Mobile Phones

Designed primarily for mobile email and data use, Vodafone has launched its first 'own label' smart phone in Australia. Manufactured, but not branded by ASUS, the 3G capable Vodafone 1210 runs the popular Windows Mobile 5 OS and offers plenty of features for an extremely competitive price.

Features

The appeal of the 1210 lies in its price, as it's considerably cheaper than devices with simular functionality. Although you don't get a touch screen, or some of the more advanced features like Wi-Fi and a digital camera, the 1210 still offers the core functionality of mobile email, data applications and voice services.

The 1210 is a tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900, GPRS and 3G phone. It performs reasonably well for voice calls, and no issues with in-call quality arose during testing. Volume is adequate and the hands-free speakerphone works well.

General Mobile's G777 is a heavenly handset sporting a 3 megapixel camera with video capture and motion sensing technology. The motion sensor is also used to automatically change the handset's wallpaper based on motion, which should prove itself entertaining.

The G777 also features a nicely-sized 2.4" QVGA display as well as a microSD card slot for extra storage. Organizational tools such as a world clock, calculator, and calendar are also built-in, for added convenience.

The dual-band GSM G777 is currently on sale in select European markets.

Imaginarium has created a super-small pre-paid mobile phone, the Mo1, designed for kids 6-12 years old. It was created to help kids, that don't already know how to use your phone, to learn how to use a mobile phone on a less complicated headset.

The Mo1 fits well in small hands and has a very basic setup. It has the answer and close keys, two keys for the menu, and two pre-definable keys, that you can set a number for such as mom and dad or other significant others. The number of incoming messages and calls can also be limited by a parents setting on the phone. The Imaginarium Mo1hit the market in December 2006.

AT&T Inc. has announced that the AT&T Tilt, the most feature-packed smart device available in the United States. The AT&T Tilt is the first AT&T-enabled Windows Mobile 6 smart device and features an innovative slide-out QWERTY keypad design, a 3-megapixel camera, 3G data speeds from AT&T's UMTS/HSDPA-based BroadbandConnect network and complete global connectivity.

Designed by HTC (TSEC:2498), the AT&T Tilt features a 2.8-inch color screen that slides back to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard, then tilts up to position the screen perfectly for reading and creating e-mail, browsing online, using applications or just playing videos and games. The AT&T Tilt supports Bluetooth 2.0, which allows for up to six Bluetooth devices to be wirelessly connected simultaneously to the device and also supports Bluetooth Stereo.

"The AT&T Tilt is the most comprehensive wireless device on the market today," said Michael Woodward, vice president, Business Voice/Data and wireless products, AT&T. "In addition to its innovative design, there is no device on the market that packs the number of features that are available on the Tilt."

The AT&T Tilt features the latest version of TeleNav GPS NavigatorTM which provides GPS-enabled turn-by-turn voice and on-screen driving or walking directions, colorful 3-D moving maps and traffic delay alerts with one-click rerouting. New features debuting on the AT&T Tilt include address sharing, which allows users to share their current locations or the location of their favorite businesses with other mobile users. The new version of TeleNav GPS Navigator also includes reviews and ratings for nearby restaurants and allows customers to rate them directly from their AT&T mobile phone. Business users also can use TeleNav Track, a mobile workforce management solution that includes GPS-enabled tracking, time sheets, wireless forms, navigation, job dispatching and bar code scanning.

It would appear the headset is styled to match the LG Chocolate range of phones. The front face of the unit is a glossy black with a red border, and while it looks nice it is quite fingerprint prone. An LG logo and the multifunction button (MFB) can be found on this face. The MFB is actually very well disguised and without reading the manual, you may not even notice that it is a button. The HBM-730's LED is also located on the MFB and it takes the form of a small red semi circle. The light is the best indicator of status when the headset isn't being worn, but when pressing the MFB, your finger actually covers the light, making it hard to tell if you have held it down long enough or pressed it the correct amount of times. The volume controls are located on the left flank of the device, while the charging port is located on the right.

The size and weight of the HBM-730 was very impressive. Measuring a mere 42.2mm x 20.2mm (1.66" x 0.79") and weighing just 9.4g (0.3oz), the HBM-730 is one of the smallest headsets on the market and rates highly in the weight category too. The 3.7V Lithium Polymer battery delivered a disappointing 3:50 (hh:mm) of talk time and came with a manufacturer claim of up to 150hrs of standby time. Talk time is aound 4 hours and the headset charges from empty to full in under 2 hours. The HBM-730 uses what first looks like a miniUSB port for charging, but is in fact the proprietary LG charger. Included in the package are a lanyard, spare ear-bud covers, the charger, and a user manual.

Though it resembles a coat hanger, the ear loop is easy to change for use with both left and right ears. The size of the loop isn't adjustable. Regardless of whether the HBM-730 is being worn on the right or left ear, the rear end of the volume button turns the volume up and the front end turns the volume down.