Podcast: Talking with Matt #19 (FoneFrenzy special)

It’s time for another podcast (35 min) with Matthew Bennett (Nokia Daily News, US Mobile Industry):
- Audio version
- Video version

This week we were joined by special guest Tony Peric (FoneFrenzy) and his (WiFi-less) Palm Pixi! We discussed the HTC Hero, the Motorola Droid, and the Nokia N900…

We also talked about unlocking and debranding the Sony Ericsson C905a, and we even covered the Acer Aspire 1410 and the HP Mini 311. Enjoy :)

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Pictures taken with the HTC Hero

Talk about déjà vu… Sure, the HTC Hero features a 5 megapixel camera, but compared to the 3 megapixel camera on other HTC devices, it’s just more of the same!

But I’m not complaining – “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” :)

Motorola Droid camera

I’ve been using the Motorola Droid for a week now, and while the device is quite impressive overall, the camera is a mess…

“But wait,” you protest, “those shots look fine.” Sure, the Droid can take pretty decent pictures (slide show). But I’m a camera buff, and do you know how much effort I put into these?

Pictures taken with the Nokia N900

The Nokia N900 camera is really quite good. In fact, even with pre-release firmware, it walks all over the competition!

It’s no surprise. The N900 comes from a long lineage of great 5 megapixel phones from Nokia, such as the N95 and the N82. It features Carl Zeiss optics (with auto-focus and macro), a dual LED flash, and a sliding lens cover – as such, it’s virtually identical to the N97 camera…

Motorola Droid first impressions

It’s been less than a week since the Motorola Droid unexpectedly landed on my doorstep after making quite a fuss on the intertubes. So it’s time for a reality check.

Does this über phone live up to all the hype? The short answer: yes, absolutely! Does it challenge the mighty Nokia N900 to the throne of geekdom? The long answer: possibly, maybe…

Nokia N900 first impressions

I’ve been using the Nokia N900 since unboxing it 5 days ago, and I’m still blown away!

I wrote “the N900 is brilliant”, and it’s true – I have not been this excited about a Nokia device since the N95, and that was pre iPhone.

For better or for worse, the iPhone changed people’s expectations. Suddenly, having the best hardware was secondary to having the best software, services, and user experience…

Pictures taken with the Nokia 6790

On paper, the Nokia 6790 (Surge) camera looks like a whole lot of “meh“! With only 2 megapixels, no auto-focus, and no flash, it’s nothing to write home about… Or is it?

The lens and sensor are relatively decent, color balance and exposure are generally good. Other than the lack of macro, the resulting pictures are pretty nice for this class of device.

Just like the iPhone/iPhone 3G and the Blackberry 8320 (Curve) cameras, the 6790 camera surpassed my expectations, and that’s something to write home about :)

Podcast: Talking with Matt #14

It’s time for another podcast (25 min) with Matthew Bennett:
- Audio version
- Video version

This week (episode 15 14) we discussed the Nokia N900, the Nokia N97 (which I accidentally drop), and the Nokia 6790 (Surge)!

Other topics include Matt’s clever hack, the Toshiba NB205, and a few other things, all while sitting outside of Farley’s

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Podcast: Talking with Matt #13

It’s time for another podcast (35 min) with Matthew Bennett:
- Audio version
- Video version

This week we discussed the Nokia N97, the Samsung i8910 (Omnia HD), and the Nokia E75!

Other topics include Matt’s adventures on the N97 24/7 Tour, plus a few other things, all while sitting outside of Cafe Flore…

Click here to subscribe to this podcast.

Amazon Kindle DX review

Thanks to the friendly people at Amazon, I was able to spend about 2 weeks with the Amazon Kindle DX, and it was an interesting experience. Here are my thoughts.