Dell's first Android smartphone for the US is now here. Called the Dell Aero, the handset brings a stylish form, decent-sounding specs and an attractive price tag.
Originally touted as "the world's lightest Android phone," it now has to settle for being "one of the lightest." Despite that, it's still quite the compact package, measuring 122 x 57.9 x 11.7 mm and weighing 104 grams. One odd thing to note: Dell put the Home, Menu and Back buttons on the side of the phone, rather than the bottom of the screen, reportedly, to keep the front panel all sleek and nice-looking.
Details of the handset include a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen (with a Symbian-like 640 x 360 resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio), a 5.0 megapixel camera with LED flash, aGPS, tri-band HSDPA, WiFi, stereo Bluetooth and microSD card expansion (2GB preloaded, expandable up to 32GB). Operation is run by a 624MHz CPU, which isn't half bad, considering the market it's aiming for.
The phone's biggest sticking point, however, is the fact that it's running Android 1.5 - something that even the lowliest devices we've seen have been foregoing as their built-in OS. Dell does dress it up heavily with a custom UI, although it is still disappointing (especially, with no word of an OTA update coming). It's got all of the familiar Google apps and Android messaging features.
Priced at $99.99 (with a two-year contract from AT&T), the Dell Aero is actually a very attractive offering - if not for the fact that it's running a retardedly old version of Android. With that said, the hardware does seems solid, so we'll let you decide whether this is worth dropping your entry-level smartphone budget on.
[via Gizmodo]
Unlike other smartphones, the Motorola i1 doesn't set itself apart by being better or faster than any of its counterparts. Instead, it differentiates itself by bringing push-to-talk capabilities and a rugged design, as well as being available as a prepaid phone.
Physically, it looks like a regular touchscreen device. A closer inspection, however, will reveal notable touches, such as a hard plastic casing and rubber edges, that makes it more suitable for rugged use. Despite the sturdier build, it isn't all that much heavier, retaining the sleek styling common in today's smartphone options. It sports a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen (320x240 resolution), providing good image display and excellent touch responsiveness.
As a phone, the Motorola i1 made for great call quality over Boost Mobile, with natural-sounding voices and very clear conversations. Those on the other end reported the same, although they did notice a slight background noise. Speakerphone worked similarly, having loud volume and generally decent sound. Battery is rated at only 3.5 hours of talk time, so expect to charge this nightly if you use your phone at a moderately heavy pace.
It runs on Nextel's iDEN network for data, which isn't the fastest. Surprisingly, the experience was serviceable, with full HTML pages loading fast on the default Opera Mini 5 (which processes pages on the server-side). Speed does suffer, however, with Android's Webkit browser and the YouTube app (plenty of buffering). The handset only runs Android 1.5 (read: ala-G1), so that could be a deal-killer for a lot of people (it's not like there's a deluge of Android phones with PTT, though).
All the typical phone features are here, including PIM tools, aGPS and Bluetooth. You get older versions of Google's suite of apps, plus solid messaging, which has been Android's strength from the start. Other notables include WiFi and a separate contacts list for the PTT service. It comes with a 5.0 megapixel camera that, unfortunately, takes mediocre photos for its level of resolution.
Overall, the rugged frame and unique functionalities of the Motorola i1 makes it a good choice for those whose needs it looks to serve. It's pretty affordable too: $349.99 with no contract from Boost Mobile.
Push-to-talk phones generally run the gamut from basic to full-featured. I don't even think I've ever seen one with a complete smartphone OS, though. That ends now, with the announcement of the Motorola i1, the world's first iDEN device to run Google's Android OS.
Like many other handsets on Nextel's PTT network, the device features a sturdy and durable design, which it pairs up with feature-rich smartphone capabilities and sleek lines. It meets Military Specifications 810, which means it can resist a whole host of environmental hazards, including dust, shock, rain, extreme temperatures and more. Pretty nifty for a smartphone, ain't it?
Aside from PTT, details of the Motorola i1 include a 3.1-inch HVGA touchscreen, a 5.0 megapixel camera with LED flash and autofocus, WiFi, Bluetooth and microSD card expansion. The handset comes with an Android 1.5 build, along with the usual Google suite of apps, including access to thousands of apps via the Android Market. Pre-installed software additions include Opera Mini 5, Microsoft Document Viewer and the increasingly-popular Swype virtual keyboard.
In a marketing move, the phone was presented by Mike Rowe, host of Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs" program. All in all, this is a big play here from Motorola and Sprint. A rugged iDen phone running a full smartphone OS is rarely (probably never) heard of, so we're not sure how traditional Nextel customers are going to take this. No pricing was given, but this sounds like an awesome alternative to both your run-of-the-mill Android handsets and boring PTT devices, especially if it clocks in at under $200 on contract.
