About HTC Droid Incredible smartphone (Verizon wireless)

The HTC Droid Incredible smartphone offers a 3.7-inch, 480x800 AMOLED capacitive touch screen, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, Android 2.1 with the HTC Sense UI, an optical joystick, an eight megapixel camera with dual LED flash, and the usual Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and 3.5mm headphone jack.

Design

HTC Droid Incredible smartphone officially measures in at 4.63 inches tall by 2.3 inches wide by 0.47 inch thick and 4.59 ounces. It does feel a bit plasticky compared with the Nexus One, but it also finally gives Verizon customers (well, those who can live without a physical keyboard) a viable alternative to the Motorola Droid, as it still offers some of the higher-end features, such as the Snapdragon processor and high-resolution display, that are missing on the carrier's other Android device, the Droid Eris.

HTC Droid Incredible has the capacitive touch screen measures 3.7 inches diagonally and has a WVGA resolution (480x800) just like the Nexus One, but in a side-by-side comparison, the Incredible's display appears smoother and more vibrant than that of the Nexus One.

In addition, it felt more responsive, registering every touch right away and providing a smooth scrolling experience. The built-in accelerometer was quick to change screen orientation, and the proximity sensor kicks in as soon as you hold the phone up to your ear to take a phone call. Our only complaint about the screen would be that it's pretty hard to read in bright sunlight and like many others, the touch screen is an absolute magnet for fingerprints and smudges, so we'd recommend keeping a screen wipe close by at all times. The onscreen keyboard is HTC's own rather than the standard Android keyboard, which is fine by us since the buttons are slightly bigger for easier typing, especially in portrait mode.

Below the display, you have four touch-sensitive shortcut keys--home, menu, back, and search--and below them is a new optical joystick. Much like the ones found on the HTC Legend and theHTC Desire, it replaces the trackball navigator found on previous devices and operates much like a trackpad; you simply move your thumb over the control in the direction you want to move and you can even press down to select an item. Overall, it works as advertised, but the smaller size of the button makes it a bit awkward at first. In general, we used it mostly to scroll and select a smaller item on a Web site, such as a link, and used the touch screen for everything else.

There are very few other physical buttons on the Droid Incredible. On the left side, there's a volume rocker and a Mini-USB port and on top of the device, you'll find a power button and 3.5mm headphone jack. As with most all handsets, the camera and in this case, the dual LED flash, are housed in the back but what's unusual about the Droid Incredible is the back's topographic design and the phone's innards. Instead of a smooth surface, the battery door has bumps and ridges, and it's only after you pop it off that you realize it actually follows the lines of the internal parts of the phone. Verizon packages the Droid Incredible with just the bare minimum: an AC adapter, a USB cable, and reference material.

About HTC 7 Trophy android smartphone (Verizon Wireless)

HTC 7 Trophy android smartphone ships with a 1GHz processor, a 5MP camera and 8GB of on board memory, the spec sheet is standard, but nevertheless, far from shabby.
Design
Design-wise, the HTC 7 Trophy is the least HTC looking out of all the Windows Phone 7 handsets. With no gun metal, silver or matted hard plastic in sight, it has a distinctly black rubberised feel. Tactile and grippy to the touch, it is comfortable to hold, well weighted and while arguably lacking in design risks, delivers an aesthetically neutral, well put together solution that feels considerably more rugged than either the HTC 7 Mozart or the HD7.
The HTC 7 Trophy has a Super LCD display measuring in at 3.8 inches with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. Without the size of the HTC HD7, but with all its pixels at the same time, pixel density is greater giving you a sharper image. Naturally, given the technology, colours aren't as saturated as on AMOLED screens and blacks aren't as deep, but they nevertheless look vibrant for the most part and are bright enough, delivering a great overall experience. Coupled with good angles of view, we're left with no major complaints.
Below the screen are three capacitive buttons, above the screen is the in call speaker, at the top of the HTC 7 Trophy is the power button and a 3.5mm headphone jack, with the camera button to the bottom right and the volume rocker to the top left. Flip the phone over and you’ll find the 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash as well as the loud speaker. Remove the battery cover to reveal a bright yellow interior and a 1300mAh battery.
Overall, the HTC 7 Trophy feels solidly constructed, with a practical, understated design and a comfortable feel when swishing your way around Windows Phone 7. The screen is big enough to make tasks a breeze, and while the keyboard is not quite as comfortable as on the 4.3-inch HTC HD7 display, the 3.8-inch screen on the HTC 7 Trophy is still a great size for everything including text entry.

