KT610 is LG’s way of saying the communicator class isn’t reserved for insanely expensive high end devices. Packing a large full-QWERTY keyboard and neat and simple looks, the S60 Symbian handset spells business. It might have a few features missing but a frown at the spec sheet may as well melt into a smile at the price tag. Economy class is good enough as long as it gets you there. One particularly exciting thing about LG KT610 is the stark contrast between the touchingly old-school front and the serious stuff inside. So let’s open it up and see what we say.

LG KT610 official photos

Key features:

• Full QWERTY keyboard
• 2.4″ 262K-color QVGA display inside
• 1.45″ 262K-color secondary display
• Symbian OS v9.2 with S60 rel. 3.1 UI
• 3G with HSDPA
• Compact dimensions for a communicator
• 2 megapixel fixed-focus camera
• Built-in GPS receiver with excellent sensitivity
• More affordable than other communicators
• Bluetooth and USB v2.0
• 64MB of internal memory and microSD card slot

Main disadvantages:

• No Wi-Fi
• Mediocre camera
• No image geotagging
• Tiny external display of little usability
• Unimpressive battery life
• No A-GPS
• No document editor out-of-the-box
• No PDF reader or ZIP manager preinstalled

LG KT610 is a blessing for heavy texters who do appreciate the Symbian way of handling messaging. The dream texting skills however come at a price - the multimedia handling has suffered. In addition, cutting corners on cost has affected the preloaded content, which is rather scarce.

LG KT610 in our office

As this stage it should have become obvious that the KT610 is a niche model. It still makes a nice alternative in the full QWERTY Symbian segment, where supply isn’t exactly profuse. LG KT610 is rubbing shoulders with a few Eseries handsets and Communicators, and a couple of Sony Ericsson P-line phones. All right, a fact’s a fact: the Nokia E90 secondary display is almost the size of the KT610 main screen and the difference in price is hard to swallow. But still, plunging head first in the shark pond sure takes some cojones.

Another tough question is how the lack of Wi-Fi would affect a communicator, no matter how affordable. Well, we are to see about that when the phone spends some more time on the market. As for now let’s cut to the chase and start inspecting the LG KT610 exterior.

Before we jump to the next page though, a fair warning is due. We are reviewing a beta unit, so improvements and bug-fixes are quite likely.

Samsung i8510 Primera

Coming with a design inspired by the Samsung U900 Soul and the Samsung G810 the Samsung i8510 Primera will come with an 8 megapixel auto focus camera. We wonder whether the rumor Samsung are manufacturing the camera sensor of the Sony Ericsson C905 is correct - may be the Primera will feature the same camera unit then. There is a LED flash on the Samsung i8510 - pity since a xenon one is highly appreciated in any cameraphone.

The 8 megapixel snapper

Other exciting features of the Samsung i8510 include Wi-Fi and GPS, which also comes with assisted-GPS functionality for better cold start performance of the navigation services.

The display of the Primera will be a 16M color 2.8-inch QVGA one and the handset utilizes the Symbian 9.3 OS with S60 UI. The amount of RAM is 128 MB and there will be a dedicated 3D graphics accelerator. Unfortunately there is no information regarding the CPU used in this multimedia monster.

Much like the Samsung i900 Omnia and the Apple iPhone there will be an 8GB and a 16GB version of the i8510 Primera. There will also be a microSD card slot for expanding it and improving the connectivity. Other connectivity options include USB 2.0 and Bluetooth 2.0. The network data transfers are good to go via 3G with HSDPA support.

For the music lovers Samsung i8510 will offer a 3.5mm standard audio jack which should also be capable of transferring 5.1 surround audio (unprecedented yet on a mobile phone). We wonder how it’s going to do that with a single analogue jack - maybe it’s SPDIF.

The Primera will also be capable of recording slow-motion videos in QVGA resolution at 120 fps which matches the capabilities of the LG KU990 Viewty and KF750 Secret. Another common thing with these two LG devices is the DivX playback support on the i8510.

Samsung i8510 will be powered by a 1200 mAh battery and will measure 106.5 x 53.9 x 16.9mm, which is close to Samsung’s previous Symbian-powered flagship – the G810, meaning it’s a bulky fella. The official announcement of this multimedia monster is expected to come somewhere around mid-August and the price tag is rumored to be about 780 euro.

You don’t really think this leak is accidental, do you? With all the iPhone fuss and excitement in the air, Samsung are obviously trying to cool things a bit by throwing those scrapes of information out in the open.

Two new devices were revealed by T-Mobile at a press conference held in Germany - the MDA Compact IV and MDA Vario IV, both close relatives to the recently announced HTC Touch Diamond.

