Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness: Worth the $1,000 Price Tag?

Ok so what type of features would warrant you to drop $1,000 on a cell phone? Well if you purchased the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness then you must be all about being able to make a call, and basically just that. The Pureness doesn't have the hottest new gizmos and features that you would expect a new age phone to have like a camera, high resolution display, or even a premium feel and no 3G either. The UI on the Pureness is probably the simplest incarnation possible of Sony Ericsson's platform. The phone does have an FM radio though with attached headset and a basic music player and browser.

Right about now you may be wondering what, if anything, does the Pureness have that is cool or interesting? How about a transparent liquid crystal LCD screen? That's right, the Pureness is the world's first mobile phone to feature a screen like this. Sony's goal behind this phone is to strip it of all "unnecessary functions" and takes it back to the essential needs of talk, text and time. Oh, the phone also comes with 24 hour concierge service. Apparently the service will provide its members support for any and all lifestyle requests in cities all across the globe. Sony Ericsson also boasts that their service is the first truly localized global concierge service in the world.

"We are very proud to be launching such a beautifully designed phone with premium retail partners Sony VIP Shopping Service and Saks Fifth Avenue and we're looking forward to delivering many more exciting new phone concepts from our Xperia brand." according to head of PR for Sony Ericsson North America Stacy Doster. President of Saks Direct Denise Incandela goes on to say "We love to offer our customers beautiful, high-quality products and Sony Ericsson's Xperia Pureness phone embodies the sophisticated type of technology our fashion customer appreciates. We're excited to be the exclusive retailer launching the phone in the US." Aha! So the truth is out, this is a fancy rich person's phone!

Whether or not this is a "rich person's phone" or not is neither here nor there. If you have around $1,000 to drop on a cell phone and you actually prefer a more simplistic design then the Xperia Pureness is definitely the phone for you. I just don't see it being one of 2010's hot sellers. You can buy the Pureness now from Saks.com or the Sony VIP Shopping Service.

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LG eXpo

The new LG eXpo for AT&T is the newest handheld mobile device from LG and it is definitely one of the company's best. First of all the phone itself looks pretty good with a resemblance to to the Tilt2 and Touch Pro2. The phone has a semi-thick shell which feels solid as well as a metal battery cover which is definitely an improvement from the plastic-heavy and cheap Incite.

The eXpo has a full QWERTY keyboard that is better than most phone's keyboards but still not the very best out there. The boards keys are clicky and wide and the spacebar seems to have the perfect position. The numeric keypad is in the traditional square formation yet it is completely flat and reports of a "crushing plastic" sound being heard when certain keys are pressed is a little sketchy. But only review units have been tested so who knows about the final product.

One of the coolest features is the fingerprint scanner which doubles as an optical trackpad. While good, the trackpad isn't as good as the trackball or trackpad seen on the latest BlackBerry. On the top of the device is a power/lock button as well as a micro-USB slot hidden under a plastic flap. One innovative thing about the port is that is also doubles as the phones headphone jack although it does lack the 3.5mm standard connector.

The 3.2-inch screen looks really good but is slightly small. To operate some features you are probably going to need a stylus or a fingernail. The on-screen keyboard, however, is easily used and looks just as good if not better than HTC's. eXpo's on-screen keyboard also XT9 integrated and is just as good as the actual phone's keyboard.

The core of this device is home to the 1GHz Snapdragon Processor. While you would expect it to be amazing in the device, it doesn't blow you away. This isn't to say that the Snapdragon Processor is bad, it just isn't on the same page as the Windows Mobile 6.5 OS used by the eXpo. It seems that the device does not take advantage of the Snapdragon's capabilities. Web browsing on the device is good, but not good enough to make it stand out above the rest.

Compared to LG's latest device, the Incite, the eXpo is hands down a better device all around. The eXpo has practically every feature and more that a 2009-spec phone in the business market could want or need. Overall this is an excellent phone for the businessman out there that needs a solid mobile device.

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First Look at the Google Phone

Well it seems Google isn't going to be satisfied until it has something in every aspect of your life. Its most recent attempt to slowly take you over comes in the form of the Google Phone, otherwise known as the Nexus One. Information on the Nexus One is scarce and scattered already but we do have a few details on it as of now.

The Google phone will have an updated OS which features some new 3D elements added to the application tray. In addition to that there are also a ton of new homescreens. However, with the lock screen/mute seems to be exactly the same as that on the Android 2.0.1. A new grid icon has been added to the bottom of the screen. The grid icon, when pressed, pops up a webOS card-style preview of every single homescreen which brings up some very interesting possibilities.

The Google Phone has been confirmed as the Nexus One on the system info page and there even seems to be a new software update for the device. The Nexus One is running on T-Mobile, that much is clear. It will also use WiFi so there are some more answers to the slew of questions about this device. The Nexus One is loaded, to nobody's great surprise, with Google Navigation as well as the totally new Google Goggles.