About LG Optimus 2X Android smartphone

The LG Optimus 2X is one of the most powerful Android smartphones. It can beat any current smartphone when it comes to raw power. It is powered by a dual core ARM Cortex A9 based Nvidia Tegra 2 chip and comes with a 4 inch display, and an 8 MegaPixel camera with full HD video recording.

Design

The LG Optimus 2X sports a standard touchscreen candybar design. It seems to be quite slim but the exact dimensions aren't out yet. It sports a 4 inch WVGA, capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, the new Android standard.

Below the display, you find 4 touch sensitive buttons - Menu, Home, Back and Search. The dimensions is the same as the Galaxy S, the Optimus 2X looks quite stylish.

Hardware and OS

The LG Optimus 2X Android smartphone sports a dual core ARM Cortex A9 based processor on the Nvidia Tegra 2 platform. It is the most powerful mobile device to date and can play back full HD 1080p video easily. It has 512 MB RAM (it could also have 1 GB RAM though) and comes with 8 GB internal storage with support for up to 32 GB microSD cards.

It ships Android 2.2 Froyo, but will definitely receive the Android 2.3 Gingerbread upgrade. It will also have the customized LG UI shell for Android.

Multimedia

Besides hardware, multimedia is the one area where the LG Optimus 2X really shines. It sports an 8 MP camera with autofocus and LED flash. It can capture images at a maximum resolution of 3264 x 2448 pixels and can capture 1080p videos. It also has a secondary 1.3 MP camera and comes with an HDMI out. It also has an FM radio.

Connectivity

The LG Optimus 2X is loaded with connectivity options - it has GPRS, EDGE, 3G HSDPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with DLNA, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and microUSB 2.0. It also comes with a GPS transceiver with A-GPS support. It is powered by a standard Li-ion battery rated at 1500 mAh.

Verdict

The LG Optimus 2X is one of the best smartphones. It leads the Android revolution against the iPhones and BlackBerrys of the world in 2011. It is definitely worth getting.

Verdict of T-Mobile MyTouch 4G android smartphone

The T-Mobile MyTouch 4G is the latest addition to the carrier's MyTouch series of Android phones, and it brings a slew of design and feature enhancements. With a more solid build, the Android 2.2 smartphone feels like a premium device and has the goods to back it up, with HSPA+ support, Wi-Fi calling, mobile hot spot capabilities, and a second-gen 1GHz Snapdragon processor, just to name a few. Unfortunately, one of its hallmark features, video chat, doesn't work all that well, as we were ran into a number of issues. The good news is that there are plenty of other great things about the smartphone to occupy you until video chat is ironed out. The MyTouch 4G is fast, sleek, and delivers great call quality, making it a great alternative if you don't need a keyboard or dislike the bulkiness of the T-Mobile G2.

Design
The T-Mobile MyTouch 4G has a similar shape and look as the rest of the MyTouch family, but there's a noticeable difference in weight and feel. Unlike the previous models, the MyTouch 4G features stainless steel parts and in some instances, a soft-touch finish around the edges (only on certain colors) to give it a more solid and premium feel. As a result, the handset is a bit on the heavier side at 5 ounces. Though design is a subjective thing, we'd rather have a slightly heavier but more solid-feeling device than a light and cheap, plasticky phone. Plus, the MyTouch 4G is still thin and pocketable at 4.8 inches tall by 2.4 inches wide by 0.4 inch thick.

On front, you get a 3.8-inch WVGA touch screen with the option of five or seven home screen panels. Like the MyTouch 3G Slide, the MyTouch 4G uses a combination of T-Mobile's customized user interface and HTC Sense, including the company's widgets and Leap screen, which shows you thumbnail versions of all your home screens. Our stance on customized UIs is that as long as they're useful and don't interfere with software updates, we have no problem with it. Though the latter remains to be seen, as it is now, the MyTouch 4G's interface is helpful and user-friendly, particularly for consumers and first-time Android users.

