Gold Edition Nokia 8800 Phone

Gold Edition Nokia 8800 Phone

 If you have $2,700 to spare, you can now buy the Nokia 8800 in 24K gold. However, be warned if you think you’ll be getting a better phone for your extra cash, you wont! The features found on the Gold Edition are the standard 8800 features which are pretty basic.

It includes a 0.5 Mega pixel SVGA camera, 64 MB of internal memory, 64 voice polyphonic rigntones, FM Radio, Mp3 Player, video recording and 180 mins talktime. However, the Gold Edition does includes a special edition box and charging dock!

Vertu Diamond

Vertu Diamond

 The Diamond is Vertu’s premium range of high-end mobile phones. As the name suggests the handsets in the Diamond range are diamond-encrusted handsets made from platinum.

 Only 200 of the handsets are being produced, the most expensive believed to be worth an estimated £50,000.

Sony Ericsson Black Diamond

Sony Ericsson Black Diamond

Apparently the Black Diamond will be available in 2007, not from Sony Ericsson but by a company called VIPN. Initially only 5 unique numered pieces will be available for the unbelievable price of, wait for it… $300,000.

With regards to the specifications, don’t expect anything remarkable for your money. It will have Quad-band with Wi-Fi, an Intel 400Mhz processor running Windows Mobile 5 and a touch sensitive 2″ screen. It will also include internal memory of 128mb and will come with a 2Gb SD card for external storage plus a respectable 4 Megapixel camera.

The designer Jaren Goh has used some pretty impressive materials for the build, featuring titane with polycarbonate, mirror-finish cladding and diamonds.

Vertu Signature Cobra

Vertu Signature Cobra

 Vertu is now taking orders for the Signature Cobra which is designed by French jeweler Boucheron, but you had better be quick as only 8 are being made.

The Cobra will feature one pear-cut diamond, one round white diamond, two emerald eyes and 439 rubies. Vertu will also be offering a “cheaper” version, ruby free at $115,000 (£62,162).

Goldvish “Le million”

Goldvish “Le million”

 A PR stunt it may be and they surely can’t be expecting to sell any, but the Goldvish “Le million” is officially the most expensive mobile phone in the world, according the Guiness Books of Records.

There has even been talk of a $1.3million phone, but this has fewer diamonds than the Goldvish so I can’t see where the extra expense comes from! The “Le million” is a one off piece featuring a blinding 120 carats worth of VVS-1 grade diamonds, according to designer Emmanuel Gueit. If $1 million is out of your price range the Geneva-based Goldvish also offer several other diamond-encrusted 18k gold models in your choice of rose, yellow or white starting at a much more reasonable $25,600 (£13,837).

Sony Xperia Tablet

Introduction

You wouldn't call Sony's first foray in tablets a sweeping success. Last year the company released its first two droid slates and, while they were both eccentric enough to get everyone's attention, none of them was really fit to survive in a crowded and highly competitive market.

 It seems though that Sony are quick learners. The Xperia Tablet S has kept the catchy folded magazine design, and lost fat around the waist while enjoying a processing power boost, that should let it catch up with the competition.

Key features

• 9.4" 16M-color PLS TFT capacitive touchscreen of WXGA resolution (1280 x 800 pixels); Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine and oleophobic coating
• 1.3 GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 CPU, ULP GeForce GPU, 1GB RAM, Tegra 3 chipset
• Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich
• Quad-band GPRS/EDGE and quad-band 3G with HSPA connectivity (HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps)
• 16/32/64 GB of built-in memory
• 8 MP autofocus camera
• 1MP front-facing camera; native video calls
• 1080p HD video recording @ 30 fps with stereo audio
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Direct, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
• Stereo Bluetooth v3.0
• TV-out (adapter required), USB host (adapter required)
• SD card slot
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Infrared port
• GPS with A-GPS support; digital compass
• 1080p MKV and SD XviD/Divx video support
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor; three-axis Gyroscope sensor
• 6,000 mAh battery
• Guest Mode for multi-user access
• Splash proof

Main disadvantages

• Below-par screen resolution
• Proprietary connector for charging and connectivity
• Poor outdoor visibility
• Peculiar design favors portrait hold, top-heavy in landscape
• Splash resistance issues

Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100

Introduction

 Samsung has produced many great handheld devices in its time, but few have reached iconic status. The company builds its success on great adaptability, an eye for trends and a knack for improving on others' successful formulas. And yet, every now and then it pulls off a truly inspirational device - like the Galaxy Note last year.
The 5.3" half-smartphone half-tablet carved a whole new niche in the mobile market, which many have tried to tap into since. Competition, it seems, was caught off guard though. A year later, it's yet to produce a real Note killer. But Samsung is showing no signs of complacency - even though the first of their phablets is yet to be properly challenged, they're ready to go to number 2 and set the bar even higher.

