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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• Microsoft hedges bet, licenses Flash Lite from Adobe
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• 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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Related Articles at last100:

• Can I survive on half a QWERTY? Nokia E55 in the house
• Hands-on: Nokia E75 (hardware preview and pics)
• How I plan to use my HTC Magic Android phone
• BBC iPlayer on more handsets: Nokia N85, Samsung Omnia, Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 and C905
• Nokia Music Store launches – video review

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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Related Articles at last100:

• Weekly wrapup: Palm Pre and Facebook, LG Arena review, Vudu IPTV, Boxee app challenge, and more
• The Gadget Show Live: LG Arena – not just another iPhone wannabe [video]
• The Gadget Show Live: mobile phone watches [video]
• Nokia’s all-you-can eat music service now “comes with” its own flagship touch screen phone – Nokia X6
• Hands-on impressions of Nokia’s N97 [video]

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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Related Articles at last100:

• One more thing: Flip Mino HD playback on the PlayStation 3
• Does the world need another video sharing site? Pure Digital (Flip) thinks so
• The Gadget Show Live: Flip Mino HD ‘point and shoot’ camcorder [video]
• Weekly wrapup: iPhone and Kindle, Nokia Facebook app, Android Netbooks, Flip MinoHD and PS3
• Weekly wrapup: Flip Mino HD review, Samsung Gphone, Palm Pre vs iPhone, new PSP, and more

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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• INQ working on a mass market ‘Twitter phone’
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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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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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• Nine Inch Nails follows Radiohead’s lead, strikes out on own.
• DRM-free iTunes now open for business

Purchasing

In order to purchase and download content you need to sign up to the free component of XBox Live. Thankfully, most of the sign up process can be down online through your PC’s web browser (unlike the PlayStation Network which drove me mad entering all of my data via a PS3 controller). From then on in the XBox Live Video Store’s User Interface is very straightforward and browsing content was quick and easy. However, to pay for content you’re required to purchase a bundle of ‘Microsoft Points’, the company’s virtual currency — see Microsoft Points – what’s next for the company’s virtual currency?

It works on a pre-pay system whereby you purchase say 1000 points, which then acts as credit against any content you want to download. The problem is that the price to rent an HD (380 pts) movie means that you’re always left with change from the pre-pay bundles of points you’re able to purchase. Thus ensuring that Microsoft is always looking after some of your money.

Lack of content, especially HD

It could well be a UK thing, but I was surprised by the lack of content choices. The range of movies available seems sporadic and very random, neither focusing on back catalog classics or new releases. For example, as of publication there are less than ten movies available that were released this year, and the same goes for films made last year. Not surprisingly, HD content, which I was particularly eager to try, is even more sparse. In the end I purchased two movies, one Standard Definition (SD) and one HD. Neither of which I really wanted to see, but with very little choice, they were at least titles I hadn’t previously watched elsewhere.

Picture quality

This one really surprised me. Picture quality on SD content, albeit played on a 1080p HD television, was poor, definitely not comparable to DVD. Although HD content fared a lot better, as you’d expect.

Rental windows – 14 days and 24 hours

All movie download rental services impose some kind of rental window whereby you must begin watching a movie within a number of days, and once you press play you have a set number of hours to complete your viewing. XBox Live offers 14 days standby, and a 24 hour viewing window. The limit to 24 hours is a real pain if you don’t complete a movie in one sitting, and made me nervous navigating around my media library in case I accidentally pressed play! Unbelievably, I also got caught out by the 14 day standby limit, and one movie I purchased had expired before I got round to watching. Us bloggers lead busy lives :-)

Fan noise

It’s true what they say. The XBox 360 is a little on the noisy side, noticeably so during quiet peroids of a movie.

Verdict

The XBox 360 is a great games console (yes, I “tested” some games) but as a competitor to your cable TV’s video on-demand film library or even online services such as iTunes or Amazon UnBox/On Demand, it doesn’t really compete — although I am comparing the UK version which is certainly inferior to XBox Live Video Store U.S. Which explains why Microsoft has partnered with Netflix to incorporate the latter’s video streaming service into XBox 360. It also demonstrates how early we are in the HD wars. If you thought the range of content available on Blu-ray was bad, take a look at XBox Live’s Video Store.

