Feb 18 2009

Vote for the best MP3 Mobile Phone

Posted by Wilson Yue in Polls
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Apple Iphone 3G

The good:
The Apple iPhone 3G offers critical new features including support for high-speed 3G networks, third-party applications, and expanded e-mail. Its call quality is improved and it continues to deliver an excellent music and video experience.

The iPhone 3G is a fantastic mobile video and music player. That much was established with the launch of the original iPhone. We’re happy that the headphone jack is no longer recessed, making it easier to use any 3.5mm jack headphones. The new display is warmer, described by some folks as yellow, and this isn’t a defect. Apple changed the color temperature of the display to achieve more natural and rich colors. We like it just fine, and wouldn’t have noticed the change until we played our old iPhone 2G beside the new model. Like the iPhone 2G, the 3G iPhone’s display is viewable outdoors even in direct sunlight.

The bad:

The iPhone 3G continues to lack some basic features that are available on even the simplest cell phone. Battery life was uneven, and the 3G connection tended to be shaky. Also, the e-mail syncing is not without its faults.

Sony Erisson W810i

The good:
The Sony Ericsson W810i is augmented by an attractive design; an improved keypad; great music quality; and a generous range of exceptional features, including Bluetooth, a 2-megapixel camera, an MP3 player, a memory card slot, and a speakerphone.

The primary multimedia feature is the music player, or “Walkman” as Sony rather obviously band it. We’re not quite so sure it deserves the rather revolutionary brand name that for those of us that can remember had such an impact in the early eighties. However the Sony music player is a rather fine example of how to get MP3 playback into a mobile and one which iTunes and Motorola could learn a lot from. The software supports playback of both MP3 and ACC files making it compatible with most peoples music collections, the player fires up with one press of the Walkman button and the controls change their function with the main joystick acting as playback control. The whole package is very user friendly and the sound quality is first class which is even more obvious should you choose to hook it up to a speaker system, we were stunned that a small mobile could really sound that good. We also liked the 3.5mm stereo jack which enables you to use any earphones you like with the hone and not be limited to those supplied as other phones force upon you. We used the W810i on the London tube with our Shure E2C’s and found the experience to be as good as using an iPod!

In order to play MP3 files you do have to be able to store them so the Sony Memory Stick Duo support is key for getting multimedia content onto your W810i as the onboard space is a tiny 20mb. However using the Duo slot you can add 1gb of memory which turns the phone into an iPod shuffle equivalent, except this has a nice interface and is very easy to use. Sony aren’t too tight with the standard package and do include a 512mb Duo card so you may even get away without spending any extra on upgrades. Getting media onto the W810i is best achieved by slotting the Duo card into a PC card reader or into the inbuilt slot on a Sony Laptop as the USB connection on the phone is only USB 1.1 which is very slow to move MP3 files over.

The bad:

The Sony Ericsson W810i suffers from staticky call quality and glitchy music transfer software. Also, it lacks a Bluetooth stereo profile, and the integrated memory is limited to 20MB.

Nokia 5310

This is a good music phone from Nokia that can rival Sony Ericsson’s Walkman range. We love the ultraslim, lightweight design, the practical keypad and the hot looks. The 5310 has a fully loaded music player and FM radio, up to 4 Gbytes of memory for storing songs, a 2 megapixel camera and Bluetooth connectivity. The battery life is below average, but this phone is definitely worth a look.This is primarily a music phone, and it’s equipped with a full function music player and FM radio. The music player has support for playlists, album art and an equaliser. You can listen to your music using the built-in loudspeaker.

The camera is a respectable 2 megabytes. It lacks a flash, which is a shame, but in good light it’ll take decent pics. The display is outstandingly good, with a high-res screen that’s as good as anything in this price range. Although the phone isn’t 3G, it supports fast downloads using EDGE and has the Opera Mini Browser built-in, so you can still browse the web, and the screen is large enough to make this feasible. The phone comes with 3 games, and you can download Java games too. The UI is quite customisable, with animated screensavers, wallpapers and downloadable themes.

Motorola RAZR2 v8

The Motorola RAZR has been one of the most popular mainstream cell phones in recent years. Motorola has now beefed up the fliptop to attract an even wider audience, particularly music aficionados. It still isn’t going to blow away your favorite smartphone, but its smooth handling, compact size and added memory capabilities make the MOTORAZR2 V8 a solid competitor.
The music setup is, in a word, is superb. Press the music quick key and a current list of the music library is shown. It is organized by genres and other factors. Choose a song, then use the directional pad to play/pause, forward, reverse or stop. Close the top and the overhead monitor becomes an limited iPhone-style touchscreen: press the corresponding button to control the music. Most impressive is the sound, which, frankly, is some of the best phone music ever heard in recent memory. Put it in a small office and the neighbors may start complaining about the noise. The volume is great, and yet the clarity is crisp at any level. (Rock, rap and blues music sounded equally excellent.) The included earphones have soft, cushy covers and a button to control the music as well as to shout voice commands.

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