The updated device adopts a BlackBerry-esque form-factor in favor of the INQ1’s candybar, adding a full QWERTY keyboard to support a host of social messaging capabilities, including ‘push’ email (via Gmail), Facebook access, Instant Messaging through Windows Live Messenger, Skype, and a Twitter client that provides ‘always-on’ connectivity to the micro-messaging social network so that updates are pushed ’straight to the homescreen’.

That’s a lot of functionality for a fairly low-cost device – it retails for £99 on a pre-pay (PAYG) tariff on 3UK – leading me to describe the INQ Chat 3G as taking aim at overpriced QWERTY touting smartphones.

It wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago, however, that I actually got my hands on the phone. Read on for my thoughts…

Hardware

The INQ Chat 3G looks better in real life than the pictures do justice. Despite being (mostly) plastic, the phone has a glossy look to it and the silver trim down the side, along with the metallic painted back cover, adds a certain amount of style. And while nobody would likely buy the Chat 3G based on looks alone, I actually prefer it to some of the lower end BlackBerrys.

The screen is reasonably bright too, and the navigation pad is nice and large, as is the surrounding function buttons. But with regards to hardware, it’s the keyboard which sets it apart from its predecessor.

And it’s pretty good.

There’s plenty of travel and prominence to each key, and a definite click too. The phone’s software offers auto-suggestions in the form of a popup menu, and I found that with very little practice my typing speeds were on-par with similar portrait QWERTY phones, though not quite as fast as using Nokia’s E71/E72.

On the downside, the space bar feels a lot stiffer than the other keys, although this may wear in over time, and I would have liked a dedicated @ key. That said, a long press and hold negates the need to use function to bring up symbols etc.

Overall, I could certainly live with the INQ Chat 3G’s keyboard on a daily basis, which is saying something.

Like the original INQ1, the Chat 3G’s 3.1 MP camera is nothing to write home about, it’s only really good enough for the most throw away use. Which, once again, is a shame considering how the phone integrates with Facebook, making sharing photos on the social networking site a breeze.

There’s 3G (HSDPA 3.6 Mbp) but no WiFi, understandable considering the phone’s price point. There’s also charging and mass storage mode via miniUSB, and a microSD card slot. Oh and GPS too.

It’s also worth mentioning that battery life is much improved over the INQ1. With push email, a few calls, light surfing, and a healthy sprinkling of Facebook/Twitter, you should be good for at least a full day, if not a little more.

Software

Once again, it’s the software where INQ hopes to distinguish itself from competing phones sold at similar or slightly higher price points. And coupled with 3’s support for Skype, for example, the proposition is pretty compelling.

The UI is the same found on the INQ1, with the phone’s homescreen containing live widgets (weather, RSS feeds, Twitter etc.), along with a carousel of app short cuts, not dissimilar to Mac OSX’s dock.

New to the table however, is INQs Twitter app.

It’s fair to say that the app itself is really nicely designed. As well as updating your Twitter status, along with viewing the updates of those you’re following, there’s support for @ replies and Direct Messaging. The latter are also pushed to the homescreen, just like an SMS, which proved really useful.

So far so good.

But this is where things go a little downhill.

After launching Twitter, the INQ Chat 3G routinely froze while downloading the updates of the 300 or so people I follow. Sometimes this would be for a minute or two and then normal use could resume, and other times the phone would actually reboot. It’s quite a serious issue that INQ needs to address as soon as possible in a firmware update, as a quick google suggests the problem isn’t unique. It’s a real shame because, as I said, the app itself, when working, is great.

The second app I put through its paces was push email using my Gmail account. This was very easy to set up, requiring just a user name and password and I was good to go. There are also options for other common email providers, such as Hotmail, Yahoo etc.

Next up, Facebook.

While the Facebook app is quite basic, often sending you off to the mobile website version, the address book integration we first saw in the INQ1 is really neat. It’s a feature that used to set INQ apart from most of the competition, but is now offered in some form by almost every other handset maker – Palm Synergy, HTC Sense etc. – and a number of carriers (Vodafone 360). INQ’s implementation still works well, enabling you to merge contacts that crop up in both Facebook and the phone’s address book/SIM card (and MSN, Skype – see below), although this has to be done manually. A degree of automation would save quite a bit of time setting up the Chat 3G’s social address book, but as this only really needs to be done once, it’s no deal breaker.

Skype was next.

Again the client is really well designed, integrating with the phone’s address book, including the ability to merge duplicate contacts across the various other services that the Chat 3G supports. There’s IM and calling, including SkypeOut for international calls  – thanks to 3 – and both worked as you’d expect. Call quality wasn’t great, however, but easily passable for social calls.

Finally, I tried browsing the web. And while full web pages rendered well, the experience was painstakingly slow. An alternative is to install Opera Mini, which I’m told works better.

Verdict

On paper, there’s a tremendous amount of value packed into the INQ Chat 3G and for the most common apps and social web services, the phone has you covered. The built-in apps replicate almost exactly how I’ve set up my day-to-day and much more expensive smartphone, Twitter, push email, Facebook, Skype etc., and in that sense, the Chat 3G fulfills its mission: bringing a social messaging QWERTY phone to the mass market.

But, and it’s a big but, the Chat 3G often seems to be trying to punch a little bit too much above its weight.

In places – particularly, Twitter and web browsing – it feels like the processing power can’t quite keep up with the phone’s software ambitions. Freezes and a general sluggishness let down an otherwise smart feature set and User Experience.

Whether or not this can be improved through a firmware update, only time will tell.

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Related Articles at last100:

• INQ’s mass market ‘Twitter phone’ takes aim at overpriced QWERTY touting smartphones
• INQ working on a mass market ‘Twitter phone’
• Through its own mobile client, Skype is now available on about 50 cellphones
• It’s official: 3’s “Facebook phone” unveiled
• BlackBerry address book integrates Facebook, apes Palm Pre’s “Synergy” and INQ1

The DEXT isn’t just any old Android handset, either. Shunning the standard out-of-the-box Google OS experience, the device introduces MotoBLUR, the handset maker’s own social networking UI layer and service. A unified address book that syncs Google, Facebook and Twitter contacts, updates pushed to the home screen, support for photo sharing via various third-party sites, with all of a user’s settings and data backed up on Motorola’s own servers.

It’s closest in its thinking to Palm’s Synergy feature, but also reminiscent of INQ, HTC’s Sense, Vodafone 360, with a bit of Nokia’s Ovi Share thrown in. In fact, as 2009 draws to a close, social networking integration is fast becoming just another tick-box requirement rather than a headline feature outright. On the other hand, no one has yet to perfect the concept, Motorola included, so there’s still plenty to play for. But before we dive into MotoBLUR, let’s take a look at the phone’s hardware.

Motorola DEXT/CLIQ slideout QWERTY

Hardware

There’s something distinctively North American and Moto about the design cues of the DEXT. It’s fairly chunky, heavy, and features a four row landscape QWERTY slider. It’s definitely function over form and, aside from its weight (163 g), overall Motorola have made some sensible choices.

See also: Review: HTC Tattoo (vs HTC Hero) – Android’s mass-market future?

