Long renowned for the quality of their phones, LG have followed demand and started to develop a range of mobiles that will try to challenge in the smartphone market. The LG Optimus is the latest edition to LG’s smartphone stable, and comes with quite an impressive spec. But is it enough to take on the likes of Apple, Google and HTC?

It’s probably fair to say that LG don’t make many ugly mobile phones, and this tradition continues with the Optimus’s good looks. The quality finish of the phone also helps its appearance, and it’s size and shape mean it is easy to hold when you’re using it, and slip into your pocket when you’re not.

The touchscreen on the Optimus is smaller than some of the other smartphones at just 3 inches, but it’s big enough so that you can comfortably use it to view web pages, emails, photos and video. The touchscreen itself provides a nice clear and bright display, with a handy auto-rotate feature provided by the built in accelerometer.

One of the LG Optimus’s strengths is its excellent connectivity features, with the usual 3G and Bluetooth you would expect, plus the ability to connect to WiFi networks, which seems to be the minimum standard for any smartphone these days. The Optimus is a friendly smartphone as well, with features that provide real-time updates from the main social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

LG looks to have decided on Android as their operating system of choice for their smartphones, and whilst the Optimus comes with the slightly outdated version, it still has the functionality most will need in a basic smartphone. Plus, with Android you can take full advantage of the Android Market, and the technology inside the Optimus means it’s performance and battery life will let you make the most of the apps you install.

The Optimus only has a 3 megapixel camera, which does let it down slightly, but it still performs well in most environments, especially with the autofocus making things easier. The lack of a flash and video capture at only 17 frames per second isn’t ideal, but it won’t stop most people getting what they want from the camera.

The likes of Apple, HTC and Google are not going to be overly worried about the challenge from the LG Optimus, but this would probably suit LG just fine. It can’t, and isn’t meant to, compete with the top smartphones. Instead, it is meant to be an affordable smartphone that offers most people what they want; something it does very well.

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When set side by side, you would think that the HTC Desire was an identical twin to the Google Nexus One. The insides are virtually the same, as well. Both offer a 1 GHZ Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor, a GPS, A-GPS, a microSD, 512 MB of flash and 265 MB of Ram. The 3.7″ WVGA AMOLED screen and the curves of the device, as well as the fact that the power button is on the top, also seem to mimic the Google Nexus One. The HTC Desire even incorporates a proximity sensor as well as a compass so that you can use it with augmented reality apps as well as HSDPA. It is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth ready. Don’t forget the 5 megapixel camera with it’s LED flash and ability to capture 800 x 480 video. Both the HTC Desire and the Google Nexus One offer shortcuts on the screen to options like home, menu, back and search. So what’s the difference between the two phones? There actually aren’t that many because HTC actually manufactured both phones. So, although, the Nexus One is officially a Google phone, for all intents and purposes it’s actually a HTC handset. But HTC wouldn’t ship an identical product with a different name though would they? Of course they wouldn’t! The mechanical trackball on the front of the phone has gone, as have the touch-sensitive buttons within the screen. They have been replaced with hard shortcut keys and a more precise optical navigation trackball. This is inline with what has been happening elsewhere in the cell phone market, with BlackBerry making the same choice for their latest releases. It’s been recognized that mechanical trackballs struggle to last the duration of an 18 or 24 month contract, and so this change is a major plus. The HTC handset offers the HTC Sense UI, which is also found on the HTC Hero. Obviously, since it’s not an HTC product, you’re not going to find this in Google’s Nexus One. The Sense UI is improved and faster and has incorporated other contact features that make the Nexus One look much more boring than the Desire. A “helicopter view” is new to Sense and works much the way Expose works on a Mac. If you pinch the homescreen it will display all the pages that are running on the homescreen. All you need to do then is tap the screen to grab the one you want or pinch back out as the Desire supports multi-touch. So, which is the better buy? They’re virtually the same. Really, it’s mostly a matter of personal preference. If you’re really stuck, consider the fact the HTC Desire is a newer release than the Google Nexus One. That fact alone might make it a better buy.

