CTIA recap

Last month I covered CTIA for Engadget in Orlando. It was a lot of work with little sleep, but it was also great fun!

Check out my pictures above (slide show – including Shamu), and hit the break to see the news I reported…

Pictures taken with the Motorola Devour

The Motorola Devour shares most of the features of the Motorola CLIQ except the camera, which is downgraded from a competent 5 megapixel unit with autofocus to a terrible 3 MP unit devoid of AF.

It’s possible to make a reasonable 3 megapixel camera without autofocus – see the Sony Ericsson TM717 (Equinox). So what’s wrong here?

Nokia N86 8MP camera

There are two ways to look at the Nokia N86 8MP:

1) It’s Nokia’s flagship non-touch media-centric smartphone, the successor to the mighty Nokia N95/N95-3/N95-4, and a proper substitute for the disappointing Nokia N85.

2) It’s Nokia’s flagship cameraphone, the rightful successor to the awesome Nokia N82, now packing an 8 megapixel sensor and a wide angle, variable aperture Carl Zeiss lens.

Maybe it’s a little bit of both?

Pictures taken with the Sony Ericsson C905a

The Sony Ericsson C905a follows in the footsteps of the excellent Sony Ericsson K850i, but adds WiFi (once debranded), a larger screen (2.4″ vs. 2.2″), and a presumably better camera (8 MP vs. 5 MP)…

As such, it competes with two other great 8 megapixel cameraphones, the Samsung Memoir and the Nokia N86. How does it compare to these known performers? Find out after the break!

Quickie: Sony Ericsson TM717 (Equinox)

After Mobilize, I asked T-Mobile for a Motorola CLIQ review unit, but this Sony Ericsson TM717 (Equinox) arrived instead – oops :)

So I’m not the target demographic for this device, but I have to admit that the Equinox is quite sexy for a flip phone! It’s surprisingly compact, and features some interesting touches like a secondary OLED display and a programmable notification light…

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 :)

Click here to subscribe to this podcast.

Podcast: Talking with Matt #18 (Android special)

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

This week was all about Android – the T-Mobile G1, the HTC Magic, the HTC Hero, the Motorola CLIQ, and of course the Motorola Droid.

We also discussed the Nokia N900, the Nokia N86, the Samsung Memoir, the Palm Pre, BlackBerry 9630 (Tour), the Sony Ericsson C905a and a few other things.

As a bonus, enjoy the lovely view from Bernal Heights :)

Click here to subscribe to this podcast.

Unboxing the Sony Ericsson C905a

Another day, another unboxing :)

I was recently offered to test the second subsidized 8-megapixel cameraphone in the US, the Sony Ericsson C905a – the first being the Samsung T929 (Memoir), one of my favorite devices this year.

Of course, being slightly obsessed with mobile photography and rather fond of those quirky Nordic devices, I accepted!

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!

Podcast: Talking with Matt #9

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

This week we discussed the trip to CTIA, including the Palm Pre walkthrough, the Nokia N97 demo, the Samsung i8910 (Omnia HD), the Nokia N86, the interview with David Wood, plus a few other things (such as my HTC Touch Pro review unit)…

If things don’t make sense at one point (around 3:56), it’s because I ended up editing out a short section where the mic stopped working!

Click here to subscribe to this podcast.