Actually, the MDA Compact IV is the T-Mobile version of the HTC Touch Diamond with a revamped design - a bit larger, more rounded edges, and most importantly - a lot lighter at 98 g as compared to 110 g of the HTC Touch Diamond. The proprietary 3D TouchFLO menu is also changed - now it turns up in white and magenta colors. The system RAM however has shrunk to 128MB as opposed to 192MB in the HTC Touch Diamond.

MDA Compact IV

By the way O2 also have their own incarnation of the HTC Diamond platform called quite expectedly the O2 XDA Diamond.

MDA Compact IV vs. HTC Touch Diamond: the differences are only cosmetic

All the other specifications of the MDA Compact IV remain the same as those of the Touch Diamond so users can enjoy a GPS receiver, Wi-Fi and a 3.2 megapixel auto focus camera. Powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro, the T-Mobile MDA Compact IV packs a 2.8-inch VGA display and is extremely thin at 12mm. It has a built-in accelerometer which allows screen auto rotation. Additionally, it would have the sweet 4GB of storage memory (no memory card slot though). FM radio with RDS and a proprietary HTC mini-USB port are also on board along with Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR.

The T-Mobile MDA Compact IV will be available in July at currently unknown price.

The T-Mobile MDA Vario IV is the other device which was revealed at the conference. It’s based on the rumored and yet unannounced HTC Raphael platform. HTC themselves haven’t announced a commercial device based on that platform, so the MDA Vario IV in a way gives a glimpse of a future HTC handset too.

MDA Vario IV

The T-Mobile MDA Vario IV will obviously hit on the HTC TyTN II since its main accent is the full sliding QWERTY keyboard - surprisingly the thickness of the device however has been kept to 18mm.

The MDA Vario IV is a communication expert, offering a tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS support and full HSDPA 7.2Mbps. On top of this are the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB, and GPS connectivity.

The device runs on Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS and is powered by the same Qualcomm MSM7201A 528 Mhz processor. The memory department has also got a boost to 256 MB RAM and 512 MB ROM, this time expandable via a microSD card slot.

The display remains the same as in Touch Diamond - 2.8″ 65K TFT touchscreen, with a VGA resolution (480 x 640 pixels). Keeping the same 3.2 MP camera, the MDA Vario IV has got a major boost in the battery performance, thanks to the 1340 mAh battery as opposed to the 900 mAh one in the Touch Diamond.

The actual dimensions of the new QWERTY communicator are 103 x 52 x 18 mm and weight 158 g. The MDA Vario IV is due for release in the autumn, yet its pricing is still unknown.

Hands on MDA Compact IV and Vario IV

Now that we’ve introduced the players, hit the jump for more live impressions and some camera samples.

It’s no news any more that we’ve been playing with one of the hotties of the season for some time now. Sony Ericsson W980 made a glorious entrance but we’re yet to see about the exit. Set to top the Walkman feature phone lineup, W980 carries along 8 GB worth of storage, a 3 megapixel camera and a built-in accelerometer. The touch-sensitive keys and the latest Sony Ericsson feature phone interface add to the excitement. Still not interested? Then try to think of another music phone with a built-in FM transmitter!

Sony Ericsson W980 official photos

Key features:

• 2.2″ 262K-color TFT LCD display of QVGA resolution
• 3 megapixel camera
• 8 gigs of onboard memory
• FM transmitter
• Great user interface
• 3G with HSDPA
• External 262K-color display with a resolution of 176 x 176 pixels
• Walkman 3.0 music player
• Shake control
• Light effects
• Touch-sensitive keys
• Ambient light sensor
• Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP profile support
• USB 2.0 connectivity
• FM radio with RDS
• Good battery life
• Comfortable keypad

Main disadvantages:

• No auto focus nor flash for the camera
• Inconvenient camera lens location
• Shiny surface a fingerprint nightmare
• Display kinda small for a high-end phone
• Awkward context keys
• Camera interface not user-friendly

Aiming to meet some high-end demand, Sony Ericsson W980 brings the cream of the music centered niceties of the house. The clamshell form factor and the quite eccentric features such as FM transmitter and light effects make it hard to point a finger at its main market rivals.

Sony Ericsson W980

One suspect that comes to mind is Samsung G400 Soul. Featuring the same flip-up bodywork, it trades the FM transmitter and the large storage space for a 5 megapixel camera. You figure if it’s a square deal or else. If the G400 Soul has some of those good Samsung audio quality genes, it’s in for a match with Sony Ericsson W980. With no information about the cost of either at this stage, the two devices might actually end up running in different lanes pricewise.

Anyway, we think the odds with W980 are towards a hefty price tag, which opens the door to some serious smartphone competition.

