Nokia Introduces their Smallest Smart Phone

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Nokia just released their Nokia N97 Mini, the little brother of their previous Nokia N97. This little smart phone has plenty of features to entice customers. Here is what you need to know about Nokia’s newest smart phone.

Its small size makes the Nokia N97 Mini convenient to carry around and lighter in weight as compared to other phones. It features a 3.2 inch touch-screen, and its only 14mm wide, meaning it will fit into even the tightest jean pocket. In spite of its small size, the cell phone still offers 8GB of space, and has a partnership with Facebook, making social networking more convenient.

The touch screen features a qwerty keyboard to increase texting speed for users. The Mini still has the home-screen widgets, and contains upgraded versions of many of the N97’s features, including design. The small phone is sleek and attractive, available in both white and black. The widgets offer a fair amount of usability, but as with most phones, Unlocked Nokia Cell Phones are far more customizable.

All in all, the Nokia Mobile Phone is a pretty good buy. There are a couple drawbacks, however. Its small size means that texting is more difficult than it would be on a larger touch-screen phone. The Nokia qwerty keyboard is very accurate, and not too touch-sensitive, but if you have larger fingers or are an amateur texter, you may find it a challenge.

The available widgets are fairly limited in functionality, but this problem is easily remedied with an unlocked version of the smart phone. In general, the battery life, sleek design and small size make the Nokia N97 Mini a great addition to the smart phone community and users are sure to enjoy its functionality.

Order your Nokia Today.

 

HTC Legend Android Review

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With its release a few months ago, it’s time to see what the team over at HTC delivered with the HTC Legend. This was HTC’s effort to provide the best smartphone on the market, so let’s see if the phone will live up to its name.

HTC Legend Android

HTC Legend

From an aesthetic point of view, the Legend is beautifully designed. It is encased in an aluminum frame which gives it a sleek and modern look, and the very design makes it a phone that is simply pleasant to hold in your hand. Moreover, the screen has been given an upgrade as well. The size remains at 3.2 inches, but the images themselves are presented in a bright and dazzling display of color and imagery. The reason for the improved visuals is that HTC decided to use an OLED screen instead of the LCD that they used in their previous phones. For the uninitiated, the switch to an OLED screen means that it has a backlight; and in this case, it leads to a much better visual effect that even direct sunlight does not tarnish.

The software has also gone through some much appreciated updates. The Legend comes with the Android 2.1 system, which runs smoothly and efficiently. Another update is the Friend Stream, an app that lets you zip through your friends various statuses on Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr all in one feed. There are a number of other cool additions. For instance, the phone comes with seven home screens to work with, and thankfully HTC kept in mind the need for a simple user interface by making it possible to bring up all seven homes screens at once to select which one you want to go to. All in all, the Legend’s software offerings are on par with the aesthetic appeal of the smartphone itself, which will go a long way in delighting its users.

Some of the other features of the HTC Legend Android include:

  • 3G Bandwidth: 900/2100 MHz
  • Touch sensitive optical trackpad
  • 3.2 inch screen with 320 x 480 pixels
  • About 6 hours of usage time and 560 hours of standby time
  • Operates with Android OS, v2.1
  • 384 MB of RAM, 512 MB of ROM
  • Built in GPS

The fact is that the HTC Legend was one of the best smartphones in 2010, and has to be seriously considered by any consumer even now. When you consider that it is going for only $281.00, you find that you have a powerful, useful, and beautiful phone that you can purchase on a budget. So don’t let the fact that it is over a year old stop you, it is still worthy of your consideration.

RIM BlackBerry Torch 9800 Features

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Blackberry’s traditional strength has been enterprise-level email, calendar, contacts and tasks; and its full synchronization with Microsoft Exchange applications have made it a powerhouse among the corporate staff and executives.  In recent times, however, RIM has attempted to reach out to users who primarily want a smartphone for text and instant messaging.  The answer to this is the RIM Blackberry Torch 9800.  Very popular among buyers is the Blackberry Torch 9800 unlocked which is perfect for those traveling abroad.

