Call quality on the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S was excellent in the earpiece, very loud and clear, however on the other end they complained that our voice sounds a tad artificial, and the background noise swooshed in without any filtering despite the dual-microphone setup on the phone.
The manufacturer promises slightly more battery life out of the handset, compared to the Xperia arc, from the same 1500mAh battery – 7 hours and 35 minutes of talk time in 3G mode, which is pretty good, along with 35 hours of music playback.
In our review of the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc we said the company has nailed it, but now with the Xperia arc S, we’d say we have a minor upgrade on our hands. The thin arched profile that makes you forget you are holding a gadget with a huge 4.2” screen stays, as well as the light weight and sleek and classy look. The Timescape UI is also very pretty and functional with its “Facebook inside Xperia” addition.
The second generation Snapdragon chip is bumped to 1.4GHz for a slight increase in performance, which, however, you could have done yourself with an overclocking program. The added 2D Panorama option in the camera interface is also nothing you couldn’t have obtained via an app in Android Market. Thus, the only tangible benefits of the Sony Ericsson arc S over the predecessor are the 3D Panorama option, which is nice, but not a must-have feature, and the 14.4Mbps baseband radio, instead of 7.2Mbps. Download speeds are so very network dependent, though, that you’d have been lucky to max out the previous radio even.
The nice 8MP camera with back-illuminated sensor, which produced good results and the excellent loudspeaker we have in the Xperia arc too, so you can save yourself the price difference between the Xperia arc S and its predecessor, unless you find it somewhere cheaper
In its price range you can get phones like the HTC Desire HD, which sports similar specs but a more solid and heavier unibody design, or the Samsung Wave 3, which sports a Super AMOLED display, but is hindered by the Samsung Apps store. If you step it up a notch in the wallet department, you can grab theSamsung Galaxy S II or the HTC Sensation 4G, which will bring you 1080p video capture, faster browser performance and future-proof dual-core processors.
In case 4.2” screen is too big for you, an even thinner and more compact handset for this price is the Xperia ray, which has the same camera and 3.2” display with very good pixel density. Now that the Apple iPhone 4is falling in price, it is also a great alternative to the Xperia arc S, and has memorable design too with the best App Store out there, but is heavier and with no Adobe Flash support.
PROS
Thin, tall and narrow chassis makes it more comfortable to use than other big-screen Androids
Camera with good low-light capabilities and native Panorama options
Got an HP TouchPad, do you? Well, you either got it before HP axed it or you snatched one upfor $99 (lucky you!) – either way, there’s a good chance you want to lose the WebOS and move to a more popular OS, Android to be precise.
Ask yourself how much you want it – because you can get it right now, the CyanogenMod team just released an alpha of v7.1 that you can install. But it’s a really early version and the team themselves discourage you from installing it because you’ll encounter problems “ranging from the benign to the very serious”.
It’s also worth noting that putting Android on your TouchPad will void your warranty. Also, things like Wi-Fi, sound and camera might encounter problems – among many other things.
Check out the post over at RootzWiki, which details what works, what doesn’t, the progress of the project, how to update once a better version shows up.
Here’s the latest progress report video, which shows working Bluetooth and Netflix:
There you’ll also find everything you need to install CyanogenMod 7.1 alpha for TouchPad, of course. Again, proceed at your own risk and expect problems.
Nokia has been at the top of the camera phone game for a while now. It started with the N95, then the N82, N86 8MP and now the N8. They had competition from Sony Ericsson initially but a few mediocre phones later Sony Ericsson was out of the game (although they seem to be coming back with the Xperia arc). Samsung gave a tough fight but Nokia still maintained its lead, mostly thanks to the N8, which remains unbeatable in still image capture. But now there is a new player in the camera phone game and it seems Nokia does not like that.
When Apple was announcing the iPhone 4S, Nokia’s camera expert Damian Dinnings was busy making comparisons between the iPhone 4S and the Nokia N9 camera on his Twitter account. He seems to think that based on the specs the N9 is simply better and that everything that Apple does is simply an extension of their Reality Distortion Field.
