Reviews - Phone Shop UK

Acer Liquid Review

The first thing to say about the Acer Liquid is that the 3.5″ screen size gives a great first impression and makes the phone stand out in a positive way. It is obviously important for web browsing, photo viewing and more – it also means that touchscreen input using the on-screen keyboard will be easier.

Verdict : People that use a lot of the Google services will get the most out the Acer Liquid. T-Mobile currently has the exclusive on this one. Check Mobiles.co.uk for great deals including cashback and free gifts.

Among other things, the Acer Liquid does not feature an ordinary four-way or trackball below the screen. Instead, there are four buttons under the start screen, search, menus and a button to move backwards. Some might wish for a little more touch buttons, but it wasn’t a problem for our review panel. One commented that the Acer Liquid’s fewer number of buttons that are located on the line below the screen is better than HTC’s physical buttons – some of which are difficult to press without changing the grip on the phone. But most are controlled then by pressing directly on the screen. Except when you want to edit the text you have entered, for example, change a clerical error in a text message, so it works well.

Acer have pre-installed some of its own applications. Among other things, you find an application to use the phone as a media server in a network. Acer has also developed its own application to-do lists. It is something that tends to be standard in most phones but missing among applications as part of Android. There are obviously a number of such free program that can be downloaded from the Market, of which some are better than Acer’s, but it is commendable that Acer tried to create a phone that is complete in the basic functions. In addition, there is a program to check if there is any new version of phone software available, manually or with the recurrence interval.

The phone has version 1.6 of Android and it is unclear exactly what plans Acer has for updates, but the programs are suggesting ambitions to keep the software updated. It has also provided the phone Exchange support by including RoadSync applications for calendar and email.

Acer Liquid Design

Acer has managed to make Liquid real nice without the ease of use have too much stress on the foot. I was suspicious of the little door over the USB connector at first but after a period of use I do not think it is more disturbing. It feels easy access to contact and cover slips easily back into place afterwards.

The web browser found in Android lacks some features and therefore should be looked at, for example, Dolphin Browser. Whichever you choose, web pages load quickly and the browser performs well with normal, full-sized pages. The screen size and particularly its resolution of 480 x 800 pixels is a great asset when you surf. The screen also allows you get good overview of your calendar and other programs.

Acer Liquid Phone – Review

Acer’s Liquid mobile phone is a consistently pleasant acquaintance. It is not incredibly good at something and not strikingly bad at something. In other words, quite a few different types of users feel satisfied with it. The impressive screen is the best feature – so this phone is ideal for anyone that likes to surf the web from their phone. If you expect to write or edit large amounts of text, then you might be better off looking at a phone with a full keyboard.

If you like Android or not is a matter of taste, but Liquid is well placed to go home with many. Like other Android mobiles it’s the case that we must also be prepared to get a Google Account and the greater the number of Google services you use, the more you can get out of the system.

Nokia 5230

One year after their big seller, the Nokia 5800, came on the market, Nokia have released a cheaper and more stripped-down model – the Nokia 5230 which we have had a play round with. The accompanying shells in different colours is probably the most striking innovation of the new Nokia 5230 with touch screen. The camera has little chance to take good pictures and it has not only to do with the fact that it is moderate at 2 megapixels. More importan than megapixels and autofocus in the context of cameras is light or flash. The fact that this is missing in the new Nokia 5230 has of course impact on the photos that the phone can take. Film contrast is a bit better in comparison. It is also a nice feature that you can upload the videos to Youtube.

Overall Verdict : For contract phones you can get better value and features elsewhere – try a Nokia 5800 – great deals at Mobiles.co.uk. You can compare Nokia 5230 Contract Deals or Nokia 5230 Pay & Go Deals. You should be able to get the Nokia 5230 on all networks these days.

Nokia 5230 Comparison

Compared with other Nokia models, there is nothing to make the 5230 stand out. A reasonable comparison is, for example, Nokia’s first touchscreen mobile, the Nokia 5800. Naturally I first thought about it at all was something other than the name that distinguishes the two models are different. The answer is that the camera is worse in 5230 and that there is no wlan.