The build quality is solid, and the slide mechanism is both sturdy and smooth. There is, however, a very noticeable gap between the slide-out keyboard and screen when the phone is closed which will bother some, although it’s a trade-off that benefits the QWERTY with raised keys and plenty of travel. With that said, the keys could be better spaced apart, perhaps by shrinking each key a little. Every now and again I find myself pressing two keys at once, but this has improved a little over time. The ‘enter’ key is nice and large and Motorola have duplicated the traditional Android ‘back’ key so that it’s easily accessible when the keyboard is open as well as when the phone is in portrait mode.

Rather than the standard Android track ball, the DEXT features a directional pad, situated on the left hand side. It works just fine but I found myself rarely using it because its positioning – it’s only accessible when the keyboard is open – doesn’t support one handed operation of the phone.

Overall, the DEXT’s keyboard is definitely better than the Palm Pre and on par with the Nokia N97 but it doesn’t come close to the standards set by the Nokia E71 or BlackBerry Bold.

The other hardware controls include a slider switch for putting the phone on silent, volume up and down keys, on-off switch, and a portrait positioned ‘back’, ‘home’ and ‘menu’ button. There’s also a microUSB socket for charging and connecting to a PC – with support for mass storage mode – and a standard 3.5mm headphone socket too.

The touch screen on the DEXT is a 3.1 inch capacitive, which is similar in size to the Palm Pre. It’s reasonably responsive and bright, although on a few occasions a finger swipe was registered as a click, as if the 528 MHz Qualcomm processor on the DEXT can’t quite keep up or the touch screen isn’t as sensitive as it should be.

Connectivity-wise, there’s WiFi, assisted-GPS, 3G/HSDPA, Bluetooth. There’s also a digital compass and a 5 megapixel camera, which proved to be fairly decent in good light, possibly the best Android camera I’ve tested yet but not in the same league as Nokia and Sony Ericsson’s best efforts.

The DEXT packs a 1420 mAh battery, which was able to power the phone for a full day in most circumstances even with MotoBLUR regularly pushing social networking updates to the home screen (see below). Obviously, milage will vary considerably depending on 3G signal strength and WiFi usage etc.

Software

The DEXT runs Google’s Android OS, version 1.5 (Cupcake), which is a couple of revisions behind the latest release (2.0). It’s not a Google branded phone either, due to the UI and other software tinkering that Motorola have carried out.

The handset maker has, however, licensed all of the standard Android Google apps e.g. Gmail, Google Maps etc., including single sign-in and synchronization with your Google account and contacts.

Over-the-air updates are also supported, as is access to the Android Market and the growing library of third-party apps that are available for the platform. However, it’s MotoBLUR that really distinguishes the DEXT from competing Android phones.

MotoBLUR is a mixture of UI customization, unified address book, discrete applications, and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). As I wrote when MotoBLUR was first unveiled, Motorola claims that the combined offering “is the first and only solution to sync contacts, posts, messages, photos and much more—from sources such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Gmail, work and personal e-mail, and LastFM—and automatically deliver it to the home screen”. Of course, that’s not strictly true. Moto isn’t the first mobile player to go down this road, but the PR spiel gives you a fair idea of what the handset maker is aiming for.

In terms of the home screen, MotoBLUR consists of a number of additions to Android’s standard widgets which can be placed anywhere you choose across multiple revolving home screens.

The ‘Happenings’ widget pushes your friends’ status updates and other alerts, such as friend-requests or event invites, from Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Last.fm to the home screen. Rather than the DEXT polling each service separately, Motorola’s does it at the server level and then only pushes new content to the phone. This is presumably designed to be more efficient and help preserve battery life. Tapping on the widget brings up a sort of card view with one update displayed at a time and the ability to browse through them by swiping right to left. If you’re following a lot of people on Twitter or Facebook it’s not a very scalable method of navigating updates, therefore you’re also able to open a scrollable list view of all updates.

Strangely, however, there’s no way to filter by @ replies on Twitter, making it very hard to track conversations and in this context MotoBLUR is pretty much useless. It’s as if the team that designed MotoBLUR don’t actually use Twitter or at least only superficially. Instead, you’re still better off downloading a third-party Twitter app from the Android Market, such as Twitdroid.

The ‘Messages’ widget lets you send status updates to Twitter or Facebook (or both at the same time) directly from the home screen. Other MotoBLUR widgets include a weather widget and RSS reader for pushing content from blogs, news sites or any RSS feed straight to the home screen. All work really well.

But perhaps the most interesting and controversial aspect of MotoBLUR is the unified address book which merges contacts from Google, Facebook, MySpace, Last.fm and Twitter. It’s not a new idea and it suffers from the same problem faced by competitors. It’s all or nothing.

Activate support for Facebook, for example, and all Facebook contacts are imported. That’s great for people who you want to have occupying space in your address book but doesn’t scale if you have hundreds of Facebook ‘friends’. The same is also true of Twitter etc. In fact, Twitter is potentially worse, since you may well follow people, such as brands or celebrities, who you have no real relationship with. The only option is to deactivate a service or add contacts that you really care about to a list of favorites.

The upside of MotoBLUR’s social networking-savvy address book is the ability to view a friend’s latest updates and content from within their address book entry. More fun still is that when a contact rings, their most current status update pops up on the incoming call screen – potentially invaluable info to help you decide if you actually want to take that call!

Where MotoBLUR’s unified approach does scale better is with regards to the phone’s in-box. Direct Messages from Twitter, Facebook etc. are treated the same as SMS or, optionally, email, based on contact rather than service. For somebody like me who relies on Twitter’s DM feature to stay in contact with work coleages or contacts, this is a real blessing. With MotoBLUR, I never missed a beat.

MotoBLUR also adds photo uploads to various third-party sites to the phone’s camera app. Facebook, MySpace, Picasa and Photobucket are supported, while Twitter through services such as TwitPic, is sadly missing. More evidence that Motorola doesn’t quite get the microblogging service.

The final aspect of MotoBLUR is that all of your settings and content is backed up on Motorola’s servers. This means that if you change handset to another that supports MotoBLUR or if you need to do a hard reset, you won’t have to start over. It also means that you can do a ‘remote wipe’ if you lose your phone. This is a really important security feature due to the fact that the DEXT stays permanently logged into all the social networking and email accounts that you’ve chosen to activate.

Verdict

There’s no doubting that the Motorola DEXT is a decent smartphone and I really like where the company is heading with MotoBLUR. Even in its current incarnation, it’s really fun and in parts genuinely useful. That said, there’s a lot of room for improvement. The scalability issue needs to be solved as not all social networking contacts are equal. Twitter integration also needs to support the conversational aspect of the service. And while MotoBLUR supports more third-party services than rival handset makers’ own social networking-savvy offerings, it would be a smart move to offer a Software Development Kit (SDK) so that any third-party service can add support for MotoBLUR.

Finally, is Motorola back in the game?

Based on the ambitions of MotoBLUR and the DEXT’s solid hardware, it’s a cautious yes.

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Related Articles at last100:

• Motorola just bet the house on Android and social networking
• Wrapup: Motorola DEXT/CLIQ review, 5 mobile trends for the next decade, Internet-connected TVs at CES, and more
• Review: HTC Tattoo (vs HTC Hero) – Android’s mass-market future?
• Video: Android 2.0’s cloud-savvy address book and more
• More social networking impressions of the HTC Hero [review]

What I’ve come to realise in the few weeks that I’ve had the device on loan is that the HTC Tattoo, while not especially exciting in itself, points to Android’s mass-market future, and why rival platforms, along with the plethora of dumb-phone OSes, need to sit up and take notice.