Now I understand that Damian works for a competing brand and what he says on Twitter is his business and that Apple often blows things out of proportion in their keynotes but it still seems silly to me to make comparisons based on just numbers without actually using the iPhone 4S. Being a camera expert, Damian should know that numbers aren’t everything in the world of photography. In the end what matters is the actual image quality and from whatever little I’ve seen the iPhone 4S images are just as good as the N9 images, if not better, although which one is better can only be settled by a proper comparison test.
One thing I’m curious about though is why Damian did not compare the camera speed of the N9 to the iPhone 4S. Nokia was calling N9 the fastest image capturing phone yet but there was no rebuttal to Apple’s claim of iPhone 4S being the fastest. I wonder why.
Samsung have undertaken less than subtle ways to continue its fight against Apple in Australia. They’ve set up a temporary shop in Sydney just outsides Apple’s own shop and are offeringSamsung Galaxy S II droids for $2.
Sounds like a great deal, right? It is, but there’s a catch. Even so, the line to the Samsung store is reportedly longer than the line to Apple’s store. A line of people to an Apple store is practically a tradition when there’s a new gadget from Cupertino about to be launched, the iPhone 4S in this case.
So, this is a dirty play from Samsung trying to beat Apple at their own game. But I mentioned a catch – only 10 people a day get a $2 Galaxy S II, the rest are there waiting to get a chance tomorrow or the day after that.
You can check out the whole article over at the Muswellbrook Chronicle, which also takes a look at the line in front of the Apple store and tells the touching tale of two friends who met while waiting in line for the iPad 2, who are now waiting for an iPhone 4S (and have tons of free time, I suppose).
Anyway, this is a transparent publicity stunt on Samsung’s part but still, getting a $2 Samsung Galaxy S II is a great deal. Not a lot of people will get lucky though.
I understand the appeal of tablets. Regardless of OS, they all provide a far more intimate experience when browsing the web and reading emails. I genuinely prefer doing both of those things on a tablet than on a notebook or desktop. Then there are the apps. Photos, maps, ebooks, videos and even IP cameras are comfortably accessible from tablets. Obviously you can do the same on a notebook or desktop, the tablet form factor combined with a responsive touch UI simply means you can do these things in a more relaxed position.
What has always frustrated me with tablets however is what happens when you have to give any of these apps a significant amount of input. While the virtual keyboards on tablets are pretty mature, the form factor doesn't allow for quick typing like on a smartphone. A smartphone is easily cradled in both of your hands while your thumbs peck away at the keyboard. A tablet however needs to be propped up against something while you treat it like a keyboard. Put it on your lap and you have to hunch over the thing because the screen and input surface are on the same plane (unlike a notebook where the two are perpendicular to one another). Try to type in a reclined position on a couch and you end up lying awkwardly with your thighs and thumbs supporting the tablet. Ever see the iPad billboards and note the really awkward leg placement in them?
The excuse for the tablet has always been that it's a consumption device, not one for productivity. But what if I want to browse the web and respond to long emails? Must I keep switching between a tablet and a notebook, between consumption and productivity device? That has always seemed silly to me. In striving for comfort and efficiency it seems that having to constantly switch between two large devices would be both uncomfortable and inefficient. After all, who browses all of the web then switches to only writing emails without intermixing the two. Perhaps these discrete usage models are somewhat encouraged by the lack of true multitasking (rather than task switching) of modern tablet OSes, but eventually things must change.
Windows 8 alone will bring change as it finally addresses the issue of having two things on your screen at once. On today's tablets, for the most part, once you're in an application that's all you get to interact with. One of the biggest issues I have is it's virtually impossible to carry on an IM conversation on a tablet while doing anything else. Without constantly (and frustratingly) switching between apps, it's impossible to have a conversation and browse the web for example.