The Nexus One was spotted trying to sneak through the FCC earlier today under the name "NEXUSONE" and model number PB99100 built by HTC. Thanks to this little bit of filing, we have some more details on the device. Thanks to the filing we can confirm that the Nexus One will have microSD expansion, 802.11b/g WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. But that isn't even the best part. Looking at the radios the Nexus One will have quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE with UMTS/HSUPA. A little too technical for you? This just means that the Nexus One is a 3G device capable of not only 2Mbps up but also 7.2Mbps down.

Looking deeper at some more FCC posts about the Nexus One, we can see that from the bands listed (I, IV and VIII) that the Nexus One is definitely a T-Mobile device in the US with applicability on some European networks. AT&T looks more doubtful with each report especially considering the test lab incorrectly listed 815-880MHz frequencies as part of band VIII. According to the FCC reports, WCDMA Band IV was the only one tested in the Part 22H/24E/27 Report. This makes it possible that the device is going to be HSPA 900/1700/2100 plus quadband EDGE.

This new Nexus One could very well disrupt the niche we have created for devices like this if released under certain circumstances. If it is released unlocked like its rumored to be at a reasonable price as it is hoped and with the jaw dropping user experience as it was tweeted then it may very well do just that. Look for more on the Google Phone, or Nexus One, as it arrives.

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AT&T's New Pantech Impact

As of now, AT&T’s phone with the very best features could quite possibly be the Pantech Impact. It has an impressive array of specs including: a horizontal flip that features haptic-feedback-enhanced, invisible number keys, a hidden QWERTY keyboard, and an extra LCD display inside. This could be the phone that you have been looking for.

The Impact has a very strong, sturdy feel about it. It measures 4.2 x 2.0 x 0.7 inches and weighs 4.5 ounces. It is available in two different colors: metallic blue with a black faceplate and internal keyboard or a faded pink with a black faceplate and white keyboard. Overall, the Impact is very nicely put together with its high-quality plastic. The hidden LED keypad is a cool feature. It will appear when you hit the hold button on the side of the phone. It may be a little difficult to get used to, but you can easily catch on and the effect is awesome.

Once you open up the Impact, there is a bright 2.6-inch screen with 240 x 400 pixel resolution. On both sides of the screen, there are stereo speakers that produce fantastic sound quality. The QWERTY keyboard has large, flat, square keys that make texting a breeze. The voice quality of the phone is quite clear, but the low volume of the earpiece can make talking to people in windy conditions a little difficult. The speakerphone is moderately loud but sounds slightly tinny. With Bluetooth, everything is crystal clear and with the perfect amount of volume. Another quick fact to note is the fact that the Impact is a quad-band EDGE and dual-band HSDPA phone. This means that it can work overseas, although the 3G speed is restricted strictly to the U.S. and Canada.

Web browsers look incredibly sharp on the Impact and load quite quickly. Navigation is made easy by the five-way control pad. The browsing experience is very impressive for a midrange feature phone. You can connect to Yahoo, AOL, AIM, Gmail, and Windows Live through AT&T’s Mobile Email offer, but it will cost you an extra $5. Also featured on the Impact is the TeleNav-powered AT&T GPS Navigator that includes the ability to utilize voice-enabled, turn-by-turn directions. There are 80MB of internal storage on the Impact, but in case you need even more room, there is a bottom-mounted microSD card slot that will work with up to a 32GB card.

Other features on the Impact include a 2-megapixel auto-focus camera. Although it lacks an LED flash, it does have video recording capabilities. The photos that the phone took were sharp, but they lacked bright colors. The videos were a bit grainy, but otherwise quite smooth at 320 x 240 pixel resolution and 13 frames per second.

The Pantech Impact is a welcome arrival to AT&T’s line up of phones. With the multitude of features including: the invisible number keys, extra LCD display, quick and easy Web browsing, and plenty of internal storage, you can’t beat the $99 price tag of this feature phone.

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ZiiLABS Zii Trinity Smartphone Announced

ZiiLABS promised and ZiiLABS delivered with the announcement of their first smartphone development platform entitled the Zii Trinity. The Zii Trinity is based off of Zii:ABS StemCell ZMS-05 processor with added quadband GMS and triband WCDMA/HSDPA. ZiiLABS is a subsidiary of Creative and has brought a lot of punch to this new smartphone.


The Trinity comes packed with a ton of features that are sure to make it top on the list of smartphones. The Zii Trinity comes with 1080p full HD which is also supported together with accelerated OpenGL ES 3D graphics. The Trinity runs a 3.1-inch 800x480 OLED capacitive touchscreen with 3.5G support.

Along with all of this the Trinity also manages to add in WiFi b/g, a GOS system, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR and even a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus. Aside from the 5 megapixel camera there is also a VGA camera on the front of the device for video calls and a microSD card slot.

The Trinity includes a micro USB 2.0, mini HDMI and composite video output. A 1,130mAh battery pack is included with the Trinity and the device will run Creative's own Plaszma OS or even Google's Android platform. Users will be able to fully customize a Zii-optimized Android install or the Plaszma interface.