What’s different and/or missing

Screen size. Gone is the Hero’s 3.2 inch screen. Instead, the Tattoo uses a smaller 2.8 inch display. It’s considerably lower resolution too. Down from 320 x 480 (HVGA) to a more feature phone-like 240 x 320 (QVGA) resolution. The most noticeable difference is that web pages and lists require more scrolling because of the reduction in vertical screen real estate. Images also look less sharp. The upside – and this shouldn’t be underestimated for some users – is that the device is smaller and more pocketable. In other words, it feels more like a phone! As a result, it’s a little more comfortable to hold too and that bit easier to operate one handed.

See also: Review: Motorola DEXT / CLIQ – another social networking play with MotoBLUR

Resistive screen. This is one area where we can see some obvious cost-cutting. Unlike the Hero, the HTC Tattoo utilises cheaper ‘resistive’ touch screen technology rather than ‘capacitive’. Resistive screens require more pressure to register a touch and therefore tend to be less responsive when using the flat surface of a finger as apposed to a finger nail or stylus. The Tattoo doesn’t come with a stylus and nor should it need to. Android is designed to be finger-friendly after all. So how does the Tattoo’s resitive screen fair? It’s not actually that bad. The difference in responsiveness between the Hero and Tattoo is minimal, which makes me think that HTC have picked a particularly good resistive screen and/or that Android driven by the Tattoo’s Qualcomm processor running at 528 MHz (the same as the Hero) can more than handle the job.

One thing that isn’t great, however, is that the screen appears to be recessed quite a bit with a thick layer of plastic or glass (I can’t quite tell) sitting on top. The result, coupled with the Tattoo’s lower resolution, is that text and images look a little soft. It’s bearable but it is a considerable step down from the Hero or Palm Pre or iPhones of this world.

No multi-touch. It’s one of the costs of choosing a resistive screen. The Tattoo doesn’t offer multi-touch input. This mainly affects web browsing. There’s no pinch-to-zoom and instead the Tattoo offers Android’s standard zoom in and out on-screen controls. You can, however, still double tap to zoom in on a block of text, which I find works just as well.

4-way navigation pad. Breaking from standard Android protocol, the Tattoo doesn’t feature a mini track ball but instead uses a standard 4-way navigation pad. It’s not really an issue, still allowing for one-handed operation for most tasks, although scrolling through lists, such as your in-box, isn’t quite as smooth.

Smaller battery. The Tattoo’s battery is 1100 mAh compared to the Hero’s 1350 mAh. While that will impact on talk time a little, for other tasks such as web browsing I haven’t noticed much difference. It’s a smaller battery but it has to power a smaller screen too.

No portrait on-screen QWERTY. Being that bit smaller there isn’t room for a portrait on-screen QWERTY only a standard T9 type affair. It’s no big deal though, rotate the phone into landscape and an on-screen QWERTY appears. It’s pretty usable too. HTC’s on-screen QWERTY is way better than standard Android.

Less megapixels. The Tattoo’s camera is only 3.2 megapixels compared to the Hero’s 5. Less megapixels is usually a bad thing but the Hero’s camera is rubbish anyway. If you’re after a camera phone, look away now.

See also: First impressions of the HTC Hero (widgets, web browser, and social networking)

What’s present and correct

Android. Like the Hero, the HTC Tattoo is powered by Google’s Android OS, which means that it has the same superb ‘over-the-air’ integration with Google’s various web services – Gmail, Contacts, Google Calendar etc. – single sign-in and you’re good to go. The Tattoo also uses a slightly more up-to-date version of Android (1.6).

HTC Sense. This is where the Tattoo starts to punch way above its weight. It has the same HTC Sense custom UI and social networking features as the Hero. Instead, I would have expected HTC’s cheapest Android offering to drop Sense in favor of a standard out-of-the-box experience but thankfully not. You get the same unified address book (Google contacts and Facebook), revolving home screen widgets (Twitter, Weather, Stocks etc.), revamped media player and, frankly, a much nicer theme. It makes the standard Android look ‘n’ feel a bit like Windows XP in comparison.

See also: More social networking impressions of the HTC Hero [review]

Superb web browser. The standard Android web browser is one of the best, if not the best, already on a mobile phone. But HTC have added a few tricks of their own, double tap to zoom and limited support for Flash, including Flash video.

MicroSD card slot. Expandable and relatively cheap storage.

3G, WiFi and GPS. No shortage of connectivity options.

3.5 inch headphone jack. HTC finally gets it. No need to be stuck with the crappy ear buds supplied or use an adapter.

FM Radio (bonus). The HTC Tattoo features an FM Radio, which the Hero doesn’t. Perhaps another reflection of its feature-phone like targeting. An FM Radio is standard on even the cheapest of feature phones but not so important on a high end smartphone, presumably because of the plethora of alternative media options.

Verdict

If you can afford a HTC Hero then you’re probably better off buying one instead. But if you can afford a Hero then you’re probably not the Tattoo’s target user either. And that’s the point. The Tattoo’s pricing puts it into the mid to low end smartphone / high end feature phone category but with less sacrificed than you might expect.

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Related Articles at last100:

• Wrapup: Write for last100, HTC Tattoo review, Sony Ericsson Satio #fail, MiFi hands-on, Flip and Boxee set-top boxes, and more
• Video: Android 2.0’s cloud-savvy address book and more
• HTC unveils Android-powered Hero, apes Palm Pre’s Synergy
• 3 and Spotify point to the future of music purchasing
• Review: Motorola DEXT / CLIQ – another social networking play with MotoBLUR

SugarSync is my backup to the Cloud and sync service of choice (see How I replaced Apple’s MobileMe at half the price) and today the company added Android to its range of supported mobile phones. SugarSync was previously only available on iPhone, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry.

As readers will know, I recently jumped on the Google Phone bandwagon with the purchase of a HTC Magic (also also known as the T-Mobile myTouch in the USA) and so it’s pretty good timing to see SugarSync pushed out for Android shortly thereafter, although I’m still waiting for a S60 (Nokia) compatible version.

SugarSync enables you to backup your files on the company’s secure servers as well as keep numerous PCs in sync (Mac and Windows) as well as upload and access files from a compatible handset. On Android SugarSync offers the following features:

• Remote file access and browsing: Retrieve and view files from any computer in your SugarSync account.
• Local file management: You can browse and upload files stored directly on the phone. Allows you to copy and paste files to other folders, create new folders, rename files and folders, etc.
• On demand synchronization: Edit files directly on your phone (requires separate document editor application); SugarSync will detect file changes and prompt you to upload revisions back to the cloud and other computers.
• Shared folders: Send files and folders (small or large) to anyone and collaborate on projects through Shared Folders.
• Browse photos stored on your computers in large or small format and directly upload photos taken with your Android camera phone.

I took the Android version for a test drive earlier today and found it to work really well. I could access all of my backed up folders from my Macbook and, quite brilliantly, when you try to open a particular file you’re prompted to select which application on your Gphone should handle said file. For example, for an RTF text file I chose Android’s File Helper app and it just worked. One thing I was concious of was remembering to log out after using the app. With access to all of my Cloud storage, losing your phone would be that bit more serious.