What about on the hardware side of things? Bluetooth keyboards and keyboard docks have existed since they very first of this new generation of tablets hit the market. These accessories have all been very functional but they do tend to hinder the portability of tablets. With its Eee Pad Transformer, ASUS addressed the issue by offering a keyboard dock that would turn the tablet into an Android netbook while extending its battery life. The end result was an extremely flexible device, but it still required that you either carry around a significantly bulkier tablet or made a conscious decision to take one or both pieces of the setup (tablet + dock).
Continuing down this road of experimenting with transformable tablets, ASUS' next attempt to bring the best of both tablet and netbook worlds comes in the form of the Eee Pad Slider.
Eee Pad Transformer + Dock (left) vs. Eee Pad Slider (right)
The Slider takes the same basic Eee Pad tablet from the Transformer and integrates a slim, sliding keyboard. You only get a single battery (25 Wh) but you get a much thinner and lighter form factor than the Transformer with its dock.
2011 Tablet Comparison
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer + Dock
ASUS Eee Pad Slider
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
SoC
NVIDIA Tegra 2 (Dual ARM Cortex A9 @ 1GHz)
NVIDIA Tegra 2 (Dual ARM Cortex A9 @ 1GHz)
NVIDIA Tegra 2 (Dual ARM Cortex A9 @ 1GHz)
NVIDIA Tegra 2 (Dual ARM Cortex A9 @ 1GHz)
GPU
NVIDIA GeForce
NVIDIA GeForce
NVIDIA GeForce
NVIDIA GeForce
RAM
1GB
1GB
1GB
1GB
Display
1280 x 800 IPS
1280 x 800 IPS
1280 x 800 IPS
1280 x 800 PLS
NAND
16GB
16GB
16GB
16GB
Dimensions
271 x 175 x 12.95mm
271 x 183 x 16 - 28mm
273 x 180.3 x 17.3 - 18.3mm
256.6 x 172.9 x 8.6mm
Weight
695g
1325g
960g
565g
Price
$399
$550
$479
$499
The price isn't as attractive as the base Eee Pad Transformer. At $479 for the 16GB WiFi version you're now well into Galaxy Tab/iPad 2 territory, but you do get a built-in keyboard. Samsung's keyboard for the Galaxy Tab is priced at $50 while Apple's Bluetooth keyboard for the iPad 2 (and Macs) will set you back $70. When viewed this way, the Slider is still a steal but if the recent TouchPad sale and Kindle Fire release taught us anything it's that there's a huge market for non-Apple tablets, just not at $500. ASUS was on the right track by pricing the Eee Pad Transformer at $399, but the Slider at $479 takes a step in the wrong direction.
The Display & Hardware
The Slider starts out very similarly to the Transformer. You get a 10.1-inch IPS panel with a Honeycomb-standard 1280 x 800 display (1920 x 1200 will be what the next-gen of Android tablets will sport). The display is near-identical to what ASUS used in the transformer. Max brightness ends up at an iPad 2-like 378 nits, while overall contrast ratio appears to have improved a bit thanks to deeper blacks in our review unit's panel.
ASUS does need to start calibrating these panels at the factory though. The Slider's white point is set to 7700K.
Viewing angles are all great, the only issue with the Slider's display is the large gap between the outermost glass and the LCD panel itself. We complained about this in our Eee Pad Transformer review as well, but by not tightly integrating the LCD and capacitive touch layers you end up with a gap in the display construction that can cause annoying reflections. The additional glare is a problem in any case where there's a direct light shining on the screen. Most of these tablets aren't good outdoors in direct sunlight to begin with, but this issue does make the Slider a bit more annoying to use compared to the iPad 2 or Galaxy Tab 10.1 for example.
All of the outward facing materials are either glass or soft touch plastic, a subtle but noticeable improvement over the Transformer. The smell of the soft touch plastic is distinct but not all that pleasant. Here's hoping it fades quickly. The durability of the soft touch coating is also a concern. My review unit developed a couple of scratches and I honestly didn't use it any differently than the other tablets I've reviewed, nor did I handle it particularly roughly.