As for the display itself, it's clear and sharp, though colors don't look quite as rich as those on the Samsung Vibrant's Super AMOLED screen. The touch screen is responsive. Apps launched as soon as we tapped the icon, and the scrolling and pinch-to-zoom actions were fast and smooth. The MyTouch 4G comes with the Swype keyboard installed, though if you don't like it, you can turn it off and peck away on a regular onscreen keyboard. Alternatively, you can use the phone's Nuance Dragon Dictation voice command system to dictate your messages.

Below the display, there's an optical trackpad and Android shortcuts for home, back, and menu. However, instead of a search button, you get T-Mobile's Genius button, which activates the aforementioned Nuance-powered voice command application where you can make calls, compose messages, search the Web, and launch applications with your voice.

On the left side, there's a volume rocker and a Micro-USB port; there's a sole camera button on the right side. The top of the device houses a power button and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The smartphone's main camera and flash are located on the back, but there is a front-facing VGA camera as well, just above the screen on the right side.

The T-Mobile MyTouch 4G comes packaged in a nice, reusable carrying case with an AC adapter, a USB cable, wired stereo headset, an 8GB microSD card, and reference material.

Features
The T-Mobile MyTouch 4G is the most advanced model in the MyTouch series to date. It's running Android 2.2 and also supports the carrier's HSPA+ network. The latter is T-Mobile's enhanced 3G network and not true 4G technology, though the product name and T-Mobile's marketing would certainly have you think otherwise. That aside, the network promises 4G-like speeds and we've certainly experienced that in our tests.

Here in New York, we averaged download speeds of 5.37Mbps and upload speeds of 1.31Mbps, peaking at 7.07Mbps down and 1.33Mbps up. (For comparison, Sprint's 4G network provided average download speeds of 3.42Mbps and upload speeds of 0.93Mbps on the HTC Evo 4G when tested in Philadelphia). With those speeds, the phone's browser was able to load CNET's full page in just 13 seconds, and CNN and ESPN's mobile sites in 6 seconds and 7 seconds, respectively. High-quality YouTube videos loaded within a couple of seconds and played back continuously with synchronized audio and video.

Unlike the T-Mobile G2, the MyTouch 4G can be used as a mobile hot spot with WEP and WPA encryption. We were also able to upload a 2MB photo in 15 seconds, and downloaded a five-track album (file size ranged from 4.7MB to 7.7MB) from iTunes in 50 seconds. The speeds were certainly more than adequate for us to get our work done and then some, though we did experience a drop off in speed in certain parts of Manhattan, such as Midtown.

Stepping back to some of the MyTouch 4G's more basic features, as a phone, it offers quad-band world roaming, a speakerphone, conference calling, voice dialing, text and multimedia messaging, Bluetooth, and GPS.

The phone book is limited only by the available memory (the SIM card holds an additional 250 contacts), and there's room in each entry for multiple numbers, e-mail addresses, IM handles, group IDs, photo caller IDs, and so on. Similar to other Android phones, the smartphone will merge contact information, as well as calendar appointments, from multiple e-mail and social networking accounts, including Exchange, POP3, IMAP, Facebook, and Twitter.

After we set up our device with our various accounts, the smartphone actually presented a list of contacts that had multiple entries and gave us the option to link them on the spot, which was nice since we didn't have to go into the Contacts app and see where there were duplicates.

Aside from the standard Google services and Froyo features outlined in our article here, the MyTouch 4G comes preloaded with a number of extras, mostly entertainment focused, including Rock Band, Asphalt 5, Monopoly, and T-Mobile TV. The last app lets you stream live and on-demand content from channels such as CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, ESPN, and VH1.

All of your own music and video are stored in the phone's Media Room app, where you will also find the FM radio and a preloaded copy of Slacker. The MyTouch 4G has 4GB of internal memory and ships with an 8GB microSD card, though the expansion slot can accept up to 32GB cards.

Last but not least, the T-Mobile MyTouch 4G offers a 5-megapixel with flash, HD video recording, and numerous editing options, including white balance, face detection, ISO, and wide-screen resolution. You can also add effects to your photo, and the camera gives you a small example of what each effect does to the image, so you get an idea of what to expect, which is pretty cool.

Picture quality was good when we took photos outdoors, but they could be better for indoor shots. We could certainly make out the objects in the photo, but they just appeared a bit soft and colors could have been brighter. The MyTouch 4G does have DLNA support (called Screen Share on the phone) so you can stream content from your phone to a DLNA-compliant device like an HDTV.