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Blackberry’s innovative smartphones have long been the preserve of the power dressing professional types, who saw them as the ultimate corporate fashion accessory as much as an essential business tool. The Curve is one of a new breed of phones from Blackberry that is designed to take advantage of the everyday consumer’s demand for smartphone functionality and interesting looks. But can the Blackberry Curve make the jump from business to pleasure, in an already crowded and competitive market?

The first thing you will notice about the Curve, is that it has stuck with the typical design of the majority of Blackberry handsets and has a full QWERTY keyboard. Designed to make it easier for business people to send emails, Blackberry hopes that the millions of texters and tweeters will find it just as useful. The rather unique landscape screen is a good size, thanks to the Curve’s wide body, which comes in a choice of colors for those who want to make sure other people know their Blackberry is for play not work.

The Curve has had a few cost-saving changes made to it, which also help to make it more appealing to the everyday user. Gone is the chrome trim in favor of a rubber one, and a trackpad has replaced the trackball seen on the business versions, but these changes don’t do anything to reduce the appeal of the look and feel of the Curve.

Blackberry hopes that consumers will love the Curve for the same reasons that business users have loved the other Blackberrys, and that’s for keeping in touch. With more and more smartphones being used for email and social networking, the Curve’s software and QWERTY keyboard, plus it’s WiFi connectivity, mean it’s ideal for this purpose, even if it lacks the 3G and GPS features of it’s more expensive smartphone competitors.

Navigating around the Curve is nice and simple, thanks to Blackberry’s operating system and the user-friendly interface. You can add to the pre-installed apps thanks to the App World, and the music player is better than many would expect – the Curve even includes dedicated music control keys, to make it more appealing to consumers.

It seems that Blackberry has been able to come up with a smartphone that will be as popular with consumers as it has been with business users, for much the same reasons. Easy to use, great for what most will need, and not as expensive as the other big names, the Blackberry Curve offers a real alternative.

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Smartphone technology is in a constant state of change. Manufacturers must stay on their toes in order to provide handsets that remain on the front edge of the market, and sometimes this simply requires taking what has worked very well and modernizing it. Research in Motion has taken this approach, taking its already high quality Blackberry handsets and tweaking them into the Curve 2.

Taking the place of the Curve 8520, the Curve 2 achieves instant recognition by keeping the formers shell. Really, the only difference is the checkered pattern on the back cover that makes the Curve 2 sleek and smooth. It is somewhat thinner than the 8520 as well, shaving 1/10th of an inch off of the previous 0.6 inches thick down to 0.5 inches. The Curve 2 takes a cue from the Blackberry Bold as well, as users of that model will notice with the keyboard. A QWERTY configuration, the keyboard is kind of small, but it is not a problem as it still surpasses similar devices. On the right side of the phone are the volume buttons and camera shutter. The camera lens, as is typical of Blackberry phones, is on the back. Under the battery cover are the SIM and microSD card slots, and the battery does not need to be removed to get to them.

The Blackberry Curve 2 can be used in a larger number of areas because it is a GSM quad band phone. Anywhere in the world that GSM is found, the Curve 2 will operate. There is a speakerphone installed, but UMA calling is one of the Curve 2s best features. UMA refers to calls made on WiFi networks, and with the Curve 2, users can set the handset to automatically hook up to UMA service on available WiFi. Transitions to GSM are very smooth if the WiFi signal fades. Internet browsing is accomplished on the Curve 2 by means of its WiFi 802.11 b/g connection. Blackberry OS 4.6 powers the smartphone, the same as on the Bold. The Curve 2, however, seems to load web pages better. A quick 512 MHz Xscale CPU drives the Curve 2, erasing any questions of speed. Push email is now Blackberrys claim to fame, and the Curve 2 offers BES and BIS services. Users can therefore choose to let the company use Blackberry servers or let their carriers do so.

The Blackberry Curve 2 updates its predecessors into a handset that provides the latest technology. RIM has built on a series of phones that users like and are familiar with. The Curve 2 will satisfy those looking for the next step in Blackberry devices.