The one unfortunate factor in the Zii Trinity is that it will not be available to the general public through a mobile phone store. It will be available through a Zii Development Kit 3G Phone Edition. This kit includes schematics, Gerbers, mechanical drawings, Board Support Package, middleware and OS. There is no word on pricing as of yet but I will update you as information arises.

For now, this new smartphone looks to be pretty impressive and is packed with some amazing features. Definitely be on the lookout for this device in the near future.

Sony Ericsson's Saito Sales Suspended

The two biggest mobile phone retailers in the UK, Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U, have suspended sales of Sony Ericsson's leading Saito phone after an unusually high number of customers returned their mobile devices to the stores with complaints of software glitches. One of the biggest problems consumers had was the fact that the device would power itself down when people tried to access certain applications. This specific issue deals with a software problem which doesn't allow it to be fixed with an over-the-air-patch. According to Sony Ericsson, a "fairly low" number of phones have been returned in comparison to the amount of phones sold.

Senior Marketing Manager of Sony Ericsson Richard Dorman expects the company to have all the problems fixed by Christmas. He went on to say that despite the number of returned devices, the company will not suspend their high-profile marketing campaign that features people using the device's 12 megapixel camera to take pictures on spacehoppers. This decision by the two independent retailers to cease sales of the phone is a serious blow to to Sony Ericsson, especially with the holiday season and Black Friday coming up.

"This is the last thing Sony Ericsson needs right now. It's a disaster." said CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood. Wood also made a point to say that the company, which is Japanese-Swedish based, has struggled with quality issues in the past and that software problems are becoming more common for mobile phone makers that are under immense pressure to produce complex handsets in an effort to remain competitive. However, the Saito isn't the only mobile to suffer from problems after launch. The original BlackBerry Storm and the Nokia N97 both suffered from some problems at launch as well.

These software glitches come as sad news for the company mainly because the Saito had been selling well due to a large customer attraction to the device's high quality camera. "Sales of the product have been very strong and we expect them to remain strong once the problem has been fixed." stated Dorman who went on to say that the phone will still be available from it's mobile phone partners Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile. Both Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U agreed to offer customers exchanging their faulty Saito a new phone. A speaker for Carphone Warehouse stated, "From time to time we experience issues with new handsets, and their software, which may result in a customer experience that is below our usually high standards." Both Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U say they will work closely with Sony Ericsson to do all they can to fix the problems and restock the handset as soon as possible.

Over the last year and a half, Sony Ericsson has struggled. They have since reported a 199 million EUR loss in the third quarter and its market share has dwindled to around 5%. In addition to this, 2,000 job cuts have been reported on top of 2,000 job losses from last year. With the launch of the X10 next year, Sony Ericsson hopes to return to profitability. The X10 will be Sony Ericsson's first handset based on Google's Android operating system.

Cell Phone Radiation Concerns

There are many people that have expressed their concern for cell phone radiation, and there has actually been quite a bit of debate over it. Honestly, the thought of my cell phone emitting some sort of radiation has never once crossed my mind until I was reading about why some people feel that their could be some danger with constant cell phone usage.

It is known fact that cell phones do emit a tiny amount of radiation with their cellular radios turned on. Even with hundreds of cell phone calls, the amount of radiation is well within the human limits of tolerance. The thing with radiation though is that it has a cumulative effect over time. There is a theoretical possibility that a small number of people who constantly use a cell phone over a long period of time are more at risk to develop certain kinds of neck and brain cancer, but as of now nothing has been proven.

There have been a few studies done this past year that have raised some questions and caused some concerns. A new analysis of 23 unconnected epidemiological studies were unable to find any indication of a connection between cell phones and tumor development. Unfortunately when those studies were looked at more closely, eight of the cases discovered that there was a 10 to 30 percent increased risk of tumors next to those who do not use cell phones, and the increased risk was directly proportionate to the amount of use.

The Environmental Working Group, who released an online guide to cell phone radiation in September, stated that they believed that with the current standard of cell phones there is an increased risk of a long term user (which they define as someone who has used a cell phone for over 10 years) developing a brain tumor from the radiation of the cell phone.

Most everyone believes that more research is needed before any kind of final statement is made about the consequences of the radiation. There have been numerous independent studies that have failed to link cancer to cell phone usage, but since no study will be able to come out and say that cell phone use is 100 percent safe, there will always be worry in the back of some people’s minds.

So the easiest way to avoid any possible harm from the radiation or maybe just to put your mind at ease is to use your cell phone hands free. If the cell phone is not up to your ear, than you avoid all possible risks from the radiation emissions. This is easy enough to do with the use of speaker phone and Bluetooth. Hopefully you aren’t too paranoid about the small radiation possibilities, but if they have worried you, I hope that you now understand that there is no proof of cell phone radiation causing any forms of cancer. Soon there should be more research on this topic that will hopefully put all these accusations to rest.