Powerful Features

Blackberry Torch 9800

Blackberry Torch 9800

The standout feature of the blackberry torch phone is its combination of a full touchscreen with a full QWERTY keyboard.  RIM’s experience with making good quality keyboards means that the Torch 9800 is excellent for email, texting and IM.

The Torch’s media savvy features incorporate movies, music and camera apps that users can quickly set up with easy-to-navigate menu options.  With excellent music quality and support for almost all audio formats, this application is a favorite with users.  Video playback is smooth; a nice feature is that as the video plays, all controls slide off the screen enabling easy video watching without controls cluttering your view.  The Torch uses a 5 MP camera with flash and a dedicated shutter button that delivers great quality pictures, especially those in natural light.

A BlackBerry Torch 9800 Review is not complete without a mention of its battery life, at 5.5 hours of talk time and 29 hours of audio playback, one of the best of its kind.  All said, the Torch is a good buy and fully delivers on its claims.  With an unlocked Blackberry Torch, you can also subscribe to any GSM network.

Apple and Android Face Off for the Best Tablet

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In the war of the tablets, Apple’s iPad and iPad 2 have reigned supreme without any serious competition for some time now. Android devices have attempted to challenge Apple for this crown, but few have found any success, with the exception of the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tab. Samsung’s second version of the Galaxy tablet offers nearly all the features of the iPad 2, with an Android operating system that many people prefer. So which tablet reigns supreme?

Both tablets have similar price points at the moment, so pricing isn’t the main deciding factor. If you are interested in design and screen quality the iPad edges out its competition slightly, offering better graphics and a more sturdy aluminum backing. While the Galaxy Tab has a plastic shell, many people carry their tablets in a protective case.  The Galaxy Tab takes the crown for lightest tablet, weighing in at 19.9 oz., as compared with the iPad 2′s 21.3 oz.  The Galaxy Tab 10.1 features a higher quality front and rear camera than that offered on the iPad 2 and the Galaxy’s screen is slightly larger.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Galaxy 10.1 Tab (Wi-Fi + 3G)

The battery life on the Apple iPad 2 is longer than that of the Galaxy 10.1 (a reported ten hours for Apple and nine for Samsung), and on both devices, the battery cannot be removed by the user and the device must be shipped away if a replacement or repair is needed. Both tablets come fully loaded with a number of free apps, and both give you the option to choose your free eReader. The iPad 2 has more available apps with the Apple App Store than that of its Android counterpart, but many of the Android apps available to the Galaxy 10.1 allow for greater customization and freedom for the user.

Apple iPad 2

Apple iPad 2 in Black & White (Wi-Fi + 3G)

In the end, the winning tablet depends largely on user preference. If you are used to, and satisfied with, Apple’s OS then the iPad 2 will likely offer all the apps and functions you require. If you prefer a more customized experience, the Galaxy Tab’s Android platform is likely to please you. Because they’re priced within $100 of one another, the choice is yours. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

Shop for Galaxy Tabs

Shop for an iPad 2

GSM Nation Finalists, BusinessWeek Top 25

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Founders: Junaid Shams and Ahmed Khattak,, and CTO Enam ul Haque

Founders: Junaid Shams and Ahmed Khattak,, and CTO Enam ul Haque

Every year BusinessWeek magazine runs the top 25 under 25 competition to find the best young entrepreneurs in America.  During the summer it asked its readers to vote on 200 U.S. companies that were founded and run by entrepreneurs ages 25 and under. GSM Nation Founders Junaid Shams and Ahmed Khattak were among the top 25 finalists across the country deemed America’s Best Young Entrepreneurs.

The value proposition at GSM Nation is that customers get cheaper, contract-free service and save hundreds of dollars each year, where other retailers sell phones only with expensive, multi-year commitments. By selling no-contract phones and unlocked cellphones, and providing top-notch customer service we produced $8 million in revenue in 2010 and project $35 million in 2011. Read the whole story here.