One might think that all smartphone manufacturers have long been placing the Android OS in their handsets. Not so with LG, but the company has taken its time and produced a phone that is versatile and practical at the same time. It is the LG GT540, also known as the Optimus for marketing purposes. It takes the place of the GW620, and since it is the next logical step, development costs have been kept low, savings that are passed on to the customer.

One improvement over the 620 that the Optimus presents is a QWERTY keyboard. This is appealing to those who prefer texting on a pad that is similar to the one on a computer. In order to accommodate the larger keyboard, the body of the phone is somewhat larger than similar models, but it still measures only 109 x 54.5 x 12.7mm enabling the user to tuck it away without a problem. The phone is constructed of a sturdy, lightweight plastic that doesnt add undue weight while carrying it around. A curved, smooth finish adds a sleek aesthetic to the Optimus that is pleasing to the eye.

A 3-inch touch screen covers the front of the handset. A resistive touch screen instead of capacitive, it is still incredibly accurate and produces far fewer mistakes than those who are apprehensive would believe. The screen carries HVGA resolution with a TFT display, rendering images that are quite sharp for a phone in the middle price range. Resolution found on the Optimus is rated at 320 x 480 pixels and 256K colors are displayed.

The LG Optimus provides customers with two types of home screens. Those familiar with the Android OS will recognize one, while the other is customized by LG. The one created by LG allows customizable buttons found at the bottom of the screen that grant access to shortcuts, widgets, and folders. Messaging is instantly accessible from this screen as well. Three to seven home screens are available and the theme can be completely changed.

Some LG smartphones have suffered short battery life, but the company has greatly improved battery performance with the Optimus. Around 7 hours and 20 minutes of talk time and 500 hours of standby time are obtained from the 1500mAh lithium-ion battery. Not many smartphones can claim such life.

Several nice enhancements await users of the LG Optimus. Some of these include an alarm clock as well as a world clock. For those who cant be bothered to bust out the pen and paper, a voice recorder and organizer are available. The Optimus also remembers entertainment hounds and includes a dedicated Youtube plug-in. A PDF viewer is found among tons of other applications.

Fairly new to the Android powered smartphone world, the LG Optimus is user-friendly, leading to a pleasant experience with a new model. Customers unfamiliar with the Android OS will not scream in frustration while veterans will be happy with the features offered.

If you want a value for money smartphone that provides you with the features that are typical of such phones these days, look no further than the LG Optimus. Its sleek, attractive design and array of bright, vibrant color choices betrays the power behind it, allowing you to benefit from GPS, Bluetooth capability, a powerful battery and 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as the microSD memory slot that allows for 32GB of space. Your entertainment options will open up dramatically thanks to the different features on this phone, such as the DivX and Xvid capable media player that does not need to convert these to a more friendly format – the 3D thumbnail gallery means it only takes a second to get to that video you are looking for. If you love to take pictures, you can benefit from the 3MP camera that allows you to face and geo tag automatically, and the integrated video editor has storyboard features to let you make your own movies. You will find it extremely convenient to use the operating system on the LG Optimus as you can create up to seven home screens, all with unique applications including weather and news, as well as games – it is up to your imagination. You can even categorize your main menus to give you easier streamlining of content.

The Google Internet package that the LG Optimus provides is absolutely ideal, allowing you to sync your Google account to it and match up your contacts, Google Talk, Gmail, Google Maps, and even YouTube. There are tens of thousands of apps you can download from the Android Market, so much that you will never be bored or without something that will help you with whatever you need. With the LG Optimus, you can benefit from the myriad Android applications out there, as well as the ability to automatically sync your email accounts to the phone. You can even use the social networking capability of the LG Optimus to catch up to your friends and update your statuses. The Social Networking Client that the LG Optimus offers can give you a one stop shop to check your Bebo, Facebook and Twitter accounts. What’s more, the widgets that come with the Social Networking System give you status updates of your friends on a real time basis, without you having to check it. Since you are able to multitask, you can check the contact list on your phone while you get more status updates from your friends.