[Motorola via Unwired View]
Sometimes, a unique design may be all you need to sell a new handset. That could be what they're banking on with the Motorola Backflip, a smartphone with various physical innovations that you might find enticing (or retarded, whichever the case may be).
Physically, the unique flip design definitely makes it a noteworthy device. While it looks like the Motorola Cliq at first glance, look closer and you'll see the huge differences. When closed, the keyboard sits in the back of the phone, such that it flips open to the bottom of the horizontal 3.1-inch display. Sure, it's a novel way to implement a clamshell for a touchscreen device, but the fact that your keys are exposed 100% of the time definitely doesn't inspire confidence. They also added trackpads behind the display, which are supposed to allow you to navigate the UI without your hands getting in the way. It works well, although, it's hard to see a real need for it.
As a phone, the Backflip manages average call quality. It was good on our end, although callers sometimes reported issues on theirs. We're not sure if it was their phone or ours causing it, however. The speakerphone was excellent, definitely better than average. Battery is rated at 6 hours, which should be good for at least two days of normal use.
Positioned as more of an entry-level smartphone, it's equipped with a rather underpowered 528MHz Qualcomm processor. It only runs Android 1.5 too and performance wasn't the best - there were definite lags even with simpler tasks, such as opening your inbox and scrolling through lists. As such, it might be a good idea to forget ever upgrading the OS here to a newer version.
It comes with Motoblur and you can read our reviews of other similarly-equipped Motorola phones (Cliq, Devour) to get the skinny on that. Features are around what you'd expect. You get the usual Android fare (Google's software suite and read-only QuickOffice), Webkit-based HTML browser (very fast page loads over 3G, by the way), aGPS, WiFi and Bluetooth.
While it continues to use Android's lackluster music player, the Backflip comes with excellent sound quality. The onboard speakers manage gorgeous sounds, definitely a notch above what you normally get from a phone. Camera appeared great at 5 megapixels of resolution, but the quality of shots left plenty to be desired.
Overall, the Motorola Backflip is a decent choice for an entry-level Android smartphone. There are definite performance issues, but it covers the range of features well and it's an excellent music phone. Price sounds good too - $99 with a two-year contract from AT&T (not sure how much for unlocked versions elsewhere).
The LG GW620 isn't the most high-profile Android smartphone on the block, but it is a fairly decent attempt at one. Running the older Android 1.5, cutting-edge may not be in this handset's vocabulary, but it's a definite contender for anyone searching for a less-expensive smartphone.
Physically, it features a side-sliding QWERTY keyboard, along with a 3-inch touchscreen. The result is one chubby device. Sure, it will fit in your pocket, but it won't be pretty. On the plus side, build quality appears impressive, and the black and blue color scheme works really well.
The HVGA-resolution screen managed good display quality (even under sunlight), but it's resistive nature just puts us in unfamiliar Android territory. As expected, the touch interface is far from being as responsive as on a capacitive panel. We also didn't like the touch-sensitive buttons, which lent themselves for accidental presses rather often. The five-row QWERTY keyboard, in contrast, was among the best we've used.
As a phone, the GW620 managed good calls. Voices came through fine, but there was a noticeable sharpness to the sound. Quality at the highest loudness was also pretty murky, so we suggest keeping it at a lower volume. Speakerphone performed similarly - usable but not the best. Battery life is rated at eight hours of talk time and it performed impressively, lasting a full three days of regular use.
LG must have had their reasons for using Android 1.5. Whatever it is, though, they should change their minds soon. There are plenty of updates that went in between this version and 2.1. Yes, I'd like to have those too if I'm going to shell out for a smartphone (although LG did put in apps to offset some features, such as installing Moxier for Exchange Support). My guess is this is the Android version that's fully compatible with their S-Class UI, which puts lots of visual niceties onto the phone but almost no discernible new functionality.
The phone comes with LG's SNS app, which takes care of syncing your address book with your social network profiles. Personally, I don't see the point in this app - there are better social-based downloads available in the Android Market. It also has all the Android essentials, such as a solid messaging suite, Google apps and such.
Web browsing is fast, with an option of using either the 3.6Mbps HSDPA or Wi-Fi connection. Browser loads pages accurately, but navigation is a little cumbersome. LG also jazzed up the media players a bit. We actually like it better than the usual Android default. Other features include a 5.0 megapixel camera (lots of editing options with good photo quality), stereo Bluetooth, aGPS, FM radio with RDS and microSD card expansion.
Overall, it's a decent entry-level Android phone, with a good camera and an excellent QWERTY keyboard. Priced at around $400 unlocked, it isn't too bad. They are up for a tough battle against HTC's $300+ Android devices, though.