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The Tocco is also smaller than the iPhone, measuring 98.4 x 55 x 11.6 mm compared to Apple’s 115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm. It’s lighter too, shaving off just over 25 grams. Of course, what you gain in pocketability, you lose in screen real estate (particularly important for a touchscreen device), although we think that for those who find the iPhone to be on the bulky side, especially when used as a phone, the trade off could be worth it. If you’ve ever wondered what an iPhone nano might look like, the Tocco gives you a pretty good idea.

Physical keys are kept to a minimum, with just call start/end sitting left and right of the home button. Down the right hand side of the device are volume up and down controls and a microSD card slot. The left hand side houses the dreaded multipurpose port for headphones, USB cable and charger, as well as a dedicated camera shutter key. On top is a hold switch for locking the screen.

Spec-wise, Samsung has packed a lot in for what really is a feature phone, including tri-band support (900/1800/1900), along with GPRS, EDGE and 3G (HSDPA) for data. The touchscreen is ‘capacitive‘, meaning that it’s truly intended to be finger rather than stylus friendly, measuring 2.8 inches and displaying 262,000 colors (QVGA). There’s also bluetooth, a front facing camera for video calls, and a 5 megapixel stills camera also capable of video recording. The only real omissions being WiFi, which is a shame, and GPS.

TouchWhiz UI

Although there’s plenty of “touch”, there’s not that much “whiz” to the Tocco’s TouchWhiz user interface. Having said that, it’s simple enough to use and proved to be fairly intuitive during most tasks, even if it isn’t as aesthetically pleasing as the iPhone’s UI. The home screen displays the usual grid of applications which you tap on with your finger to launch. In most cases you’re then presented with a list view of information, such as contacts in address book or tracks in the music player, which can be scrolled through with a flick of the finger, although we found this to be a bit of a hit and miss affair at times. Further settings are accessed through a series of finger-friendly drop down menus, and at the bottom of the screen are contextual buttons, such as ‘back’ or ‘options’, which remain fixed on the screen as you scroll.

The Tocco’s touchscreen offers haptic feedback, meaning that it vibrates slightly when you tap on any of the on-screen buttons. This is a feature that the iPhone lacks, for example, and one that we found particularly useful when clicking on hyperlinks in the mobile web browser or typing on the Tocco’s virtual keyboard. Talking of which, Samsung have made the slightly controversial decision to provide a traditional numeric keyboard, albeit a virtual one, that utilizes predictive text rather than an on-screen QWERTY. We can only presume that this is due to the Tocco’s smaller sized screen compared to other touchscreen phones.

Widgets

A fun but under developed feature of the Tocco is the standby screen’s use of widgets, similar to those found in Vista (gadgets) or the Mac’s dashboard. Users can customize which of the seven widgets to have on display by dragging them from the widget sidebar. Choices include a clock, calendar, birthday reminder, photo browser and music player. It’s just a pity that Samsung doesn’t provide a way for third-party developers to write their own widgets, so you’re limited, at least for now, to those that come pre-installed.

Camera, media playback, web browser, and verdict >>

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The form-factor is a notebook but these devices are purposely cut-down in terms of price – the Eee PC 701 sells for under $300 – as well as size and weight, and to some extent features. While designed primarily as a way of accessing the Internet on-the-go, Netbooks don’t have any pretensions of putting the Internet in your pocket, and instead look to keep the screen size and keyboard small enough to still be extremely portable, yet large enough to be that bit more productive.

See also: Don’t buy a Netbook pleads PC industry

This typically translates into screen sizes between 7 and 10 inches, with keyboards that feature 95% full-size keys, albeit with a rather cramped layout. Also, don’t automatically expect a Netbook to come loaded with a Microsoft operating system, though many offer XP as an option. Instead, in order to keep the cost down, and in recognition that many applications now run in the browser, Netbooks commonly run a flavor of Linux and related open-source software. Another distinguishing feature of the majority of Netbooks is that they do away with a traditional hard drive in favor of solid state storage with less capacity – 4-8GB – again recognizing the move towards Cloud computing.

However, a couple of things about the original Eee PC stopped me from making a purchase – an 800 x 600 screen resolution and an aging and limited processor – both of which have now been addressed by more recent models from Asus itself, along with a host of competitors including MSI and Acer, all three of which run on Intel’s new and improved Atom “Diamondville” processor.

So which of the new Atom-based Netbooks did I go for?