Verdict of Samsung Epic 4G (Sprint) android smartphone

Samsung Epic 4G android smartphone has a large Super AMOLED touch screen, a 1GHz Hummingbird Cortex A8 processor, and it will have access to Samsung's upcoming Media Hub store. The Epic 4G layers on several enticing extras that its line mates don't have--such as a slide-out keyboard, a front-facing camera, a LED flash, and most intriguing of all, it supports Sprint's nascent 4G WiMax network. The latter feature makes it the second 4G phone in the U.S. after the HTC Evo 4G.

Design
While it is not the sexiest of the Samsung Galaxy S models--that honor goes to the Samsung Vibrant for T-Mobile--the Epic 4G is not a bad-looker either. Its rounded edges, curved corners, and glossy black surface give it a sleek and elegant look that is minimalist and eye-catching. Yet, at 4.9 inches long by 2.54 inches wide by 0.56 inches thick and 5.46 ounces, the Epic 4G is perhaps the SUV of the Galaxy S phones and might be a tight fit in most pockets. Still, we appreciate its heft as it contributes to a decidedly solid and durable feel in the hand.

The Epic 4G's 4.0-inch Super AMOLED display absolutely mesmerized us. It can display 16 million colors and has a WVGA resolution, which enables it to display vibrant graphics and fantastic looking video. The screen also has a wider viewing angle and a higher contrast ratio when compared with a traditional LCD. Thankfully, unlike older OLED displays, the Super AMOLED screen also looks great under bright sunlight.

We found the touch-screen display to be quite responsive. It didn't take long for it to register our taps, and flipping through menus and lists felt intuitive and second nature. If you like, the Epic 4G provides vibration and sound effects as touch feedback, though we didn't think it was necessary. The accelerometer kicked in very quickly, less than a second, to change the screen orientation when we rotated the phone. We're also glad that the Epic 4G has a proximity sensor, which turns off the screen when we hold the phone to our ear during a call. As for input methods, you can use Swype or the standard Android virtual keyboard. Underneath the display are four touch-sensitive keys for the menu, home, back, and search, which are standard for Android phones.

While you can always use the virtual keyboard, the Epic 4G also has a slide-out physical keyboard. Just slide the display to the right and you'll find an incredibly spacious QWERTY keyboard with five whole rows of keys. The physical keyboard gives you a dedicated row of number keys as well as four physical versions of the touch-sensitive controls we mentioned earlier. As we're not big fans of touch-sensitive controls, we're very pleased with the latter. Not only is the keyboard well spaced, but also the keys are highly clickable, with just the right amount of tactile response when pressed. It's certainly one of the better mobile QWERTY keyboards we've tested.

The Epic 4G's other physical controls are the volume rocker on the left spine, and the power/screen lock key and camera button on the right. The phone has 3.5mm headset jack and a Micro-USB port on the top, while its back houses the camera lens and an LED flash. We should note that the Samsung Epic 4G is the only Galaxy S phone with an LED flash for the camera. It is also the only Galaxy S phone to have a front-facing camera, which is located to the upper right of the display. The microSD card slot is located behind the battery cover.

Sprint ships the Samsung Epic 4G with an AC adapter, a USB cable, a wired stereo headset with interchangeable ear bud covers, and reference material. You can also purchase a docking station and a battery charging station, which are available separately. For more add-ons, please check our cell phones accessories, ringtones, and help page.

Out of all the phones in the Samsung Galaxy S series, the Epic 4G strikes us as the most desirable for power users. Like all Galaxy S phones, the Epic 4G has a large Super AMOLED touch screen, a 1GHz Hummingbird Cortex A8 processor, and it will have access to Samsung's upcoming Media Hub store. The Epic 4G layers on several enticing extras that its line mates don't have--such as a slide-out keyboard, a front-facing camera, an LED flash, and most intriguing of all, it supports Sprint's nascent 4G WiMax network. The latter feature makes it the second 4G phone in the U.S. after the HTC Evo 4G.

Perhaps the Epic 4G's biggest downside is its price. At $249.99, it is the most expensive Galaxy S phone that Samsung makes, and that price is with a new two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate. As with the Evo 4G, Sprint charges a mandatory $10 per month for its 4G data. According to Sprint, the price is justifiable because of the extra services you get for the price--4G speeds, unlimited data, and the use of it as a mobile Wi-Fi hot spot, which costs an additional $29.99 a month--but we think the add-on should be optional since its 4G service is not available nationwide.