Overall, SugarSync have done a really neat job and probably deserve to be placed on my current top ten Android apps list.

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Related Articles at last100:

• How I replaced Apple’s MobileMe at half the price
• Google vs Microsoft? Forget Chrome OS (for now) and keep your eye on Android and Win Mobile
• Microsoft hedges bet, licenses Flash Lite from Adobe
• Spotify hits the iPhone and Android app stores
• Report: music phones spur adoption of mobile music consumption; we say “hogwash”

Where the original G1 is clunky, in part due to its death-trap of a slide-out keyboard – OK I exaggerate but only slightly – the HTC Magic is relatively slim with subtle curves and a much reduced “chin”, which is a universal complaint of the G1.

Of course, without a physical keyboard, the Magic has to compromise with an on-screen QWERTY – more on that below – but doesn’t do away with hardware keys altogether. There’s call start and end, as well as ‘home’, ’search’ (it is a “with Google” phone after all) and dedicated ‘menu’ and ‘back’ buttons. These, particularly the latter two, when combined with the clickable BlackBerry-style scroll ball means that, for the most part, the Magic can be operated one-handed. This is something that I struggle with on the iPhone and many other touch-screen only devices, and the slightly narrower width of the phone – due to its smaller 3.2 inch screen – also makes it more comfortable to hold in one hand and that bit more pocketable, although, admittedly, this is very subjective.

On the Magic’s touch screen itself, it’s a joy to use. Like the iPhone, it’s capacitive rather resistive, responding to the natural electrical charges emitted by a finger rather than using pressure to register a touch. It’s bright with vibrant colors and, despite being smaller, the screen resolution also matches the iPhone’s 480 x 320. One thing I noticed, however, is that the touchscreen doesn’t seem quite as responsive near the edges. Finger smudges also quickly become an issue but this is common with all touch screen (and even some non-touch screen) models.

A few immediate complaints hardware-wise: The 3.2 megapixel camera is very average – and that’s being generous – and HTC’s insistence on omitting a standard 3.5 inch headphone jack in place of its all-in-one USB port used for headphones, charging and data transfer, makes a mockery of the phone’s media playback ambitions (the included buds are lousy). There’s also very little on-board storage, and although Vodafone’s Magic offering does come with a 2GB microSD card, it wasn’t long before I replaced it with an 8GB one.

On the software-side, and this is increasingly the battleground for today’s smartphones-come-mini computers, the HTC Magic uses the latest “Cupcake” 1.5 version of Android, which introduces a number of UI improvements, new features (such as video recording) and of course that virtual keyboard.

Talking of which, it’s pretty good as far as on-screen keyboards go (I’m not generally a fan). The auto-suggestion feature works well, offering a number of suitable choices in a strip just above and haptic feedback (a slight vibration) can be optionally turned on. When the phone is in portrait mode the keyboard is pretty cramped, switching over to landscape naturally works a lot better.

As you’d expect from a part Google branded phone, integration with the search giant’s own PIM apps is seamless. Just enter your Gmail credentials, and email, calendar and contacts are synced over-the-air, including their avatars, which show up in the Magic’s address book and caller ID. It works just like Apple’s MobileMe but without the cost. Updates can be constantly pushed to the phone in the background or can be toggled on or off on a per-application basis.

There’s also a very robust and feature-rich version of Google Maps, including street view and the location-aware social network Latitude. Using the phone’s built-in compass you can also operate street view as if you are there, which is fun if a bit gimmicky.

Photos taken with the phone’s camera can be uploaded to Picasa and videos shot, to YouTube. There’s also a native client for the video sharing site, with the option to view in low or high quality. The former is designed to conserve bandwidth when on 3G, the latter more suited to WiFi. All very nice, all very Google.

See also: 10 best apps currently running on my Android phone (HTC Magic)

Third-party apps are a bit of mixed bag. There’s tons of potential and the Android Market, Google’s own app store, is really easy to use and has certainly filled up since I first looked at the G1. Having said that, I challenged my iPhone touting friend to pick 10 of his most used third-party iPhone apps and I’d try and find an equivalent on the Magic. For the most part I succeeded – streaming radio, podcast client, Twitter, London Underground status, cinema times etc. – but the iPhone choices are many and a great deal more polished.

This reflects not only the success of Apple in attracting developers to the iPhone but also perhaps the different approaches the developer tools take themselves. Apple, I’m told, provides a lot more out-of-the-box help with UI / look and feel than Android does.

A few areas where the Magic definitely trumps the iPhone: The app store (Android Market) feels more open, so for example, there’s a BitTorrent remote control app that has the same functionality that got a similar app banned from the iPhone App Store. You can also bypass the store altogether and download apps from anywhere on the web if you’re willing to ignore the security warnings.

The Magic, when plugged into a computer can be put into USB mass storage mode so that the phone shows up as a USB hard drive for easy transfer both ways of music, photos, video or any other file type. In other words, you don’t need to be tethered to iTunes. Media playback is pretty much on-par with the iPhone in terms of file format support – sans DRM – and any MP4 video file I threw at it that had been formatted for iPhone/iPod just worked.

Sadly, though, you can’t transfer files via Bluetooth to a PC or other phone, one sign of Android’s immaturity as a mobile OS.

Multi-tasking and background notifications is another area were the Magic performs well, and prior to iPhone OS 3.0, definitely beats Cupertino’s best efforts. However, I’m not sure this is the case anymore. Although the iPhone’s ‘push’ solution is still a bit of a fudge for managing multitasking and notifications, judging by the Magic’s limited battery life – if background syncing is on for Google apps and third-party goodness, let alone home screen widgets that pull in data from the web – Apple could be right in limiting the way the iPhone handles its always-on connectivity.

I also think Android’s notification system is kind of inefficient. An icon appears at the top of the screen to indicate a new email, for example, but you still need to drag that draw open to view the first line and click on it to launch the phone’s Gmail app where you’re taken not to the full email message itself but to the in-box. Worse still, the Magic’s home screen doesn’t show the most recent emails either, even though there are numerous home screen widgets for almost everything else (weather, twitter etc.)

I’ve purposely left the best to last. The Magic’s Android web browser is closest to iPhone’s yet, although I haven’t tried the Palm Pre, which also gets favorable comparisons. Admittedly, there’s no multi-touch (pinch to zoom) or double tapping but the on-screen zoom in and out controls that appear when you move around the page work fine. You can also copy and paste links, save images, open multiple windows but, frankly, its the speed and quality of rendering and the fluidity when scrolling or moving around the page that impresses most.

Again, like the iPhone, Flash isn’t supported, although the included YouTube client and other available third-party video apps (StumbleUpon, iPlayer etc.) go someway in making up for this.

See also: How I plan to use my HTC Magic Android phone

Bottom line: if you want a phone to surf the web on and can’t afford the expense of an iPhone, or are already overly reliant on Google apps (that’s me by the way), you won’t be disappointed with the HTC Magic.