Now, one last thing before we get to the point. We should warn you that ours is a pre-release unit, so some minor changes are likely before D-day. Our units was rock solid and gave us no problems at all. So, significant changes to the overall user experience are quite unlikely.

Sony Ericsson W980

Now then, hit the jump for a thorough body inspection of the Sony Ericsson W980.

Philips are obviously making a go at the high-end market, something they’ve been keeping away for quite some time. Today they’ve officially stepped up with two new handsets - the Philips X800 and the Philips Xenium X-Connect. The Philips X800 is a full touch-screen device with a large display, while the Philips Xenium X-Connect is a Windows Mobile-based device with an even bigger TFT display. Let’s not waste any more time and delve into the specifics.

The Philips X800 is the first full-touch device by the China-based manufacturer. Images of the X800 already leaked a week ago but now it’s the real deal - the device is officially announced.

Philips X800

The Philips X800 is a tri-band GSM/GPRS handset and its highlight is the large 2.9-inch 262K color TFT display with touch-screen functionality and a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels. The interface of the device is also fully touch-based and offers handwriting recognition. The Philips X800 also flaunts a 2 megapixel auto focus camera, a microSD memory card slot, Bluetooth, an office documents reader.

The extraordinary battery times have been, so to say, a Philips trademark in recent years. The Philips X800 doesn’t make difference and the manufacturer promises up to 850 hours of standby time and up to 8 hours of talk-time.

Unfortunately, no availability or pricing information is yet known.

Next Philips unveiled preliminary information on their upcoming Philips Xenium X-Connect. It will run on Windows Mobile 6 and will have a large 3-inch display (resolution and touchscreen functionality are still not clear). It will be rich in connectivity features such as GPRS/UMTS/HSDPA, however lacking Wi-Fi.

Philips Xenium X-Connect

The Philips Xenium X-Connect will also have an integrated GPS-receiver and will offer Bluetooth, USB and a microSD memory card slot. More than anything though, the device has killer looks.

Currently no availability or pricing info is known on the Philips Xenium X-Connect.

Just as a refresher the high-end X1 has a 3-inch WVGA touchscreen display (800 x 480 pixels), as well as the optical joystick navigation - the navigation solution is cool and you can see that on video.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1

Almost all connectivity features are present on the Sony Ericsson X1 - from a 3.5mm audio jack to GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, everything is on board.

Typing is sweet with the slide-out QWERTY keyboard, while the 9 available home screens should suit every scenario and all user preferences. The multimedia set includes FM radio without RDS and Media player.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 also has a 3.2 megapixel camera and will come with 400MB of internal storage available to the user. It is expandable through the microSD card slot.

The handset will have support for all the four GSM network bands and four 3G network bands as well. HSDPA and HSUPA ensure the quickest data transfers around.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 will be powered by a Qualcomm 7200A 528MHz CPU and has 128MB of RAM. Unfortunately, as you would see from the video, the X1 desperately cries for some dedicated video acceleration.

Though there is no official information, it is certain that both devices will sport 3.2 megapixel cameras, secondary videocall cameras and 128MB of memory, facts obvious by the provided photos. Nokia E66 is a slider phone with large keys on both the front panel and the main keyboard. There is no information regarding the size of the display, yet it is certain it will be 16M TFT one and it really looks large.

Nokia E66

Nokia E71 is the other high-end phone, which comes in monoblock form factor and a full QWERTY keyboard. The main block of keys with the D-Pad looks very similar to Nokia E61i while the QWERTY keyboard has different design and very large “space” key.

Nokia E71

We’ve also noticed that the camera is an autofocus one, with flash and self-portrait mirror. The battery cover seems to have the same patterned finish as Nokia E51.

Nokia E71

It looks like the announcement of the highly rumored Sony Ericsson P5, codenamed Paris, is really close, as today several real photos of this baby leaked online - this time they are better quality and you can see more details.

Beside the photos, no additional information about the Sony Ericsson P5 is revealed. The obvious is that the phone has slider form factor, M2 card slot, the proprietary QWERTY keyboard of Sony Ericsson M600, a 5 megapixel camera with lens cover and a secondary videocall camera located at the front panel. The display will be a touchscreen one - a stylus is tucked in the upper right corner of the body.

We’ve also spotted a dedicated music key on the right side of the Sony Ericsson P5, which probably is used for the shake control or other accelerometer-based function. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any side scroll wheel on the left side - a control we are used to from previous high-end Sony Ericsson smartphones.

So far from previous leaks we also know that Sony Ericsson P5 is supposed to run on the latest UIQ 3.3 UI for Symbian. Other goodies include the built-in GPS receiver, Wi-Fi, and HSDPA connectivity. Impressive enough, we can’t wait to see it finally announced.

Source: My Symbian.com