See also: Hands-on: Nokia’s N810 Internet Tablet

Introducing the MSI Wind, conveniently re-badged and sold quite a bit cheaper by PC World in the UK as an Advent 4211. Whilst I would normally advise against buying a computer from PC World, and instead shop around online, not only was the company the first to get their hands on one of the new Atom-based Netbooks (amid reported chip shortages) but also at a significantly reduced price – £280 or £50/$100 less than the MSI Wind is retailing in the UK. The Advent 4211 is identical to the MSI Wind aside from color scheme. The 4211 is a business-friendly silver painted plastic, as opposed to the Wind’s iPod-esque white and black options, with a pink version due out soon!

A quick run down of the specs before I give you my verdict:

• Built-in 1.3MP Webcam & Microphone
• 1.12 KG Weight
• Bluetooth Connectivity
• 802.11 b/g WiFi
• Intel Atom Processor N270 (1.6 GHz, 533 MHz FSB, 512 KB Cache)
• Windows XP Home
• 80 GB Hard Drive & 1GB Memory
• 10.1″ Widescreen Display (1024 x 600)
• 3 USB ports
• Ethernet
• D-SUB port for connecting an external monitor
• 4-in-1 memory card reader that supports SD, MMC, MemoryStick and MemoryStick Pro card formats

A quick admission: I wouldn’t normally have opted for the XP version, as in some ways running such a bloated operating system defeats the point of a Netbook. However, PC World doesn’t sell the Linux version of the re-badged Wind, and yet it still works out cheaper. In the future I plan to ditch XP for Ubuntu once somebody gets it working on the Advent.

The Good

There is a lot that’s good about the MSI Wind. The screen is bright and clear, and the resolution is wide-enough to view most web pages without any sideways scrolling. However, at only 600 pixels high, you’ll find some web apps that waste a lot of screen real estate (e.g. Yahoo Mail and Wordpress) being a bit on the fiddly side, as you wrestle to fit everything in.

In terms of performance, XP runs very smoothly indeed, with Intel’s Atom processor, aided by 1GB of Ram, never really breaking out in a sweat when checking email, browsing with several open tabs, or even watching YouTube. Surprisingly, the Wind was up to the job of watching DivXs too, making the device a potential media player when away from home. I’d expect Linux to perform even better.

The built-in webcam and mic is certainly up to the job of making a Skype video call, although with a generous three USB ports and a mic socket, better sound options are also possible. You’ll certainly want to use headphones or a headset, as the Wind’s speaker is tiny (see below).

The keyboard is largely a joy to type on, although admittedly I do have small hands, and the trackpad is responsive, if a bit on the small side. One thing I miss is the multi-touch scrolling featured on Mac notebooks, and now the Eee PC 901, although the Wind’s trackpad does feature designated horizontal and vertical scrolling zones.

Build quality seems very solid, especially considering the price, while the device feels impressively light.

So far the MSI Wind delivers on its promise of a low-cost ultra-portable Netbook, primarily designed for Internet tasks. There are, however, a few disappointments.

The Bad

Two obvious gripes.

Battery life isn’t brilliant at around 2 hours. There will be an option of purchasing a higher capacity battery, but that isn’t yet available (due to a factory fire, apparently). Personally, I can live with the limited battery life for now, as mostly I’m plugged in at the wall.

And the speakers suck. Although I wasn’t expecting anything to compete with larger notebooks or a desktop PC, the MSI Wind has the tinniest and cheapest sounding speakers of almost any modern day computer I’ve come across. Headphones are a must for any kind of audio, even YouTube!

The Ugly (or pretty damn good looking)

Actually, in the looks department the MSI Wind, especially in its re-badged Advent colors, looks quite the part. Much more grown up than the Eee PC, for example. Although nowhere as good looking or thin as Apple’s Macbook Air (and why would it be at a fraction of the price), the MSI Wind can hold its own against any budget notebook, and even does well against premium sub-notebook models from the likes of Sony.

Verdict

The MSI Wind really delivers on the promise of a lowcost and extremely portable notebook, perfect for Internet based tasks while on the road, especially as we are moving ever closer to Cloud computing. It offers plenty of power for web browsing, email, word processing, Skype etc. and is also a capable enough media player for watching a DivX movie, while on a flight, for example. And at a price dramatically lower than previous sub-notebooks of this size and portability, it’s hard to find fault.

Overall, if you can live with the lower capacity battery (or don’t mind carrying a spare), and accept the built-in speakers are almost useless, then I’d have no hesitation recommending the Wind, or better still, its re-badged and cheaper cousin, the Advent 4211. Long live the Netbook.

Related reviews: Hands-on: Nokia’s N810 Internet Tablet and Why I bought an iPod Touch and not an iPhone

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