As smartphones evolve and change on a seemingly daily basis, manufacturers need to keep up with technology or risk being left behind. With the new N8, Nokia need not worry about bringing up the rear. In fact, the N8 easily stands at or near the top of the smartphone industry. The device is a powerful media center, offering the latest and greatest advances in function and entertainment.

Cell phones have long ago transcended their role as simply a new means to place a telephone call. The small powerhouses now act as computers, televisions, and planners. These tasks would be rendered pointless without the proper display to present the information. The Nokia N8 provides a 3.5-inch OLED touch screen display that easily serves those functions. Its display handles over 16 million colors that show pictures, widgets, and photos in unmatched quality. Also found on the N8 is a 12-megapixel camera that matches up with top-end point-and-click standard cameras. 16 GB of installed storage is included and this can be powered up to 48 GB with a micro SD card. That is plenty of room to store all of your fondest memories.

The Nokia N8 also capably handles shooting movies in 720p HD. Users can further their moviemaking desires with an extensive editing suite. Of course, recording devices need to provide quality playback controls, and the N8 certainly does. Featuring the large touch screen, these controls are accurate and responsive.

Huge numbers of applications now go hand in hand with smartphones. This is of course the case with the N8 and it offers a dedicated WebTV app that allows for the viewing of any kind of news and entertainment gossip one could possibly want. These programs are also presented in Dolby Digital Plus surround sound. If you are looking for even more punch, the N8 may be hooked up to a home theater system in order to really blow the doors off.

Entertainment is all well and good, but it should be noted that the Nokia N8 performs practical jobs better than many other smartphones as well. The N8 operates on the Symbian^3 platform which brings to the table such functions as multi-touch that can be used for pinch-to-zoom. Also available is walk and talk navigation to aid in the use of OVI Maps that are free to download. Better yet, they are free for life and are supported in over 70 countries. The chances of getting lost while using the N8 are slim.

The Nokia N8 has made quite an impression on the smartphone field. The phone has set the bar quite high for other manufacturers and models. The N8 is a success story with which more and more consumers are becoming familiar.

Adopting the Android operating system has been one of the main reasons for HTC’s recent success, and has lead to successful smartphones like the Legend, Google’s Nexus One, and now the HTC Desire. Originally manufacturing smartphones for other companies to sell as their own, HTC’s own brand is becoming more and more popular. So what has their latest entry into the smartphone market got to offer consumers?

The first thing that you notice about the HTC Desire is that is certainly has the appearance of a smartphone, with a well built look and feel and a nice big touchscreen. If you know your smartphones, you’ll probably also notice that it isn’t too dissimilar to the Nexus One. What differences there are a quite subtle, the Desire has a useful mix of touchscreen and clickable buttons, to give users the best of both worlds, and the Desire doesn’t have the Nexus One’s unibody construction, but it’s still well built and good to look at.

The HTC Desire complements its looks with top quality performance as well. The bright, clear images you see on the 3.7 inch AMOLED screen are delivered by a powerful 1GHz Snapdragon processor that can call on 512 MB of memory to make sure it’s able to handle just about any demands you place on it.

With a 5 megapixel camera that also has autofocus and an LED flash, the HTC Desire gives you everything you need to get great shots in just about all situations, especially with the wide 5:3 format making sure you get even more in. Video capture is high resolution, if not high definition, so recording moving pictures will give you results almost as good as your still images, and better than many of the other smartphones on the market.

Since abandoning Windows Mobile on most of its smartphones, HTC has forged ahead with Android, and the Desire demonstrates even further development with HTC’s Sense user interface. Overlaying the Android platform Sense works well and lets users easily and smoothly navigate around the phone. Recent additions to the Sense user interface have included the social network aggregator Friendstream, as well as the home screen manager Leap, and these only help to strengthen the case for the HTC Desire being a smartphone that people love to use.

