alaTest USA - Product Tests & Reviews

goodgearguide.com.au

Number of Reviews collected

in Cell Phones

478

Total

6924

Source country

AU

Australia

Language: English

Source rating scale

1
5
1
50

Average source rating

70

Highest rating

100

Lowest rating

20

Cell Phones

Samsung Blue Earth S7550

The Samsung Blue Earth (unlocked GSM world phone; U.S. pricing not available) is the latest in a new batch of ecofriendly phones, including Samsung's own Reclaim handset. However, the Blue Earth--available in Western Europe for 300 euros now, and in ...

Smooth browser interface, made from recycled materials, uses solar energy

Small display, little documentation or equipment included

The Samsung Blue Earth proves that a solid, ecofriendly touchscreen phone can work. Ironically, the problems with the phone, such as the limited music player, the lack of support, and the puzzling on-screen keyboard, have nothing to do with being green

November, 2009

Rating

65

no alaScore

2 reviews

SAMSUNG S5230 Player One

Samsung Star (S5230) mobile phone

By Ross Catanzariti

Samsung's Star is an entry-level, prepaid mobile phone the features the company's TouchWIZ UI.

Compact, responsive touch screen, TouchWIZ UI, good on-screen keyboards, price

No 3G, screen isn't particularly sharp, widgets could be improved, no dedicated apps

Other features include a basic 3.2-megapixel camera without flash, a suite of PIM functions, an FM radio, voice recorder, music player and Bluetooth connectivity. A microSD card slot for extra storage is included, but it's under the battery so you'll ...

November, 2009

Rating

65

alaSCORE 93

379 reviews

Acer neoTouch S200

Acer neoTouch S200 smartphone

By Andrew Harrison

The Acer neoTouch S200 is a compact 3G smartphone that uses Microsoft's latest Windows Mobile 6.5 user interface.

Looks quite classy

Resistive touch screen, annoying "quirks

Windows Mobile still gives a fear-inducing warning, whenever you dare switch off, made worse by some strange new grammatical wording of €˜The unsaved data will be lost if Yes to continue - Yes/No'. A friendly and humane interface this phone certainly ...

November, 2009

Rating

40

alaSCORE 87

7 reviews

HF21

The Canon Legria HF21 is a Full HD flash memory-based camcorder aimed primarily at casual users. With an RRP of $1699, the Legria HF21 is significantly cheaper than Canon€™s high-end efforts yet still hovers above the entry-level mark. Its video ...

Impressive high-def video quality, solid array of modes and features, 64GB inbuilt memory

Video performance struggles in low light, no 'Easy' button for novices

The Canon Legria HF21 can store up to 24 hours of video on its 64GB memory drive (or around 12 hours at the highest quality). This can be bolstered by an additional 48 hours courtesy of an inbuilt SD memory card slot; though you€™ll need to purchase ...

November, 2009

Rating

75

no alaScore

3 reviews

Sony Ericsson Aino

Sony Ericsson Aino mobile phone

By Ross Catanzariti

Boasting the ability to control and access multimedia content wirelessly from a PlayStation 3 console, Sony Ericsson's Aino mobile phone also features a 3-inch touch screen, Wi-Fi and an 8-megapixel camera. Unfortunately, a top heavy design, the touch ...

Play with PS3, large display, included accessories, stylish design when closed

Top heavy design, touch screen is limited, Remote Play feature is not easy to set up, no 3.5mm headphone jack

Sony Ericsson is generous with included accessories - the Aino comes packaged with a charging/synchronising dock that€™s positioned at a good angle to watch videos, as well as an MH100 Bluetooth headphone adaptor. The latter allows you to use a ...

November, 2009

Rating

60

alaSCORE 92

94 reviews

Motorola Droid

Motorola Droid smartphone

By Robert S. Anthony

The first time you pick up the Motorola Droid (US$200 with a two-year contract from Verizon), you'll notice its solid feel and heft--there's a lot going on behind the crisp, 3.7-inch touchscreen.

Snappy Web browsing, gorgeous 3.7-inch display

Some camera images come out grainy, flat keyboard is difficult to type on

The phone provided excellent call quality, even in a New York hotel lobby full of noisy Phillies fans headed to Yankee Stadium for the World Series. Parties on the other end of my calls reported no problems

November, 2009

Rating

90

alaSCORE 96

40 reviews

Samsung Pixon 12

Samsung Pixon 12 mobile phone

By Ross Catanzariti

Described by Samsung as the "world's first 12.1 megapixel camera phone," the Pixon 12 mobile phone was actually beaten in Australia by the launch of the Sony Ericsson Satio.

Good build quality, 12-megapixel camera with Xenon flash, mechanical lens cover, AMOLED display, Wi-Fi, GPS, HSDPA

No 3.5mm headphone jack, not a smartphone, resistive touch screen, widgets could use some work

The Pixon 12 supports Microsoft ActiveSync and features Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB connectivity through a standard micro-USB port. For mobile Internet, the Pixon 12's Web browser uses tabbed browsing, loads pages without any issue and is quite ...

October, 2009

Rating

75

alaSCORE 92

37 reviews

Sony Ericsson Satio

Sony Ericsson Satio smartphone

By Ross Catanzariti

On paper, Sony Ericsson's Satio smartphone certainly looks impressive -- a whopping 12.1 megapixel camera with Xenon flash, a large 3.5in touch screen display and an interface that uses standby panels on the home screen to access commonly used ...

12.1 megapixel camera with Xenon flash, large touch screen, finger swipe shortcuts on home screen, excellent multimedia menu, GPS, Wi-Fi

No 3.5mm headphone jack, proprietary USB port, resistive rather than capacitive touch screen, a little chunky at the top, inconsistent Symbian user interface

Unfortunately, what would have been a capable multimedia device only includes a proprietary USB and charging port, and doesn€™t include a 3.5mm headphone jack. The headphone jack omission is an inexcusable one, especially at this price point. Worse ...

September, 2009

Rating

75

alaSCORE 95

288 reviews

BlackBerry Curve 8520

Research in Motion is continuing its push towards consumer users - in addition to its traditional corporate customer base - with its latest BlackBerry Curve 8520 an inexpensive, entry-level smartphone. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 lacks 3G connectivity ...

Optical trackpad, external multimedia controls, compact and lightweight frame, 3.5mm headphone jack

No 3G, no GPS, poor display, bulging rubber keys require a firm press, lock key removed, keyboard could be improved

The poor quality. Low resolution display does detract from the BlackBerry Curve 8520's multimedia appeal, but a 3.5mm headphone jack, a suite of multimedia apps (quickly accessed by pressing the physical play button on top of the phone) and a microSD ...

September, 2009

Rating

70

alaSCORE 96

110 reviews

Samsung Jet

Samsung Jet Icon mobile phone

By Ross Catanzariti

Packing in a wealth of features including a brilliant AMOLED display, a 5-megapixel camera and Wi-Fi, its strange to think the Samsung Jet Icon isn't actually a smartphone. Though it lacks the ability to install third-party applications, the intuitive ...

Compact design, AMOLED display, TouchWIZ user interface, 5-megapixel camera, GPS, Wi-Fi, smart unlock

No access to third party apps, messaging speeds are a little slow, resistive touch screen rather than capacitive

The Samsung Jet Icon is a capable multimedia phone - a 3.5mm headphone jack, video recording, DivX playback and Bluetooth with A2DP are all included. It also has an FM radio and a handy music recognition application, similar to the iPhone app Shazam, ...

September, 2009

Rating

80

alaSCORE 94

115 reviews

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