ASUS was smart enough to include five rubber feet on the back of the Slider. With the keyboard deployed the Slider's back serves as its stand, so the feet are necessary to keep your Eee Pad pristine. The overall design is clearly ASUS' own creation, but I wouldn't call it particularly memorable. What matters the most is that it's functional and there can be no question of that.
The perimeter of the Slider is ports-a-plenty. On the right edge of the tablet is a full sized USB 2.0 port and headphone jack. On the left there's a microSD slot and along the top there's ASUS' dock connector and mini HDMI out (type C connector). Charging is handled via the same USB adapter that shipped with the Eee Pad Transformer.
Power, reset and volume up/down are also located on the left side of the tablet. Yes, that's right, there's an actual reset button on the Eee Pad Slider. The button is recessed as to avoid any accidental activation. A single click of it will reset the Slider, no questions asked.
I'm actually very happy there is a reset button the tablet. As these devices become even more PC-like expect them to encounter the same sort of stability issues any hardware running complex software has to deal with.
The Slider is significantly heavier than the stock Eee Pad (without dock) for obvious reasons. And compared to the Samsung Galaxy Tab, well, there's just no comparison there. That being said, the Slider is still much nicer to carry around that the Eee Pad + dock (it's far less bulky) and it's more convenient than most notebooks in this price range. You really do get the full tablet experience with much of the notebook experience thanks to the integrated keyboard.
The Slider has two cameras: a 5MP rear facing module and 1MP front facing unit. There's a subtle, smartphone-sized bulge around the rear camera module. The bulge is noticeable but it doesn't clear the height of the rubber feet so you don't have to worry about resting your tablet on the rear camera.
It is something of an understatement to start out by mentioning that the Motorola Droid Bionic was easily this summer’s most anticipated smartphone. The story of the Bionic started at CES, where it immediately attracted attention thanks to its combination of 4G LTE connectivity and a Tegra 2 SoC. I remember seeing the Bionic on a table on the last bleary-eyed day of CES, among its other 4G LTE brethren as shown below.
Left to Right: Droid Charge, LG Revolution, Motorola Droid Bionic (old), HTC Thunderbolt
I don’t remember much about that Bionic, other than that it was the only one among the four that I didn’t get a chance to grab photos of loading the AnandTech homepage or Dailytech, and that reps were guarded about letting me touch it. Rumor had it that the Thunderbolt would come first, and then down the row of devices. Eerily, other than the Bionic, the devices launched in that order.
The old Droid Bionic
That Bionic doesn’t exist anymore, instead the phone that launched in its stead is codename Targa, which was further down the roadmap and no doubt accelerated to take the original Bionic’s place. Until now, 4G LTE and dual core SoCs have been mutually exclusive, and the result is performance now gated by the SoC instead of the last mile of air between you and a base station.
The new Motorola Droid Bionic (codename Targa)
Finally with the Bionic things change, and we have a smartphone that combines a dual core SoC with the fastest air interface around, 4G LTE. It’s been a long and arduous wait for the Bionic, but it’s finally here. The only lingering question is whether the wait has been worth it.
It’s always easiest to start with aesthetics, and here the Bionic shows an interesting combination of design language borrowed from the Droid X/X2 and the latest QWERTY keyboard packing Droid 3. I think that actually does a good job summing up what the Bionic really is - it’s a combination of the X/X2 form factor and display, and the SoC plus nu-Motorola design language of the Droid 3. If you take a step back and squint at it, I think these are totally reasonable conclusions to make.
The Bionic’s front side is a single piece of gorilla glass with tapered edges, ringed in relatively typical Motorola chrome. The lip where display meets the edge chrome is something that has drawn a lot of attention for being a dust magnet, but thus far I haven’t seen inordinate dust or lint collection in that crack. It’s nothing that a microfiber cloth can’t take care of, and honestly isn’t as big of an issue as dust collection in virtually every smartphone earpiece.
Up at the very top is the VGA front facing camera, earpiece, proximity and ambient light sensor, and finally notification LED. I know the notification LED is a must have for some smartphone shoppers, so rest assured it’s here and does work. It appears to have two colors - green and red, which blink for alerts and charging status, respectively.