However, we think the Epic 4G truly deserves its name as its design and feature set make it the all-in-one powerhouse in the Galaxy S family.

The Samsung Epic 4G has a very impressive 4.0-inch Super AMOLED display.

The Epic 4G's 4.0-inch Super AMOLED display absolutely mesmerized us. It can display 16 million colors and has a WVGA resolution, which enables it to display vibrant graphics and fantastic looking video. The screen also has a wider viewing angle and a higher contrast ratio when compared with a traditional LCD. Thankfully, unlike older OLED displays, the Super AMOLED screen also looks great under bright sunlight.

We found the touch-screen display to be quite responsive. It didn't take long for it to register our taps, and flipping through menus and lists felt intuitive and second nature. If you like, the Epic 4G provides vibration and sound effects as touch feedback, though we didn't think it was necessary. The accelerometer kicked in very quickly, less than a second, to change the screen orientation when we rotated the phone. We're also glad that the Epic 4G has a proximity sensor, which turns off the screen when we hold the phone to our ear during a call. As for input methods, you can use Swype or the standard Android virtual keyboard. Underneath the display are four touch-sensitive keys for the menu, home, back, and search, which are standard for Android phones.

The Samsung Epic 4G is the only Galaxy S phone with a physical keyboard.

While you can always use the virtual keyboard, the Epic 4G also has a slide-out physical keyboard. Just slide the display to the right and you'll find an incredibly spacious QWERTY keyboard with five whole rows of keys. The physical keyboard gives you a dedicated row of number keys as well as four physical versions of the touch-sensitive controls we mentioned earlier. As we're not big fans of touch-sensitive controls, we're very pleased with the latter. Not only is the keyboard well spaced, but also the keys are highly clickable, with just the right amount of tactile response when pressed. It's certainly one of the better mobile QWERTY keyboards we've tested.

The Epic 4G's other physical controls are the volume rocker on the left spine, and the power/screen lock key and camera button on the right. The phone has 3.5mm headset jack and a Micro-USB port on the top, while its back houses the camera lens and an LED flash. We should note that the Samsung Epic 4G is the only Galaxy S phone with an LED flash for the camera. It is also the only Galaxy S phone to have a front-facing camera, which is located to the upper right of the display. The microSD card slot is located behind the battery cover.

Sprint ships the Samsung Epic 4G with an AC adapter, a USB cable, a wired stereo headset with interchangeable ear bud covers, and reference material. You can also purchase a docking station and a battery charging station, which are available separately. For more add-ons, please check our cell phones accessories, ringtones, and help page.

User interface
Like the rest of the Galaxy S series, the Epic 4G runs on Android 2.1 with Samsung's TouchWiz 3.0 interface. The latter is definitely improved from previous versions, with some enhanced functionality and a more polished look.

To start, there are new widgets, including one called Feeds & Updates and another called Buddies Now. Feeds & Updates streams updates from Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, and you can choose to display content from one, two, or all three of the social-networking Web sites, as well as set the refresh rate, ranging from 30 minutes to once a day. Buddies Now is like a favorites list and lets you immediately call or text those contacts, as well as comment on any of their updates. There are a number of other Samsung widgets, Android widgets, and other shortcuts, all of which can be added to one of seven home screens.

The home screens can also be personalized with live wallpaper, but there are two elements that remain on each screen: the pull-down notification tray on top, which now includes wireless manager and profile functions, and the toolbar along the bottom with quick-launch buttons to the phone dialer, contacts, messaging, and applications. Pressing the latter takes you to a nice grid view of all your apps; they're spread out over several pages, which you can swipe from side to side. The menu icons are also neatly arranged inside squares for a more unified look. We much prefer this layout over the standard Android one, where you have to scroll up and down. It feels more natural, easier to navigate, and is easier to use than the standard Android interface.

Also, for those worried about how the TouchWiz interface may interfere with future Android updates, according to Samsung, the entire Galaxy S portfolio will be upgradeable to Android 2.2, and it has made tweaks to the user interface that will make it easier to adapt it to future Android versions. However, the company also noted that without really knowing what Google has planned down the line, there may be a time where updates can't be supported because of hardware limitations or other factors.