 The Samsung Galaxy Note II brings twice the processing power, a brand new screen (of even larger size) and a bigger battery. Those alone make the second-gen Samsung phablet a worthy upgrade, but it's just the tip of the iceberg - here's a sneak peek of what's going on under the hood.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM and quad-band 3G with 21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support
• Optional LTE connectivity
• 5.5" 16M-color Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of HD (720 x 1280 pixel) resolution; Corning Gorilla Glass 2
• Android OS v4.1 with TouchWiz launcher
• 1.6 GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 CPU, Mali-400MP GPU, 2GB of RAM, Exynos 4412 Quad chipset
• S Pen active stylus with deep system integration
• 8 MP wide-angle lens autofocus camera with LED flash, face, smile and blink detection
• 1080p HD video recording at 30fps
• 16/32/64GB internal storage, microSD slot
• Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n support
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity; GLONASS support, Digital compass
• NFC support
• Stereo Bluetooth v4.0
• FM radio with RDS
• microUSB port with USB host and TV-out (1080p) support, MHL, charging
• Accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Great audio quality
• Very slim at only 9.4mm
• 1.9MP secondary video-call camera
• Document editor and file manager comes preinstalled
• Extremely rich video and audio codec support
• Huge 3100 mAh battery

Main disadvantages

• Large size makes single-hand operation problematic
• No dedicated camera key
• All plastic construction (would have probably weighed a ton otherwise, though)
• S Pen not as good as on the Note 10.1

Apple iPad 3

Introduction

 So, the iPad is dead, long live the iPad. That's also part of the deal. The retirement of the first-generation of the Apple tablet is nothing out of the ordinary. There used to be the iPad and the iPad 2. Now, we have the iPad and the iPad 2 is the backup, the second choice.
The new iPad. Here's one for you. You're Apple and you're about to launch your latest product. You want to dispel even the remotest suspicion of recycling old stuff. You want the slightest hint smothered of sequels and their questionable worth. What do you do?

Make it nothing like the old one? No, no - you're not paying attention. Pretend you're Apple. The market leader in tablets, the standard-setter in touchscreen, the king of design, the god of marketing.
Yes, it's as simple as a single stroke of divine wisdom. You get rid of the numbers. Next is wrong - new is what everyone cares about. If you're telling people they're getting the ultimate, the last thing you want them to think about is what comes later. Numbers are about the order of appearance, the new iPad is about the order of succession. In the royal sense.

Key features

 

• 9.7" LED-backlit IPS LCD touchscreen, 2048 x 1536 pixels; scratch-resistant, oleophobic coating
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity, carrier-dependent hotspot support
• Optional LTE connectivity (data only)
• Optional GPS with A-GPS support (for the 3G model only)
• Apple A5X SoC with 1 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor
• PowerVR SGX543MP4 quad-core GPU
• 1GB RAM
• iOS 5.1 with iCloud support and activation
• 16/32/64GB of inbuilt storage
• Weight of 652 grams (662 grams for the LTE version)
• Bluetooth 4.0
• 11,560 mAh battery
• Accelerometer, compass and three-axis gyro-sensor
• Compatible with every iPad and iPhone app without any modifications
• The cheapest version costs less than a SIM-free iPhone
• 5MP auto-focus camera
• 1080p video recording at 30fps
• VGA secondary camera capable of FaceTime calls
• Four and five-finger gestures
• 1080p TV-output with the Apple Digital AV Adapter (purchased separately for $39), 720p video streaming
• Supports magnetic cases

Main disadvantages

 

• iTunes still required for uploading most of the content
• Reflective screen struggles outdoors
• Same CPU as the iPad 2
• Heavier and thicker than the iPad 2
• No Flash support in the web browser
• No standard USB port
• Non replaceable battery
• No stereo loudspeakers
• No GPS receiver in the Wi-Fi version
• No memory card slot
• No Siri
• Can get uncomfortably hot at times
• No charging while in use
• Lack of basic iOS apps - weather, stocks, clock, calculator, voice memos

Apple iPhone 5

Introduction

The iPhone 5. As in five million units sold over the course of a … weekend. Can't say no to that. This is the latest installment in the smartphone series that changed the mobile phone industry and we can understand people couldn't wait. Now, what is it they couldn't wait for?
The Apple iPhone 5 brings the long anticipated larger screen and more capable internals that we already know are ready to trade blows with the most powerful chipsets out there.

There's also the new slender, slimmer body that no photos really do justice to. If all of Apple's claims are true then the iPhone 5 is a real engineering masterpiece - double the performance in a more compact package without sacrificing anything in terms of battery life.
They could've done worse. A lot worse. But this is Apple telling you to prepare to be wowed. So you have every right to play hard-to-please.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM and quad-band 3G support with 14.4 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
• LTE support where carriers support it and CDMA support when sold by CDMA carriers
• 4" 16M-color LED-backlit IPS TFT capacitive touchscreen of 640 x 1136px resolution
• Scratch-resistant screen glass, fingerprint-resistant coating
• 1.2GHz dual-core custom-designed CPU, PowerVR SGX543MP3 GPU, 1GB of RAM, Apple A6 SoC
• iOS 6 and iCloud integration
• 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and touch focus
• 1080p video recording at 30fps
• 1.2MP secondary front-facing camera
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity; digital compass
• 16/32/64GB storage options
• Accelerometer, proximity sensor and a three-axis gyro sensor
• Active noise cancellation with a dedicated secondary microphone
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack, stereo Bluetooth v4.0
• Excellent audio output quality (though worse than 4S)
• Apple Maps with free voice-guided navigation in 56 countries
• Voice recognition, Siri virtual assistant
• Supports HD Voice (needs carrier support too)
• FaceTime video calls over Wi-Fi and cellular
• Impressively slim and light
• Great battery life

Main disadvantages

• Aluminum body looks cool but is easy to scratch
• Proprietary connector, incompatible with previous-gen accessories (needs adapter)
• The new display is not proportionally bigger, but only taller
• Unadapted apps run letterboxed due to the unusual resolution
• nano-SIM support only
• Apple Maps app not up to scratch
• No USB Mass Storage mode
• No FM radio
• No stereo speakers
• No microSD card slot
• No NFC connectivity (though that may be nitpicking)
• Stuck with iTunes for loading content
• Mono audio recording in videos