The HTC Desire builds on the success of Google’s Nexus One and HTC’s own Legend, and gives smartphone users a little bit more. With impressive technology, and a user interface and software to match, HTC has reinforced its position as one of the big smartphone brands.

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Ask anyone who has purchased a Google Nexus One and they will probably heap praise on their new device. There is no shortage of reasons why they gush over their recent buy.

Design – One of the first things you will notice on this terrific device is a large screen displayed prominently on the front. The phone is also quite thin, making for an unobtrusive little device. It is even thinner than an iPhone 3G. The sturdy weight provides a sense of high quality and durability.

Speed – Orientation switches are seamless, page transitions are smooth and videos play without any jerks or time delays. This is possible because the Google Nexus One runs off a powerful 1GHZ Snapdragon processor. This is the best processor in the cell phone world right now.

Homescreen – The homescreen experience on the Nexus One is like no other. Featuring five panes, updated widgets, and super fast navigation, you can instantly receive weather updates, the latest news stories, check your friends Facebook status, and play your favorite songs, all from the homescreen. No other device can boast such easy functionally.

Camera – The incorporated 5 megapixel camera is really cool and takes great full color pictures. It has a powerful LED flash and a user-interface that allows you to easily fine tune your picture taking. The video camera can capture video up to 30 fps and is a joy to use.

Display – The phone packs has perhaps the best touch screen display that you will find on any cell phone. The 3.7″ AMOLED screen used makes watching browsing the internet, playing games and watching videos a really nice experience. An added benefit of the large screen size is that it makes typing on the Google Nexus One fast and easy.

Voice Input – Google had the foresight to add speech-to-text to Android 2.1 technology; therefore, any function on the Nexus One that allows for typing allows for verbal data entry as well. This feature is really quite accurate, lending a high level of ease to sending a quick text message.

Making Calls – As cell phones have evolved and been provided with more advanced features and technology, we sometimes forget that they are still telephones. The Nexus One performs its duty as cell phone magnificently. This is primarily due to HTC provided it with two microphones. One microphone receives the voice for transmission and the other provides noise cancellation.

In your search for a new cell phone, you may end it quickly with the Google Nexus One. There is not much better on the market. In fact, it may very well be the best there is.

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The 3.5 inch ‘Retina’ IPS LCD display really stands out on the new iPhone 4. It boasts an overall display resolution of 960×640 pixels and 326 pixels per inch. In plain language, no other cell phone available on the current market provides resolution nearly this high, which means you have never seen an image this clear on a mobile device.

Apple did not stop with the display on their newest iPhone release. The same internal processor that drives their recently released iPad also governs the iPhone 4. The processor leaves other smart phones way behind, as Apple truly revolutionized its processing abilities for the smartphone. In addition, the battery lasts approximately 40% longer than its 3G predecessor – which means seven hours of talk time and 300 hours if in standby mode. The frequent ding of the low battery tone will be a thing of the past with your new iPhone 4.

The operating system has also been revamped from the iPhone OS 4.0 to the smoothly running iOS 4. Perhaps most pleasing to iPhone users will be the ability to multitask various applications while using their smartphone. Apple has stated that the new operating system has allowed the enhancement of approximately 1500 features on the new iPhone. Previously, a user had to stop iTunes playback in order to check their email – but now the user can listen to music and check email at the same time. Users will also be able to organize and create iTunes folders on the go and will even have the ability to tap into Apple’s emerging iBooks application.

If you want to take pictures, the iPhone 4 can do that better than ever before, with the new 5 megapixel camera that can take 720p HD video as well. Apple has clearly listened to the requests of its customers, who were looking for a camera phone that would rival the competition. ‘Face Time’ can also be used with the camera, allowing you to make video calls, which is a feature unique to smartphones and clearly advantageous for most.

If you think that you want an iPhone 4, then do a little online research and compare service providers to see who has the best deal on this excellent handset. With a two year contract, the iPhone has a promotional selling price of approximately $200, but with a quick online comparison shopping trip, you can almost certainly find an even better price.

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