Features
The Samsung Epic 4G is a CDMA phone that supports 3G and 4G connectivity--3G is in the form of EV-DO Rev. A, while 4G is in the form of Sprint's WiMax. While we weren't able to test the 4G connectivity at the time of this writing, you can read our review of the HTC Evo 4G to get some idea of our experiences with Sprint's 4G WiMax service. Like the Evo 4G, you can use the Epic 4G as a mobile Wi-Fi hots pot for up to five devices. However, bear in mind that this mobile broadband hot spot service costs an extra $29.99 a month.

Unsurprisingly, the Epic 4G comes with a few basic smartphone features like the speakerphone, conference calling, voice dialing, text and multimedia messaging, visual voice mail, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS. The latter is compatible with Sprint's Navigation service, though we're slightly partial to Google's Maps with Navigation app. The phone book is limited to available memory and there's room in each entry for multiple numbers, e-mail addresses, IM handles, group IDs, photo caller IDs, and more.

You can merge all your contacts from your various email and social network accounts into your phonebook with Samsung's Social Hub feature. The phone is often smart enough to link the contacts for you, but we found we had to do some manual linking for a few of our contacts. As for e-mail, the Epic 4G works with Gmail in addition to your own POP3, IMAP, and Exchange accounts, and you can view a combined in-box for all your e-mail if you like. As with the other Galaxy S phones, this works best if you have relatively few e-mail folders-- too many of them will result in a rather cluttered interface. The calendar also syncs nicely with your Google or Outlook calendar.

Since the Epic 4G has a front-facing VGA camera, it makes sense that Sprint has included the Qik video chat app with the phone. With Qik and the front camera, you are able to make and answer video calls provided the other person also has a Qik account. You can also video chat with someone who has Qik running on a PC. The Qik video chat service is free, but there's a premium service that provides higher resolution and video archiving for $4.99 a month. You can use Qik with Wi-Fi, 4G, and 3G networks, but its video is noticeably choppier when connected via 3G.

Other apps on the Epic 4G include the alarm clock, the Android Webkit Web browser, the calculator, Facebook, the memo pad, Google Talk, ThinkFree Office, the voice dialer, Google voice search, the Asphalt video game, and YouTube. Since it is a Sprint phone, you also get a few standard Sprint apps like Sprint Zone, Sprint Navigation, Sprint Football, Nascar Sprint Mobile, and Sprint TV. You can get more apps via the Android Market.

The Epic 4G's beautiful Super AMOLED display makes the phone well suited for watching media. You can watch content from YouTube and Sprint TV, though the video quality from both sources doesn't quite do the display justice. Thankfully, eventually you'll be able to rent and purchase content on the Epic 4G from Samsung's Media Hub that will launch later this year. According to Samsung, its service will include both TV shows and movies; however, we don't yet know the names of the content partners. If you like, you can load your own videos--the Epic 4G supports MP4 video formats in addition to DivX- and DivX HD-encoded media files. The phone is also compatible with Samsung's AllShare service that lets you wirelessly share stored media (that includes pictures, HD video, and more) to other DLNA-certified home electronics.

As with all Android phones, you can purchase and download songs from the Amazon MP3 store, and of course, you can load your own music via USB or microSD. The music player has 5.1-channel surround sound and it has a pretty album cover interface similar to Apple's Cover Flow. The phone only has 1GB of internal memory, so we would advise the use of microSD cards for storing media. The Epic 4G can take up to 16GB microSD cards.

Last, but definitely not least, is the 5.0-megapixel camera, which can record video in HD. Its picture quality is pretty impressive. We thought the images looked sharp and colors were nice and natural. Low-light shots weren't so hot, but, thankfully, the Epic 4G has an LED flash that helped considerably. Some of the camera settings include ISO, blink and smile detection, and panorama mode.

Verdict of the most durable Motorola Defy android smartphone

Motorola Defy specifications:

Size: Dimensions 107mm x 59mm x 13.4mm . Weight 118 g.

Display: Type TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors

Size 480 x 854 pixels, 3.7 inches

-Gorilla Glass display

-Touch sensitive controls

-Motoblur UI with Live Widgets

-Multi-Touch Input Method

-Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate

-Proximity sensor for auto turn-off

2G Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

3G Network: HSDPA 900 / 2100

Memory internal: 2 GB storage, 512 MB RAM,Card slot: microSD, up to 32GB, 2GB included.

