the market, which would be around the 4th quarter of 2008. Till then.. more details will be up soon!

Motorola ROKR EM25, EM28 and EM30

Written by ImagesLab.net on Sunday, August 10, 2008

Sony Erisccon T700

Written by ImagesLab.net on Friday, August 08, 2008

London, August 7 – Sony Ericsson just launched the Sony Ericsson T700, the T610’s successor or as it is known in the blogoshpere - Remi. The device has a 2-inch TFT display, 3.2 megapixel camera and 512 MB memory card.

The T700 is a slim candybar phone for the mass market – whether you want a phone that looks good or one that is perfect to show off in an important business meeting.

“Become a real head turner with the T700” said Sven Totté, Head of Marketing for the design category at Sony Ericsson. “Sleek and shiny, the slim elegance of the T700 gives users a premium experience at a mid-range price point - perfect for the design conscious. Everyone who bought and adored the iconic T610 will be keen to get their hands on the new T700.”

Source: Sony Ericsson T700

Sony Erisccon C902 Specifications

Written by ImagesLab.net on Thursday, August 07, 2008

Network Technology : GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
Dimensions (mm): 108 x 49 x 10.5 mm
Weight (g): 107
Available colours: Swift Black, Luscious Red

Display
Screen Size : 2 inches, 240 x 320 pixels
Screen Color : TFT 256k colors

Design
Type : Candybar
Antenna : Fixed Internal
Memory
Phonebook : 1000
Internal(MB) : 160 MB internal memory
Expansion : Memory Stick Micro (M2)
Battery
Battery Type : Standard battery, Li-Ion
Stand-by (hrs) : up to 400 hours
TalkTime(min) : up to 540 minutes
Entertainment

Ringtones
Polyphonic
MP3: Yes
A2DP: Yes
TV Receiver: Null
FM Radio: Yes
Video Record: Yes
Video Support: MPEG4
Audio Support: MP3/AAC

Messaging
SMS: Yes
MMS: Yes
EMS: No
Email: Yes

Connectivity
HSDPA: Yes, 3.6 Mbps
EDGE: Yes, Class 10, 236.8 kbps
Bluetooth: Yes, ver 2.0
3G: Yes
GPRS: Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots)
Infrared (IrDA): No
USB Port: Yes
WIFI/WLAN: No

Software
Java (J2ME) Yes ,Java MIDP 2.0
WAP Yes Ver 2.0

Platform / OS
Browser: WAP 2.0/HTML (NetFront), RSS reader
PIM Application: Organizer
Other Application: Picture editor/blogging, Built-in handsfree, TrackID music recognition
Personals

Camera
Lens Type: CMOS, 5.0 Megapixel
Digital zoom
Max. Resolution: 2592х1944 pixels
Flash: Yes
Night Mode: No
Extra Features: auto focus, image stabilizer, secondary video call camera

Pros:
5-megapixel Cyber-shot camera with touch controls
3G with HSDPA high-speed mobile broadband connectivity
Stylish slimline design with novel lens cover
Good quality music player
3.5mm headphones adapter supplied

Cons:
No Xenon flash - LED photo light flash instead
2-inch display is small for a photo-centric camera phone
No Wi-Fi
No GPS receiver

James Bond's Phone - Sony Ericsson C902

Written by ImagesLab.net on Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Do you know that in the upcoming James Bond movie Quantum Of Solace, James Bond will be using the Sony Ericsson C902?

In conjunction with this movie which will be screen in cinemas nationwide starting Nov 9, Sony Ericsson launched the limited edition C902. However, the features of the limited edition C902 is similar with the original one, with a 5MP camera, face detection, photo flash and a feature called BestPic which can take 9 rapid fire photos of a moving object. I will talk about the features and functions of C902 in my coming post. Do stay tuned...

Now, what I'm really interested to know is how James Bond's going to make use of the C902 for his missions. We shall wait and see...

Samsung Soul Olympic Edition

Written by ImagesLab.net on Tuesday, August 05, 2008

With the Olympic games just around the corner, Samsung has taken this chance to introduce its Olympic Edition Samsung Soul.

The Samsung Soul Olympic Edition features a 5 megapixel camera, 7.2Mbps HSDPA and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity- actually it has the same specs as the original Soul.

The only difference is the battery cover where the signature Olympic logo is printed on. The price stands at $688 (around RM 2,252). Do you think it's worth the money for this Olympic Edition? I don't really think so plus I'm not a big fan... What say you?

Skype for Windows Mobile 6.1

Written by ImagesLab.net on Monday, August 04, 2008

It’s definitely good news that Skype can finally be used with Window Mobile 6.1. Users tested Skype using two PDA phones and it actually runs smoothly without lagging or any delay.

Chatting over Skype is not bad at all; unfortunately making calls over HSPDA is still a mucky business when it comes to voice quality. It's much better on Wi-Fi internet connection.

Another drawback is that during calls the touch screen remains active and you are bound for accidental cheek-and-ear presses on the display. Also the green and red receiver keys don't seem to work for Skype call management and video calls are not an option despite both handsets have dedicated video call cameras. However, there’s still room for improvement for Skype in term of its software features.

If you're Window Mobile 6.1 user, you may want download it and probably try and test it for yourself.

Skype 2.2.0.45 can be downloaded here:
http://www.skype.com/intl/en/download/skype/windowsmobile/

Sony Erisccon W902 Specifications

Written by ImagesLab.net on Saturday, August 02, 2008

Here's the specifications for the Sony Ericsson W902 as promised on the previous post.

Network : GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 2100 MHz
Dimensions (mm): 49 x 110 x 11.7 mm
Weight (g) : 99.8

Display
Screen Size : 2.2 inches, 240 × 320 pixels
Screen Color : TFT 262k colors

Design
Type : Candybar
Navigation Key : Multidirectional navigation
Antenna : Fixed Internal
Memory
Phonebook : 1000 x 20 fields
Internal(MB) : 25 MB
Expansion : 1 GB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) - up to 8 GB

Battery
Battery Type : Li - ion 930mAh
Stand-by (hrs) : Up to 384 hours
TalkTime(min) : Up to 240 minutes


Connectivity
HSDPA : Yes
EDGE : Yes
Bluetooth: Yes,v 2.0 + EDR
3G : Yes
GPRS : Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots)
Infrared (IrDA): No
USB Port : Yes
WIFI/WLAN: No

Platform / OS
Browser: Yes, WAP 2.0/xHTML, Access NetFront™ Web Browser
PIM Application: Alarm, clock, calendar, calculator, Stopwatch, Unit conversion, Currency conversion
Other Application: Walkman players, Media Player, Google Maps, Image viewer, Picture editor


Camera
CMOS 5.0 Megapixel
Digital zoom: 16x
Max. Resolution: 2592 x 1944 pixels
Flash :Yes
Night Mode: No
Extra Features: Auto-focus, secondary camera for video call, Image stabiliser, Photo light, Picture blogging, Video light, Video stabiliser
Photo Format: JPEG
Video: Yes, video recording(QVGA 30fps) /Video viewing/Video streaming
Video Format: MPEG4, 3GP (H.263)

The Sony Ericsson W902 will be available in 3 colors, Volcanic Black, Wine Red, and Earth Green.