At the bottom are the same style capacitive buttons as we’ve seen on other Motorola phones. I guess it’s worth mentioning that this isn’t something that changes much anymore - each OEM seems to have settled on at least some common pattern and is keeping it that way. The buttons are nicely backlit, but the white point seems a tad warmer than most. Right in the center of the bottom chrome is the primary microphone.
Left side is home to the microUSB and microHDMI ports, which are in the bottom quarter just like so many other Motorola devices. They jut out normal to the side and don’t follow the curve of the phone along its side, no doubt so it can mate up with the laptop dock, which unfortunately we don’t have.
If you squint and look at the phone from this angle, it’s readily apparent just how much inspiration the Bionic draws from the Droid X/X2 line of devices. They both have a thicker top region that tapers to a thin point at the bottom, and this iconic port placement.
On the other side is the volume rocker, which is one piece of plastic and adequately clicky.
Topside is the headset jack, and opposite to it, the Bionic’s lock/off button. It took me a while to get used to this button placement, and the button itself isn’t very good either - it rocks back and forth, and feels loose, but gets the job done.
Directing our attention to the back side, we can see the Bionic’s 8 MP rear facing camera and LED flash, which is ringed in a large chrome package. There’s a grille to the side of this which serves no real purpose that I can tell other than decoration. Just below this is a microphone for ambient noise cancelation, and on the extreme other side of the Bionic is another microphone for stereo audio recording. That’s a grand total of three microphones on the Bionic, which is pretty par for Motorola.
The edge of the phone is given a bevel which proceeds around the entire lip. This gives it a uniquely positive in-hand feel. The battery cover is topped with a brown-grey soft touch material.
Peel that battery cover up, and you can see Bionic’s standard thin and wide battery. At the top is the unique microSD card slot, which just pushes in and is held in place by friction and the battery cover. The Bionic’s SIM slides out sideways underneath it.
You can also see some characteristic antenna traces on the backside. There’s one at the bottom for CDMA and LTE, WLAN on the right side, and another at the very top likely for diversity. More on that later though.
I find the Bionic’s industrial design to be a relatively safe design one for Motorola, especially given some of the more radical things we’ve seen come out lately. It keeps the chrome chin at the bottom and absolutely does match the Droid 3, but at the same time I feel like things could be much more overstated than they are here for such a high profile device.
Packaging for the Bionic matches what I’ve seen for the other high end LTE devices, with a die-cut card stock wrapper giving a glimpse of the droid eye underneath. There’s nothing out of the ordinary here, but it bears mentioning. Inside that box is the phone, standard battery, microUSB cable, charger, and some documentation. The 16 GB class 4 microSD card is, like always, preinstalled in the phone.
8 MP with autofocus and dual LED flash, 720p30 video recording, 1.3 MP front facing
8 MP with AF/LED Flash, 720p30 video recording
8 MP with AF/LED Flash, 1080p30 video recording, VGA (0.3MP) front facing
8 MP with AF/LED Flash, 1080p30 video recording, VGA front facing
Screen
4.3” 800 x 480 LCD-TFT
4.3" 960 x 540 RGBW LCD
4.0" 960 x 540 RGBW LCD
4.3" 960 x 540 RGBW LCD
Battery
Removable 5.18 Whr
Removable 5.65 Whr
Removable 5.65 Whr
Removable 6.11 Whr
I'm not quite at the point where I can do videos like Anand complete with studio, but I've done the usual thing and put together a video review and tour of the Motorola Droid Bionic.
![gsmarena 001 The HP Touchpad gets Android thanks to an alpha CyanogenMod 7.1 release [VIDEO]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vR1kDKSrI_20M9QSO3cUb6MAnoXQXZEY4q10e3PBFGtERgVgBqhouUlD-BGXqt_HjbzJxH7oc17ueOl93r1WBKfR2QgZhFzZZML5Q3WTs5rVvVLrxbanW3ZGfP_Wt4MMlP6Nps2vKGoEk=s0-d)
