Mobile Phones

Released in February 2005, Palm's quad-band Treo 650 is a hybrid PDA/mobile-phone device that addresses many of the shortcomings of its hugely popular predecessor, the Treo 600.

Among other improvements, the Palm OS-based Treo 650 boasts a sharp, 320 x 320 colour screen that is easy to read in sunlight (unlike the 600's screen, with its resolution of 160 x 160). In addition, the 650 features a removable, rechargeable lithium-ion battery (the 600's battery, while long-lived for a PDA/phone hybrid, could not be swapped over).

The camera module has also been updated, although it still only supports 0.3 megapixel shots.

Whereas the 600's camera was basically useless for indoor photography, had no zoom, and couldn't capture video; the 650 works better indoors, has a 2x digital zoom, and can capture brief video clips. The 650 also has a built-in MP3 player that can play tunes stored on a card in the 650's SD (Secure Digital) slot. As it ships with only 22MB of internal storage memory, an extra memory card is a must.

David Beckham was one of the first iPod celebrities and it's a fair bet that the Los Angeles Apple Store rushed an iPhone to his swanky villa, so Proporta's new iPhone screen protector should catch his attention.

The Echo is a washable mirror-screen protector that turns the iPhone into a mirror when the display backlight is off. When turned on the screen is a little duller than usual (which will put off some) but protected from scratches, etc.

It's a neat idea that might appeal to those people who apply make up on the bus, the extremely vain, or nosy parkers who want to catch what's going on behind them. It would also be extremely useful for heliographers.

Observers of youth antics have noted seeing mobile users use their phone's camera to take a picture of their face so that they can then get their hair straight or apply more mascara. With Proporta's Echo there's no need to even turn your phone on for the same effect.

A stylish flip handset on a budget, Vodafone's 411 is a prepaid mobile with a solid features list. An external display showing caller ID, Bluetooth and a microSD card slot for extra storage make it a reasonable choice for a very competitive price.

The 411 is another handset manufactured by Sagem, but packaged and sold as a Vodafone mobile. Its positioning as an entry-level handset means it's aimed at first-time buyers or those after a second handset, so it's not packed with the latest bells and whistles. Although it's quite a compact handset, the 411 feels reasonably well constructed. When flipped closed it should easily slip into any pocket or bag.

The convenient external display and flip handset of the 411 is a nice touch. It displays time and date as well as a battery and reception indicator plus it also displays caller ID, meaning you won't have to flip open the handset to check who is calling.

Sporting a brushed steel face and running the popular Windows Mobile 5 operating system, the 3G-capable ASUS P735 offers a number of worthy features in a distinct package. A 2 megapixel camera with auto focus, business card recognition, native Wi-Fi and memory expansion thanks to a mini-SD card slot are just some of what it has to offer.

Features

The ASUS P735 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 at its highest level, and the quality of the hands-free speakerphone is above average. There is a slight echo at full volume, and conversations held in areas with background noise aren't always clear, but this is a common issue of smart phones. The P735 has basic phone features such as speed dialling, the ability make conference calls, call history, and a 1000 entry phone book, and ASUS has also includes a front-mounted VGA camera for video calling.

The Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth headset really is extraordinary. The experience starts with the box that it comes in, resembling the display of a work of art you might find in a museum, and these good first impressions are just a sign of things to come.

The Jawbone Bluetooth headset is an upgrade to the wired Jawbone headset. The Bluetooth version received an impressive makeover leaving it looking much sleeker and, because it is Bluetooth, the annoying clunky cord is no longer a problem.

The new look, designed by Yves Behar, a distinguished industrial designer, is very impressive. The Jawbone is available in black, silver, and red, and they all look as attractive as each other.

The front face is a glossy black accompanied by small perforations from the front of the device to the LED at the rear. The LED glows white when the headset is active and glows red for powering up and down. The LED acts as a divider between the perforated part and the rear black glossy piece that contains the Jawbone wording and tops the headset. Buttons are located under the surface of both the perforated and the brand bearing areas. Both of these buttons are easy to find and press.