Camera 5 MP, 2592х1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash

Features of Motorola Defy android smartphone:

Android OS, v2.1 (Eclair), upgradable to v2.2, CPU TI OMAP3610 800MHz processor.

Battery: Standard battery, Li-Po 1540 mAh.Stand-by up to 238 h, Talk-time up to 6 h 48 min.

Motorola built its ultra-durable Defy smartphone with one purpose–to play the role of ‘toughest Droid on the market'. Just by looking at its heftiness and build-quality, one can (appropriately) guess that the DEFY can withstand more than any other smartphone currently available to the consumer market.

Around the body of the handset lie typical controls, a power/standby button, volume controls, but no dedicated button for the 5-megapixel camera on the back. The exposed screws and black and white design just exude toughness, and it can handle water pressure up to 1 meter. There is an LED flash, if you find such things useful for your mobile snapping, you could always use it as an emergency torch should you take the Defy camping.

Across the bottom of the screen are typical and familiar controls for Motorola fans, offering menu, home, back, and search. These buttons are touch sensitive and provide easy navigation around the device.

The Defy's specs match up well with smartphones like the HTC Aria or even the Samsung Vibrant, which is pretty impressive considering its purpose. It packs a high-res, 3.7-inch edge-to-edge capacitive touchscreen display on the front shows. Although it may be finished in Gorilla Glass, too much rough handling will damage the screen.

It includes an 800MHz processor with 2GB of memory and runs Android 2.1, which is the major disappointment of the device. If it ran Froyo (2.2), it would run complete Flash video integration. However, Defy does run Motoblur; a software coating that runs over Android that specializes in a rich social networking experience.

Unfortunately, it only supports 640 x 480 resolution video capture, although superior video capabilities aren't a priority for most users. You get all the hardware connectivity you'd expect, including HSDPA, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. It also supports DLNA, so you'll be able to easily share your captured content with compatible devices. It can also double as a mobile hotspot, a feature that most carriers have come to love.

The Motorola Defy is a fresh face in what has been a non-existent ultra-durable smartphone market prior to its release. If you're looking for a phone that has a strong extra layer of protection, the Motorola Defy should meet your expectations and give you a solid Android/Motoblur experience.

