Nokia leaks C2-06 Touch and Type accidentally, dual-SIM fans rejoice
The first dual-SIM member of the Nokia Touch and Type family has just made its unexpected public debut. The Nokia C2-06 (or C2-02 according to some sources) appeared on the Nokia Conversation blog, starring on an image dedicated to the IPv6 transition of the company’s OVI browser.
As you can imagine, given the nature of the leak, there were no phone specifications mentioned, but this image is more than enough to confirm the existence of the handset.
Before this confirmation, there was always the chance that the leaked prototype we saw earlier was just a dead project that will never see the light of day. Well, it’s not.
Now this “accidental” appearance of the unannounced C2-06 could be either a PR move by Nokia attempting to generate more interest to the Ovi browser article, or just an honest mistake, but whatever it is, we are sure the dual-SIM fans around the world will be glad it happened.
It was only recently, that we saw the first Dual SIM phones by Nokia, the Nokia X1-01 and C2-00, finally ship.
So how about an official announcement now so we know what exactly to be looking forward to?
Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 review: Utility droid
Introduction
Samsung’s QWERTY messengers have not exactly been setting the world on fire. They have done well though to set the scene for this one. The Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 follows on the heels of Omnia and Corby. It puts Android in a time-tested form factor and is ready to entertain upgraders coming from dumbphones and PocketPCs alike.
Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 official pictures
The Galaxy Pro has a clear objective – deliver the full Android experience, a good social package and hassle-free messaging. What does it need to meet those tasks? Well, a comfortable QWERTY keyboard obviously, possibly a touchscreen, enough processing power and at least some basic shooting skills to capture the important moments. Of course, a messenger is nothing without a proper OS and this is where the Android Froyo comes in. But let’s see what else the Galaxy Pro has to offer.
Key features
- 2.8″ 256K-color TFT capacitive touchscreen of QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) resolution
- Full four-row QWERTY keyboard
- ARMv6 800MHz CPU, 270MB RAM, 180MB of user-available storage
- Android 2.2.2 (Froyo) with TouchWiz 3.0 UI
- Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support
- 7.2 Mbps HSDPA
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n with hotspot functionality
- GPS with A-GPS connectivity; digital compass
- 3.15 MP autofocus camera
- QVGA video recording @30fps
- microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v3.0
- microSD slot (up to 32GB, 2GB in box)
- Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
- Accelerometer and proximity sensor
- Document viewer out of the box, paid editing
- Stereo FM radio with RDS
- Light and compact
- Smart dialing
Main disadvantages
- The QVGA screen looks bad and limits the choice of apps
- Portrait homescreen ported to landscape takes some time getting used to
- QVGA-only video recording
- No shutter key
- No Adobe Flash support in the browser
- No secondary video-call camera
- No ambient light sensor
- No dedicated video player app
- No multi-touch
- Android 2.2 Froyo, instead of latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread
It should be clear by now the Galaxy Pro B7510 isn’t your typical Android powerhouse for HD video, quality imaging or heavy-duty internet browsing. Gaming is out of the picture too. To be honest, the Galaxy Pro doesn’t quite make the grade as a BlackBerry competitor. To make up for it, it is social and friendly – and a great texter too. Virtual keyboards have been getting better but the Galaxy Pro’s superbly laid-out keypad is the prefect addition to Gmail.
Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 live shots
So the Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 it is and, although this is not the typical Android package, let’s hope the experience is up to scratch. With a handful of Samsung Ch@ts, Corbies and Omnia messengers gone almost unnoticed, we’re about to see if our Galaxy Pro here has what it takes to leave a mark. Our traditional hardware check-up is due right after the break.
Motorola XOOM review: The Big Bang
Introduction
Phones far and wide wanted to be the iPhone killer and you know what – tablets are no different. The iPad needs to get used to living with a bounty on its head. And always be ready for the likes of the Motorola XOOM.
But the XOOM is no ordinary competitor. We’re talking the first Honeycomb tablet, a cornerstone for Android. It’s Motorola’s first tablet too. If they play their cards right, it could be a big money earner for a company in trouble, so we know Moto gave it their best.
Motorola XOOM official photos
The XOOM has a 10.1” screen of 1280 x 800 pixels resolution, Google’s latest Android OS (after the update rolls out in full), purpose made for tablet use, and a powerful Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core chipset with 1GB RAM. Barely a few lines into the spec sheet and we already like the sound of it.
The Motorola XOOM has more to offer than that. The Verizon US version will be getting a (delayed) LTE update, while dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz) sounds sweet too.
But we won’t go on and on about the specs of the XOOM. Here go the highlights followed – as usual – by what we didn’t like.
Key features
- 10.1” capacitive touchscreen of 1280 x 800 pixel resolution; multi-touch
- 730g of weight
- Dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity; Wi-Fi hotspot
- Optional 3G connectivity (data only) – HSPA or 1xEV-DO (LTE via upgrade)
- GPS with A-GPS support on all models
- 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 AP20H Dual Core processor
- 1GB RAM
- Android 3.0 Honeycomb, upgradable to 3.1
- 16/32/64GB of onboard storage
- microSD card slot (up to 32GB)
- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
- Accelerometer, compass and three-axis gyro-sensor; barometer sensor
- 5MP auto-focus camera with dual-LED flash
- 720p video recording at 30fps
- 2MP secondary video call camera
- HD TV-Out via microHDMI port
- microUSB with host functionality
- Flash-enabled web browser
- 10 hours video playback, 3.3 days of music playback
Main disadvantages
- Seems quite laggy despite the 1GHz dual-core CPU
- Screen is very reflective, hard to use outdoors
- Quite a porker at 730 grams
- No kickstand – it cannot be stood up on a table without a dock
- Non-replaceable battery
- Can’t charge off USB
- LTE-enabling update not out yet for the Verizon version
- Still waiting for an update to enable microSD slot as well
- No document editor pre-installed, not even a viewer
We’re really curious to try out the tablet minded version of Android – the one we’ve tested before was clunky to use and clearly not intended for big screens. And we’ve had a positive experience with the Tegra 2 platform. It’ll be interesting to see how it performs inside a tablet.
And let’s just say that seeing a standard microHDMI port was a pleasant surprise – no need of an adapter to get the TV-Out working. The competition doesn’t even have a standard microUSB port so thumbs up for Motorola and keeping to standards.
Motorola XOOM in our office
The XOOM we’re about to get started with is the 3G-enabled variety with 32GB of inbuilt storage. And yes, it’s got Honeycomb inside – the version of Android meant for tablets. We can hardly wait. Jump to the next page and try to keep up.