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Related Articles at last100:

• Weekly wrapup: Review: HTC Magic (Google Ion, T-Mobile myTouch 3G), and more
• Can I survive on half a QWERTY? Nokia E55 in the house
• SugarSync comes to Android phones (it’s very good)
• First impressions of the HTC Hero (widgets, web browser, and social networking)
• Three things that I hate about Android #fail

The Nokia N97 looks great + There’s no doubt that Nokia’s design team have upped their game in the hardware looks department. Borrowing from the design cues we first saw in last year’s business focused E-series range — the E71, for example — gone is the bulky all-in-one heap of black plastic as epitomized by the N96, with the N97 featuring a sleek metal trim around its otherwise curvy but subtle plastic casing, with most of the physical buttons also utilizing metal. It’s not only solid in build with no obvious creaking but it looks classy too. And while the N97 isn’t the thinnest of devices, it’s not too chunky by any means, especially when you factor the slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

The Big Reveal + The hardware engineering that has gone into the slide-out keyboard is really impressive and provides an almost Steve Jobs-like Big Reveal when showing off the device. When the otherwise completely hidden QWERTY keyboard slides out, it’s that well concealed, the N97’s screen tilts up for a 35 degree viewing angle. Boom. This enables the device to sit perfectly on a surface when viewing videos, surfing the web or reading emails. No need for any kind of kick stand and it’s weighted as such that it also feels comfortable when held in both hands.

The resistive touch screen – It was one of my criticisms of the Nokia XpressMusic 5800 and it also applies to the N97. I’d much prefer a capacitive touch screen as found in the iPhone and other touch screen phones from Samsung and LG, for example. Rather than relying on pressure to register input, a capacitive screen uses the natural electric discharges from a person’s finger. The result is that they feel a lot more responsive, supported by good software of course. This is particularly noticeable when trying to swipe through photos or scroll through web pages where you don’t naturally push down on the screen but rather slide a finger across the surface. Having said that, as far as resistive screens go, the N97’s is one of the most responsive I’ve used and is certainly an improvement over the XpressMusic 5800.

The QWERTY keyboard – On paper, the inclusion of a QWERTY, a first for an N-series device, is a major plus. I’m a QWERTY kind of guy. However, after prolonged use, as impressive as the slide-out mechanism is, the keyboard itself isn’t as good as it could be. The keys are nicely spaced out but are far too flat and don’t provide nearly enough travel. I much prefer the E71’s keyboard and after a back to back test, even the E75 performs better (despite the keys being flatter than the N97, they have a much more pronounced click).

N97's QWERTY keyboard

The build quality of the keyboard on my review model also has to come into question. Not all the keys have the same amount of travel, with the middle and bottom rows performing better than the top row. Individual keys also vary. Possibly related, the back lighting of each key isn’t even either. The key markings are a poor choice of colour on the white version of the N97 too (I can’t speak of the black model) as in certain lighting conditions they are hard, though not impossible, to make out. The space bar’s odd positioning, however, I didn’t find to be much of an issue and like any phone’s QWERTY keyboard, just takes a bit of getting used to.

Overall, the QWERTY is better than not having one at all but coming from a Nokia E71, Blackberry, Palm Treo or some of HTC’s Windows Mobile devices, is a bit of a let down.

N97 home screen widgets

Home screen widgets + With the introduction of widgets, the N97’s home screen is my favorite of all the smartphones I’ve used. Available widgets fall into two camps: those that pull in data from the web, such as the Facebook widget, email or AcuWeather, and traditional home screen widgets that display locally stored data, such as appointments from the phone’s calendar app or shortcuts to your favorite applications. Best of all is it’s completely customizable. You can rearrange how your selected widgets are placed on the home screen (within a predefined grid that keeps things tidy), as well as decide which of the available widgets deserve space on the home screen in the first place. Any third-party app can offer, in theory, an associated widget, so we should see the list of available widgets grow in the future. Obviously, widgets that continually pull in data from the web could pose a problem for those without an unlimited data plan, as well as drain the phone’s battery, so Nokia have provided the option to take all widgets off-line when required. Swipe your finger across the widget home screen as a whole and the phone switches to a much plainer, alternative home screen devoid of any personal data.

Facebook app + The inclusion of a Facebook app is very welcome and it’s a pretty decent one too. It’s built using web standards utilizing Nokia’s Web Runtime (WRT) widget platform and mimics much of the functionality of other Facebook mobile clients, such as the iPhone’s. It’s not the speediest of apps, however, and perhaps because it’s a widget it doesn’t appear to cache content so that it needs to reload everything from scratch each time you shut down and relaunch the app. On a more positive note, the ability to upload photos taken with the N97’s camera directly to Facebook works really well, including the option to target a particular Facebook ‘album’ and to add tags etc., and it’s also possible to add an appointment to the N97’s calendar based on a Facebook event, although changes aren’t synced automatically between the two.

Third party apps – Considering the maturity of Symbian S60, it seems counter intuitive to discover that there aren’t very many third-party apps available for the Nokia N97 – yet. That’s because the device uses the new touch screen version of the OS, S60 5th edition, which only debuted recently on the 5800 XpressMusic. Many S60 third-party apps have yet to be rewritten for a touchscreen interface. Missing in action, for example, is YouTube’s newly released S60 client, instead the N97 features a short cut to the mobile web version of the site, along with the Skyfire web browser, another favorite app of mine. Third-party support should obviously improve going forward, and Nokia are certainly pitching the N97 as a device as in it for the long term with regular firmware updates and other software improvements promised, which should help to install confidence within the wider developer community that it’s worth committing to the platform.

Ovi Store + The Ovi Store, Nokia’s on-deck app store, may not have got off to the best of starts but it’s a valuable addition to the N97, especially since it comes pre-installed, making it a lot easier for users to discover and install third-party applications. The Ovi Store client on the N97 also feels a lot snappier than the version I installed on the E71.

The 5 megapixel camera + The N97’s camera won’t grab any headlines for megapixels alone – just 5 – but it’s a very capable offering nonetheless. As is standard in Nokia N-series devices, the optics are Carl Zeiss branded and not that this alone translates into nice looking photographs, I’ve been pretty impressed. Photos look sharp with vivid but natural looking colors, and mechanically, the shutter key isn’t too rigid, something that I had a slight issue with on the Nokia N85. The sliding and sturdy lens cover should also get a mention. One complaint that many will have though, especially those coming from the legendary N95 is the lack of a Xenon flash. Instead, Nokia provides a dual LED, which isn’t nearly as bright but has the advantage of using less power and can double up more efficiently as a video light. On that note, the N97 shoots decent enough video, better than most camera phones, offering so-called DVD quality (it’s nowhere near that in reality) at 30 frames-per-second, certainly good enough for YouTube etc. There’s also the option to shoot in sudo widescreen (i.e. zoomed in to fill a 16:9 screen), which is switched on by default. Interestingly, Nokia appears to be bundling a Qik client with the N97 to enable live streaming of video to the third-party video service.

Media playback + Along with excellent media production features, the N97 makes a very capable media player. Viewing video benefits greatly from the 3.5 inch 640×360 widescreen, along with the 35 degree viewing angle when the QWERTY keyboard is visible, and the fairly loud built-in stereo speakers. A whole bunch of video and audio codecs are supported, including Windows DRM so that paid-for content from many third-parties can be supported e.g. Amazon VOD in the U.S. On the music side, Nokia has bundled its own download store and podcast client, and there’s also a built-in FM tuner with RDS and an FM transmitter so that you can broadcast your music collection to a car stereo, for example. Nokia have also tidied up the way it presents all of this functionality. Gone is the generic ‘Gallery’ app that used to duplicate access to the music and sometimes video players, and instead there are just three clearly sign posted and discrete apps: photos, music, and video.