Talk about HTC Desire Z Android smartphone

The HTC Desire Z smartphone has a respectable side, with its QWERTY keyboard, it also offers some fun with numerous media functions.
The HTC Desire Z smartphone features the latest Android operating system, version 2.2, so there are some major new features to enjoy - as well as the HTC Sense interface, and some new widgets and apps. But HTC has still managed to retain the simple user-friendly interface. You'll find seven home screens, to which you can add shortcuts, apps, wallpapers and widgets. In the centre is the “home” screen. Here there is a default set of widgets and shortcuts (HTC dubs these “scenes” and there are a number of preselected ones to choose from). You can either customise these, or begin with a blank canvas and create your own. At the bottom of the display is a dock, which features a large swatch for Phone along with a pair of smaller tabs for personalisation and programs.
The personalisation menu is now uber-organised, with tabs for customising sound and display, as well as adding shortcuts to home screens. Turn on the handset for the first time and you'll be taken through a simple setup process that asks you to input all your social network and email accounts. The phone could be a bit geeky, but thanks to this straightforward setup, it is actually simple to use.
The Desire Z's HTML browser supports Flash, which enables the user to see web pages as they would appear on your desktop (and that includes embedded video), which puts it ahead of the likes of the iPhone and Windows 7 devices.
Looking good
The Desire Z weighs in at a quite hefty 180g. The battery sits behind a stainless steel cover that pops open when you press a spring-loaded button. The S-LCD display is 3.7inches, and proves brighter than the Super AMOLED displays. A narrow black bezel sits around its edge, and there are a total of four touch-sensitive areas for universal search, home, back and menu. The OK button takes the form of a black optical trackpad. Along the sides of the device, you'll find a micro USB port and a volume rocker - right at the top there's a 3.5mm headphone jack. Memory can be expanded from 1.5GB up to 32GB thanks to a microSD slot. One thing we found annoying is that some of the apps - including the snapper - won't work unless a microSD is inserted, and you won't find one in the box.
Rather than the slider mechanism found on many QWERTY handsets, the Desire Z opens on a three-piece hinge. This offers the user the best possible space to use the four-line QWERTY keyboard, which is backlit for use in low light and has a number of nifty extras - there's a dedicated @ key, and you have the option of assigning two customisable keys to the apps of your choice. While the hinge opens and shuts with a snap, it's neither as smooth nor as controlled as that on the HTC Touch Pro2.
Android and power
With a 1GHz processor and a decent 512MB RAM under the bonnet, you'd expect this device to be pretty speedy, and yet we encountered quite a lag when using the screen. The display is still accurate and responsive, it can be sluggish to scroll and we waited a second for pinch to zoom to work. This may be down to the power-hungry Android 2.2 OS, as we encountered similar problems on the Desire when we updated it to 2.2 from its native Android 2.1
We also found ourselves having to force-close quite often - usually when we were running RAM-intensive features such as maps and the browser. If you want to close open apps without rummaging in the Settings menu, you'll have to download a task manager app from Android Market.
Thanks to its up-to-date OS, the Desire Z can act as a Wi-Fi hotspot - it does a clever trick where it transforms its 3G connection into a Wi-Fi network, to which you can connect other Wi-Fi devices. It's simple to achieve, and can be password-protected so all and sundry won't be using your network! However, be warned that this drains a lot of energy - and the battery has a very average life anyway. We found we had to charge up every night, and with the likes of 3G, Wi-Fi and sat-nav running, it didn't make it through the whole day.
Seeing sense.com
HTC now has a server where you can back up all your data - Sense.com. Using their Sense.com account, the user is able to back up everything from maps, links and contacts, to photos, searches and text messages. The nifty thing about this is that you can also transfer all this information onto another phone - so should you (heaven forbid) lose your phone, or upgrade to another Sense-Android phone, all these details can be downloaded onto the new desire. It is also possible to control your handset remotely using Sense.com. Lost or left your phone somewhere? Choose from call and text forwarding options, a facility to lock your phone or - if you're sure it has gone forever - the remote wipe. It is also possible to make your phone ring on full; fantastic if you're in the habit of leaving it in silent mode and then putting it down “somewhere”. However, we didn't manage to get this to work while we were reviewing the device, and an HTC spokesman did state that this facility is a bit patchy at the moment.
You've got mail
One of the key highlights of the HTC Desire Z is its universal inbox - this can stream your mail from a number of accounts (apart from Gmail). Like other Android handsets, there is a separate app for Gmail.
There is another mail app, entitled Mail, which allows you to add webmail and Microsoft Exchange. You could add Gmail in here if you wanted, but you'd end up getting two lots of notifications. Your mail notifications appear at the top of the display, as do other alerts. To see the full information, simply drag them down.
It is possible to view one mail account at a time, or you can look at them together. You are also able to sort messages by size, sender, date, subject or priority. The phone also allows you to look at other folders - such as trash, drafts or sent - but it only applies to mail that has been downloaded or created on the handset - so you won't be able to view everything you've ever sent, written or dumped. Each account's email is tagged with a different colour for identification, and you can choose to filter by mail with attachments, favourites or unread mail. But don't expect to see your responses, as you can on Gmail. If you're accessing Microsoft Exchange accounts, it's possible to add a facility that lets you flag mails as priority. Oddly, it won't work with invites from Google Calendar or sent from standalone Outlook accounts - we could, naturally, open them and go through to the Calendar app.
Application highlights
With the benefit of Google Maps and A-GPS, it has always been possible to use HTC Android handsets as sat navs, but now the Desire Z has something new in the shape of a Car Panel app, which transforms the home screen into a sat nav dashboard, complete with nearby points of interest, links to your finish point, a history of places visited - and there's also a shortcut to the dialler, so it's simple to use the phone. There's a free 30-day licence for voice navigation (we found the feminine voice quite soothing) but voice command is omitted. We did like the fact that you can put your handset in a car mount, and even if it's connected to neither a headset or car kit, the speakerphone will instantly turn on if you receive or make a call.
The phone's five-megapixel snapper is better than the one that was included on the Desire - daylight images are particularly good, with warm bright colours and decent clarity. Video records at 720p.
The verdict
There are a number of features that make the Desire Z an excellent business handset, but it will also appeal to Android fans thanks to its social networking, media and web facilities. Its top-notch touch-screen, access to Android apps and customisability make it stand out from the other QWERTY smartphones on the market.

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