The 5800 was, as I said Nokia’s first touchscreen mobile and it came out in stores almost exactly a year ago. As a first attempt with a touch screen that also had some teething problems, and Nokia’s first steps to adjust its operating system (symbian) so that it can be controlled with your fingers on a touch screen and not just with physical buttons. There is surprisingly little that has happened in the year. Nokia has developed the menus a bit – but maybe too much ! by adding to the existing functions it’s now become a jumble of settings where it will be difficult to find what you are looking for.

Nokia 5230 Features

Nokia 5230 is perceived as a media mobile and the one thing that will give your phone a boost in that direction is the well-hidden media button just above the screen. One can’t see that there is a button until you accidentally press it and then the shortcuts jump up on your screen. They lead to more of your phone’s media features, such as the music player, photo gallery and a Web browser. The Home screen is then filled with quite a few shortcuts to the phone’s various functions.

So from media to social media then… Nokia does this pretty well. There is a shortcut to Facebook directly from the home screen, and Nokia is also skilled at integrating other types of social services in the phone for you to share with friends, for example, the pictures you take with your phone. Flickr and Nokia’s own Ovi Share service is also included so that with one simple push users can send their pictures directly to the mobile network.

Behind the Internet icon on the main menu hides not only Facebook and the opportunity to share photos, but actually a nearly full-screen with different Web services tailored to 5230 It is impressive and this is for example an address book for phone integrated with an instant messaging programme that allows you to be constantly available to your friends and chat wherever you are. Like the Ovi Share service for photos the chat function is limited by the fact that you probably do not have so many friends who use the Nokia-specific services. The chat is via Nokia’s Ovi service, but you can also add contacts from Google Talk.

The GPS in 5230 means you can use the phone as car navigation, or for that matter, even as a guide when you are walking.

Nokia 5230 Deals

Nokia would have had to make more effort for me to be able to recommend 5230 as a strong buy. You can find a better camera with the one year old Nokia 5800 which makes that a much better value for money buy.

Nokia N97

Following the enormously successful Nokia N95, Nokia has also done well with the N97. The newest version of the Nokia N97 (released in 2009) is the “Nokia N97 Mini”. The Nokia N97 Mini is basically the same phone as the N97, but smaller and lighter. We have reviewed it, and noted that it is both flexible in format and easier to use than the old N97.

Nokia N97 Mini Versus Nokia N97

Nokia’s video gives you a good look round the phone :

Nokia N97 Mini – Review

When you put the N97 and new N97 Mini next to each other, they actually look about as big. It is when you hold them in your hand that you feel the difference. N97 Mini really feels considerably lighter than its big brother the N97.

One could say that the N97 Mini is what the N97 should have been from the start – a good and flexible mobile computer phone with keyboard. The keyboard is actually a bit better in the N97 Mini than in the N97, there is a little better feeling of pressure in the keys too so they have done well here.

New features in version 2.0 of the software of the N97 is above all the new features. If you have an N97 today you can upgrade to the new system on October 1, via Nokia Web. Functionally, then becomes identical with the new N97 – N97 Mini.

“Kinetic Scrolling” is a new feature that allows the new software to be more user friendly. In plain language, it is now easier to scroll through the menus with the N97. When you draw your finger on the menu and you’ll see that the screen rolls on smoothly down (just like the iPhone, which was early to have kinetic scrolling across the menu system).

It’s also much easier to steer your way through the menus of the N97 Mini than the old N97, thanks in particular to the kinetic scrolling, and it has also become easier to change the widgets on the home screen.

New widgets to the home screen are also included in the new system: CNN News with video is one of the pre-installed widgets that come with it. Another is the fashion news from Elle. A third is direct reporting from international football matches and the main European leagues from ESPN Soccer. Another popular application that is available is Spotify which we tested are thought it worked well.

“Life Casting” is another of the new features. This social media function integrates maps, photos and facebook. Your friends can see where you are on the map and you can chat and update your facebook status. Here’s how it looks in Nokia’s film about the Life Casting:

The camera in the N97 Mini is the same 5-megapixel camera that came on the old / original N97 – and both have dual photographic lighting. The one difference is that Nokia left off the lens cover of N97 Mini, to keep the format of the little newcomer.

What has also slimmed down is the battery, which has capacity 1200 mAh, which is 20 percent less battery power than conventional battery in the N97. A Nokia spokesman told PhoneShop.co.uk that the smaller battery will not result in poor battery life than the usual N97, mainly because the screen in N97 Mini is smaller and hence the phone uses less power.