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?

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…

Nokia X6 and Nokia N97 mini hands on

Tonight over dinner with a friend from the Symbian Foundation, I briefly played with the Nokia X6 and the Nokia N97 mini which were recently announced at Nokia World! Here are my first impressions…

- Nokia X6: It’s definitely my favorite of the 2. Finally, a Nokia device with a capacitive touchscreen – woohoo :) The X6 is mega sexy, and thinner than it looks in pictures. The camera appears to be identical to the one in the N97 (i.e. up to my standards). There’s no micro-SD card slot, but the speakers sound fantastic.

- Nokia N97 mini: It’s a lot nicer than I expected, especially the metal battery cover and laser-etched Nokia logo. The N97 mini is visibly smaller than the N97, but feels like more of a premium phone. The firmware features kinetic scrolling throughout, a welcome addition. Overall, the name tells most of the story.

I’ll be reviewing all this tasty Nokia goodness soon enough… But in the meantime, check out my pictures!

Motorola CLIQ hands on

Another day, another Android device… Orly?

Today at Mobilize, Motorola announced its first Android phone, the Motorola CLIQ.

My ninja monkeys spent some time with it and took some pictures of it. The verdict? This may just be Motorola’s comeback device :)

First impressions? The CLIQ is definitely the nicest Android phone I’ve used so far. From the glass screen to the metal bezel to the solid slide mechanism, it’s built like a tank (something Motorola is famous for).

The camera seems quite good (albeit limited to QVGA video recording), and the keyboard feels great. As for the UI, it’s reasonably snappy and nicely executed.

I’m definitely looking forward to playing with it some more!

Unboxing the Toshiba NB205 (Mini)

Inspired by Kevin Tofel’s tales and other positive reviews, I decided to purchase a Toshiba NB205-N310 (aka. Toshiba Mini in brown)…

It’s an attractive and inexpensive 10″ netbook that’s well equipped with features like Bluetooth, a huge trackpad, and a fantastic battery life (8-10 hours).

Check out my unboxing pictures, including some side-by-side shots with my Toshiba Portégé 3110CT 10″ subnotebook from 1999!

It’s amazing how 10 years later, despite almost identical size and weight, the Toshiba NB205 offers 10x the performance for 1/10th of the price.

Perhaps there’s even some hacking potential hidden within :)

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.

Samsung T929 (Memoir) camera

It’s been almost 6 months since I picked up the Samsung T929 (Memoir), the first subsidized 8 megapixel cameraphone in the US, and I’m overdue for a review :)

Over the years, I have tested a plethora of 5 megapixel devices – the i-mobile 902, the Nokia N95/N95-3/N95-4, the Sony Ericsson K850i, the Nokia N82, the Motorola ZN5 (ZINE), the Nokia N96, the Nokia N85, the Nokia N79, and more recently the Nokia N97…

There are now several 8 megapixel cameraphones available from Samsung (Pixon, Memoir, INNOV8, Omnia HD), LG (Renoir, Viewty Smart), Sony Ericsson (C905, W995), and Nokia (N86 8MP) – not to mention upcoming 12 megapixel units.

I’m getting a Nokia N86 8MP review unit soon, but so far I’ve only played with the Samsung i8510 (INNOV8), the Samsung i8910 (Omnia HD), and of course the Memoir.

For over 4 months I used it as my primary imaging device, and 1000+ pictures later, I have to say that the Memoir features the best camera I have ever enjoyed on any phone – and by a wide margin!

Apple iPhone 3GS vs. Palm Pre camera

iPhone 3GS sample pictures (slide show):

Pre sample pictures (slide show):

OK, you’re probably thinking this is a bit of an unfair comparison – although the Apple iPhone 3GS camera lacks an (arguably useless) LED flash, the Palm Pre camera lacks the (absolutely essential) auto-focus, as well as video recording…

But, other than the difference in camera and storage specs, the missing GSM/UMTS radios, and the limited selection of apps, the Pre provides 95-105% the iPhone 3GS user experience and features a QWERTY keyboard – that is pretty impressive!

People currently looking for a subsidized über-phone in the US are going to compare the iPhone 3GS and the Pre (and perhaps even the T-Mobile G1 and the Blackberry Storm). So what about the 3 megapixel camera on each device?

Nokia N97 vs. Samsung i8910 camera, revisited

To followup on my first impressions, I’ve taken full sets of pictures and made additional videos with both the Nokia N97 and the Samsung i8910 (Omnia HD)…

N97 sample pictures (slide show):

i8910 sample pictures (slide show):

My takeaway? Both cameras are great!