32GB of internal storage + With all of that media production and playback goodness, it’s good to know that storage won’t be a problem. On top of the whopping 32GB of built-in flash memory, you can add even more via the microSD card slot, potentially bringing the total to 48GB and 64GB sometime in the near future. I’m still getting a smile everytime I install an app on the N97 and see how much free storage is left!

No DLNA support – This is probably seen as a niche feature, not helped by Nokia’s poor marketing, but the loss of DLNA support is a backwards move. Previous N-series devices, such as the N85, were DLNA certified, meaning that they supported UPnP AV so that video, music and photos stored on the phone could be streamed over the same local network to a PlayStation 3, for example. Or any other DLNA client. Unless I’m mistaken, this feature has been omitted from the N97.

Web browser Web browsing on the N97 is a bit of a mixed bag. On the whole, web pages render really well — and I’m talking the full web here — which shouldn’t be surprising since Nokia’s web browser is based on WebKit, the same browser engine used by the iPhone, Android, Palm Pre, INQ1 and others. There’s also support for Flash Lite. However, while you can increase the overall font size displayed on pages you visit, if you simply zoom in, columns of text don’t seem to always reflow automatically, resulting in unnecessary horizontal scrolling. This is different from the experience I get on the E71 and other non-touch screen S60 3rd Edition devices or the iPhone for that matter. The other issue is speed. While pages load reasonably fast, it seems that you’re unable to reliably begin scrolling or pretty much do anything, until the whole page has finished loading. Trying to do so feels like you’re fighting the device. Not sure if this is a processor issue or poor software optimization. Hopefully it’s the latter and can be fixed in a future firmware update. To be clear though: the N97’s web browser is definitely usable but it’s an area where Nokia needs to up its game if it’s to compete with the browsing experience of the iPhone and Android.

Would I recommend this device?

Overall, I’d have no problem recommending the N97, with of course the usual caveats. A mobile phone (or mobile computer, as Nokia likes to call them) is a very personal choice and a lot will depend on what your priorities are. There’s much more to like about the N97 than to dislike. As already mentioned, the camera, build quality and built-in (and expandable) storage are major pluses. Along with the new widget-oriented home screen. As a media player, you also can’t really fault the N97, and the novel form factor (35 degree tilt) is something pretty special. On the other hand, the keyboard isn’t going to win you any prizes in the speed typing department, and the resistive screen maybe an issue for some, especially if you’re coming from an iPhone. Likewise, the web browser needs improvement, although I expect third-party browsers, such as SkyFire, Opera Mini and Bolt, to make their way over to S60 5th Edition fairly soon. As should many of the best S60 third-party apps.

One final word about the User Interface. If you’re a previous Nokia S60 user, you’ll have virtually no learning curve at all, despite the move to a touch screen. If you’re new to S60, there is a steeper learning curve than say the iPhone but Nokia are clearly aware of this and, compared to earlier versions of the OS, things have been tidied up a great deal. Lots of the phone’s settings and features have been streamlined and grouped together more intuitively, and the new home screen brings the most used apps and content right to the surface.

- Steve

P.S. Full N97 technical specs

Note: I have the device for another week or so. Please leave any questions in the comments and I’ll do my very best to answer them. With your help, consider this review a work in progress.

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LG Arena KM900 web browser

I’ve had just over a week to test out LG’s latest flagship phone – the LG Arena KM900 – a device that I first set eyes on at last month’s The Gadget Show Live. The touch screen phone has a lot going for it, but like many post-iPhone offerings, doesn’t quite live up to the promise based on technical specs alone and at times has the potential to frustrate. 

The LG Arena offers plenty of connectivity options: HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and A-GPS, an indication that despite not being a true ’smart phone’ (i.e. third-party apps are limited to Java only) the device isn’t held back in terms of data options. The User Interface also looks the business – it borrows heavily from Apple’s iPhone as well adding its own pseudo 3D rotating home screens – and the use of a finger-friendly capacitive touch screen means that on the whole the phone is just as responsive, with a few notable exceptions (see below). However, in terms of intuitiveness, the UI had me stumped on a few occasions, although not enough that won’t be overcome by a moderate learning curve.

The phone’s music player produces very good sound, obviously helped by the Arena’s use of Dolby Mobile, and the 8GB of built-in storage means that you can carry around a fairly large music collection without inserting a microSD card. Doing so, however, can up the memory to 40GB in total via a 32GB card. Obviously a decent pair of headphones helps; the loan unit I was given didn’t come with the included retail ear buds but we tried out a range of cans, from very cheap to our favorite Sennheiser CX500 noise canceling earphones, and were duly impressed. One area where the music player does disappointment is the lack of a user editable graphic equalizer (presets only).

There is also an FM tuner and transmitter, although we couldn’t get the latter to work properly even when tested in a stationary car. Unlike Nokia’s N85, the signal transmitted by the Arena just didn’t seem powerful enough.

Videos look sharp on the Arena’s 3 inch WVGA (480 x 800) screen, although I failed in my attempts to get a DivX movie to play – DivX support is one of the phone’s flagship features – a problem that other reviewers don’t seem to have encountered. It might be because of the way I transferred my test clips via Bluetooth or their file type (.AVI) but none of the videos were recognized by the phone. I also couldn’t find any documentation on LG’s website explaining the Arena’s specific DivX support.

The phone’s 5 megapixel camera takes very nice pictures – good light permitting – although like many camera phones there can be a long delay before taking a shot while the phone autofocuses etc. The camera can also shoot so-called ‘DVD quality’ (30 fps) video at a resolution of up t0 720 x 480. Again, in good light the video camera performs well (in low light the single LED flash doesn’t help much).

The Arena’s on-screen keyboard operates in two different modes. A number pad / T9 keyboard in portrait mode and a full QWERTY in landscape. Both are responsive, although the QWERTY can be prone to typing errors as, unlike the iPhone, there’s no auto-correction.

The single biggest let down of the LG Arena KM900, however, is the included web browser. It comes so close to being really usable if it wasn’t for being so slow. Web pages – if you’re willing to wait – do render really well (all of the sites that I tested loaded fully aside from Flash content, which isn’t supported) it just doesn’t feel like you’re always in control. There’s a very notable lag between, for example, flicking a page to scroll and the action being performed. The same goes for zooming in an out of a page, which is invoked using a familiar iPhone-esque pinch. It’s like the phone’s browser engine or processor has to constantly catch up. This is one area where handset makers, LG included, need to pay a lot more attention.

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• Nokia’s all-you-can eat music service now “comes with” its own flagship touch screen phone – Nokia X6

Flip Mino HD

Flip’s (Pure Digital in the US) Mino HD is the follow up to the popular Mino “point and shoot” camcorder – a product category that the company practically invented – this time upgrading the video quality to High Definition or 720p MP4 to be precise. From the industrial design alone, however, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference.

The Mino HD shares the exact casing as its standard definition relation, weighing in at just 94 grams and not much bigger than a typical candy bar cell phone. The device also features the same iconic flip out USB connector – hence the ‘Flip’ name – which makes it convenient to transfer clips shot on the Mino HD to a PC as well as providing the sole means for charging the non-removable battery.

In place of a view finder is a tiny 1.5 inch LCD screen (made smaller yet by the 4:3 aspect ratio despite the Mino HD shooting in 16:9), which, thankfully, is bright enough to be seen in the sun. Just below the screen is a large red record button surrounded by six touch sensitive controls (play/delete/up/down/left/right), and down the right hand side is the power button. On the left is a TV-out (no HDMI just composite), and on the rear is a standard tripod mount.

The Mino HD has 4GB of built-in flash memory – enough for about an hour of video – and Flip quotes the battery life as 2 hours between charging, more than enough to match the camcorder’s storage capacity.

Picture quality and sound

Flip Mino HD USB connector

Obviously a budget High Def camcorder, the Mino HD’s picture quality is impressive, and I found it comparable to my Sanyo Xacti HD camcorder, which costs about £60 ($80) more. Colours were a little washed out in sun light but the footage contained no obvious pixelation at native HD resolution, and for a camcorder that operates in ‘auto’ mode for everything – focus, exposure etc. – the Mino HD does an admirable job at adjusting as you move in and out of shade and point at different subjects. Having said that, I have to note a few downsides.

High Definition video is very susceptible to hand shakes, and with the Mino HD being so light, the problem is exacerbated and it’s not clear how much image stabilization, if any, the device uses to compensate. I also found framing to be a little awkward because of the Mino HD’s tiny viewfinder/screen and the fact that it can’t be rotated as on more traditional camcorders. Another let down is that the rather feeble 2 x digital zoom can only be invoked once you hit record, leaving you no option to line up a shot beforehand.

The Mino HD’s built-in mic performed well, if a little quiet – you’ll want talking subjects to be fairly close by. Additionally, no moving parts means there’s no risk of any pesky ‘humming’ sound from the camera’s motor, and outside wind didn’t seem to be an issue either. On the downside – though understandable considering Flip’s intended market – there’s no head phone socket for monitoring sound or external mic input.

FlipShare software

One of the selling points of the Mino HD is that software is included on the camera itself to enable basic editing and upload to various online destinations e.g. YouTube or share a link via email. Called FlipShare, the application runs of both Macs and Windows, and offers the ability to trim clips, add music and titles, and upload to YouTube or MySpace, export for other destinations, including DVD, and capture a still shot. The software is very easy to use, even if the trim option is a little buried, and certainly does the intended job: a bit of top and tailing of clips and adding credits before uploading (in many ways it’s easier to use than the new iMove, although a lot less powerful).

FlipShare software: upload to YouTube or MySpace

A really neat feature of FlipShare is that any edited clips can be saved back to the camera’s internal storage so that you can take ‘work in progress’ with you. One area where the software really disappoints, however, is that it doesn’t support YouTube’s new HD format. Because of the way FlipShare exports clips ready for upload to the video sharing site, they are downsized, presumably for bandwidth reasons, to standard definition.

Verdict

There’s much to like about the Flip Mino HD – the “point and shoot” concept for casual use is welcome – but I can’t help but feel that the company rushed to High Definition too fast. Picture quality is great and should have warranted a larger 16:9 ratio screen, better zoom and support for uploading to YouTube in HD. With these limitations, the £170 price point seems a little on the high side. On that note, the Flip Ultra HD, which features a larger screen, removable battery and HDMI output, has just become available in the US.

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Integrated into the handset, for example, is Facebook, Skype and Windows Live Messenger, along with various widgets, such as Yahoo Weather. Just don’t call it a smartphone, says the company. Instead, the INQ1 is billed as a low cost device, designed to appeal to a broader and, perhaps, younger market than existing smartphones from the likes of Apple, RIM, Nokia and HTC.

Facebook, Skype and Windows Live Messenger

At its heart is the INQ1’s Facebook integration, which goes a little deeper than rival handsets. Along with a standalone app that resembles the social network’s mobile website, the phone’s camera software is capable of uploading directly to Facebook, and a user’s friends-list can be imported and synced with the INQ1’s address book. The latter feature opens up a world of possibilities. For example, when receiving a call, if available, the contact’s Facebook profile picture is displayed on the screen. Additionally, Facebook messages, pokes and friend requests are delivered automatically to the phone’s in-box, just like an SMS text message or ‘push’ email. In practice, this all worked a treat, and in many ways, makes staying up-to-date with friends and family through Facebook on the INQ1 feel more intuitive than on the desktop.

The INQ1’s Skype client replicates the basic functionality of its older desktop sibling, with a few notable caveats. While Skype-to-Skype calls are permitted, along with IM, Skye-Out (calling regular phone numbers using paid-for Skype credit) is only available for international calling, presumably at the request of “3″, the only carrier that currently offers the INQ1. Like-wise, there’s no support for Skype-In or video conferencing. That said, similar to the device’s Facebook support, Skype contacts can be imported into and kept in-sync with the phone’s address book, from which you can see a contact’s Skype status, initiate a call or start an IM conversation. Any IMs or call requests received, even while Skype is running in the background, are pushed directly to the phone, again just like an SMS or regular call.

In my testing, Skype call quality, while varied, was certainly good enough for social calls, which is exactly how the INQ1 is intended to be used, and the ability to see a contact’s status and, optionally, exchange a few IMs before calling, is very appealing.

Windows Live Messenger works in much the same was as the IM functionality of Skype on the INQ1. Once again, Messenger contacts can be synced with the phone’s address book (displaying online status, initiating an IM conversation etc.)

Pre-empting the Palm Pre

One really cool feature shared by the INQ1’s Facebook, Skype and Windows Live Messenger, is the ability to converge contact data from all three services, along with the phone’s own address book. This involves manually linking any duplicate contacts on each of your friend lists, so that, for example, the INQ1 will know that “Joe Bloggs” on Facebook is the same “JBloggs” on Skype, and so on. This is very similar to how the upcoming Palm Pre’s ‘Synergy’ feature will work, although Palm’s implementation looks like it will have a degree of automation, with the device doing some guess work in order to make converging contacts a little less time consuming than on the INQ1.

Web browser

For a phone that has it so right when it comes to social networking, I was a little disappointed by the web browser. It wasn’t the way pages rendered, the ‘full web’ was mostly accessible, but the slow speed at which they were displayed and the clunky scrolling. However, I was very pleased to see the option to switch on ’smart fit’ so that columns of text re-flow intelligently so as to eliminate horizontal scrolling on the device’s 2.2 inch (320 x 240) screen. There’s also a built-in RSS reader and an accompanying home screen widget too. Talking of which, other home screen widgets include a Google search bar, Yahoo Weather and world clock.

Camera

This is the biggest let down of the INQ1. The 3.2 mega-pixel camera is poor to say the least, which is a real shame considering how easy it is to upload photos to Facebook. With no Flash and weak optics, shots taken indoors really struggle, while well lit or outdoor situations obviously fare better.

Music player

The INQ1’s music player is pretty basic too, but it gets the job done (let down mostly by the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack). On the upside is a degree of Last.fm integration, although it’s “scrobbling” of tracks only not actual streaming, and a microSD card slot offering plenty of storage.

Verdict

I don’t have any stats to prove it, but I’ve long believed that 90% of mobile phone owners probably only use about 10% of the device’s features. That’s unlikely to be the case with the INQ1, which not only concentrates on three of the most popular web services – Facebook, Skype and Windows Live Messenger – but integrates them in a very practical and intuitive way. In fact, the INQ1’s UI is incredibly easy to use overall, with the customizable Mac OSX dock-like launcher providing quick access to the most commonly used apps.

The major drawback of the INQ1 is the phone’s sub-par camera, something that I feel INQ needs to address as a priority in any future model. Moving forward, I’d also like to see an INQ phone with WiFi, a larger screen, and a QWERTY keyboard, all of which would, of course, add cost, although not so much over time as component prices come down. On the software side, a Twitter client and integration would be an obvious addition, as would support for more IM services. There also needs to be an option to increase the font size in the Facebook app, something  that could easily be addressed through a future software update.

Overall, however, I’ve found the INQ1 to be one of the most fun phones I’ve played with in recent times, and on a more profound level, points to where mobile communication is definitely heading. All of this from a new entrant and a low-cost device – free with a contract or £80 PAYG on carrier 3 here in the UK – squarely aimed at the masses. Job well done INQ (just fix that camera).

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I’ve only really had the new machine fully set up and operational for about a day (after transferring over my user accounts/data, and installing essential apps such as Firefox, Skype etc.), and while I may get around to doing a full review, I wanted to first share my initial impressions, a few of which have surprised me.

New ‘unibody’ casing

The new Macbook looks absolutely stunning. It’s fair to say that aesthetically this is Apple’s best Macbook yet – the plastic casing is gone and the Macbook now shares the same external design as the updated Macbook Pro. The so-called ‘unibody’ casing, in which the Macbook’s aluminum shell is made from one solid block of metal with no obvious joins, doesn’t just add to the machine’s good looks but also feels exceptionally solid and durable. Unlike my old 12 inch Powerbook there are no obvious ‘crumb’ traps below the keyboard – a real bonus for somebody who frequently eats lunch at their desk (I know I shouldn’t).

Buttonless trackpad

The large glass trackpad is a mixed bag but on the whole is more good than bad. Doing away with the conventional trackpad button – instead, the whole trackpad is clickable – actually works very well. If your muscle memory has you clicking with your thumb in the area usually found just below the trackpad, you’ll likely notice no difference. At the same time, you now have the option to click anywhere on the trackpad with your fingers too. Right-clicking, if switched on in System Preferences, works just fine too.

On the downside, I’m finding the trackpad click to be on the noisy side, though this may quieten down as the mechanism wears in a little. The only other negative is that the glass finish of the trackpad is a little too smooth and occasionally I’ve found my hand slipping a few millimetres just as I’m about to click. Again, this is something that may well improve over time with practice.

Multi-Touch

I’ll admit I was skeptical about the usefulness of further Multi-Touch gestures beyond Apple’s original two-finger scrolling, thinking that they were a bit on the gimmicky side. However, this is proving not to be the case. So far I’ve been regularly utilizing the four-finger downwards gesture to invoke OSX’s Expose, as well as the occasional four-finger horizontal swipe to bring up Application switching. Being that my disability makes it a little harder to reach the Mac’s F keys or instigate certain key combinations, having the option to replicate some of this functionality through gestures could prove to be a real accessibility boon. If only Apple would let you program your own gestures.

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In contrast, the newly released version of iPlayer for Nokia’s latest flagship handset, the N96, doesn’t suffer the same problem, offering both streaming and downloads. Earlier this afternoon I got some hands-on time with iPlayer on the Nokia N96.

User Interface

The first thing you’ll notice about the N96’s version of iPlayer is how closely it resembles the desktop web version, which, in this case, is both a good and bad thing. The consistent interface is welcome – the familiar ‘channels’ and ‘categories’ layout – however, to browse iPlayer content you’re required to move a cursor around the screen, the same system employed by Nokia’s mobile web browser, rather than being able to cycle directly through what’s on offer. While this doesn’t actually get in the way of accessing content, it doesn’t seem like the most efficient way of going about it.

Picture quality

Picture quality is on par if not better than most video streaming services for cellphones that I’ve tested but didn’t seem to be quite up to the standard that I’m used to on the iPod touch. Having said that, iPlayer on the N96 is very watchable thanks to the phone’s large screen and stereo speakers. The built-in kick stand is also really useful and something I wish the iPod touch offered.

Streaming and downloads

Streaming iPlayer on the N96 over Wi-Fi worked pretty much as expected, although I did experience a few buffering issues, which could have been caused by either the BBC’s streaming servers (not uncommon, lately) or my own Wi-Fi network. It’s also possible to stream over 3G, although you’ll want to make sure you don’t fall foul on any additional data charges from your carrier. However, it was the download option that I was most curious to try.

Programs downloaded surprisingly quickly over Wi-Fi, taking just a few minutes to complete, from which they’re then accessible off-line via the N96’s gallery application — although content does expire after seven days. (This is in line with the streaming version but is a little odd considering that the Windows-only desktop download version of iPlayer gives users a 30 day after broadcast viewing window.)

Picture quality was identical to streaming, which probably explains the quick download times. In the future the BBC might want to consider offering a higher quality download version as an additional option for those with faster connections.

Verdict

iPlayer is a great addition to the N96’s already strong media playback features, and as I noted previously, being the first mobile device to offer iPlayer downloads is quite a coup for Nokia. It also nicely highlights the limitations of Apple’s closed DRM solution, although, unfortunately, I’m not that sure most consumers will know whose to blame.

Note: some users have worked out a way of getting iPlayer for N96 to work on other S60 devices.

Image credit: photos taken by me on a Nokia e71 :-)

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Related Articles at last100:

• BBC iPlayer on more handsets: Nokia N85, Samsung Omnia, Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 and C905
• BBC iPlayer downloads coming to iPhone?
• Watch live BBC television on latest Nokia phones
• Hands-on: Five things I like about Nokia’s N85 smartphone
• No native iPhone BBC iPlayer app – yet (blame PowerPoint)

Dozens of UK pop and rock stars, including Radiohead, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Kate Nash, Gang of Four, and The Verve, are among the acts who have signed on to a new music-industry pressure group, the Featured Artists’ Coalition [via the BBC and others].

As the music industry continues to shuffle, kicking and screaming, into the digital age, the FAC seeks to protect the artists’ rights over their own music, in addition to having a greater say in how their songs are sold and getting a bigger slice of the profits.

“We want all artists to have more control of their music and a much fairer share of the profits it generates in the digital age,” the FAC said in a statement on its Website.

“We speak with one voice to help artists strike a new bargain with record companies, digital distributors and others, and are campaigning for specific changes.” [FAC charter]

It’s yet another example of a shift underway in the music industry, whether it acknowledges it’s happening or not. David may be taking on Goliath here, but Goliath has been fighting the likes of Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and other big-name artists for more than a year now. To make matters worse, the music-buying public is tired of the industry’s antics, which is reflected on the continued drop in sales.

We hope that Goliath is tiring from constant battle with bands and fans and that significant change is coming, thanks to pressure from organizations like FAC.

We did say “hope.”

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Related Articles at last100:

• Universal Music Group exploring ISP file-sharing tax
• After pressure from EU, Apple dumping iPhone’s Universal Dock Connector? (microUSB)
• U2’s McGuinness calls for ISPs, telecos, device-makers to combat music piracy on Web
• Nine Inch Nails follows Radiohead’s lead, strikes out on own.
• DRM-free iTunes now open for business