Blackberry Torch 9860 Finally Delivers a Touchscreen

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On August 29, 2011, the team over at Rim Software have finally answered our prayers and unveiled the new Blackberry Torch 9860 complete with a touchscreen. Like any longtime fan of the Blackberry brand, I have been waiting forever for one that has touchscreen capabilities, and I’m equally delighted that it comes with a 3”7 inch screen. But in the interest of fairness I will give the phone an in-depth review instead of arbitrarily declaring it to be the best Blackberry ever.

BlackBerry Torch 9860 in Black

The 9860 is fairly similar to its competitors when it comes to size. The exact measurements are 120 x 62 x 11.5mm which means that it is slightly larger than some other smartphones, a fact I appreciate since most of the space was used for the Blackberry touchscreen. It has a hip and stylish appearance overall, though it does lose a bit of its aesthetic quality from the raised buttons at the bottom.

It’s also notable that the new Torch comes with 768MB of memory and 4GB of storage space. This is great news for both application developers, and those who avidly use free Blackberry applications. Granted the use of too many applications and media software may push the battery life down. However the 9860 has a battery life on par with the rest of the Blackberry family so it should not be a significant issue unless you habitually forget to charge your phone.

BlackBerry Torch 9860

In terms of software, Rim has conducted a major overhaul of the Blackberry OS. The result is a much more user friendly program that cuts out many of the annoying features and inefficiencies of the previous iterations. As a result it adds a big boost to the usefulness of the 9860.

The list of specs and features of the Blackberry Torch 9860 includes:

  • 3”7 inch touchscreen with a 480 x 800 resolution
  • Complete compatibility with mp3 files
  • 5 mega pixel camera with a resolution of 2592×1944
  • Li-Ion 1230 MAH standard battery
  • Operates with Blackberry OS 7
  • 4GB of storage along with  768 MB RAM
  • Supports Java applications

When you consider that the Blackberry Torch 9860 is only $599.00 compared with the iPhone 4’s price tag of $749.00 it makes the device a steal. So is the 9860 the best Blackberry ever? Well, I know better than to make such broad statements…but if you buy the Blackberry 9860 I think you will be well-satisfied with your purchase.

Just Out: HP – TouchPad Tablet

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The race for the sleekest tablet just got hotter, with the July 2011 release of the Hewlett Packard TouchPad Tablet. But does this new kid on the block really measure up to the competition? A quick review and compare shows us just who is the best of the lot. But first, a look at the 16gb HP TouchPad and its variant, the 32gb HP TouchPad Tablet.

HP TouchPad

16 gb HP TouchPad Tablet in Black

At 740 grams, the HP TouchPad is a tad heavier than the iPad 2’s 603 grams and not quite as slim. However, with a powerful 1.2GHz Snapdragon dual-core processor, a choice of 16 or 32 GB of storage, 1 GB RAM and 4G connectivity, it more than stands up to its competitors. Moreover, its 9.7 inch scratch-resistant touchscreen ensures effortless navigation and its accelerometer, compass, aGPS, GPS and gyro sensors match the iPad2 punch for punch. The 6300 mAh battery pushes it a little higher than the Blackberry Playbook but slightly lower than the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 and iPad2. Bluetooth, video-calling and stereo speakers round off the specs list and make the TouchPad a tablet worth a buy.

Although the 16gb HP TouchPad  does not have a rear-facing camera and its front camera is 1.3MP, which is somewhat modest when compared to the Motorola Xoom 2 MP (also front-facing, no rear) or the Blackberry Playbook 3MP, front-facing camera, it has a much higher resolution than the iPad 2 0.7 MP camera, and offers Flash support, also unavailable on the iPad. Plus, its $200 pricepoint make it a steal as compared to other tablets costing 2 to 3 times as much.

The screen and virtual keyboard are both easy to use and the keyboard’s audio feedback is handy. Performance-wise, the Touchpad fares decently, doing a pretty good job with full HD videos and games. Battery life, at 7 hours of video playback and longer on WiFi browsing, is a good deal as well. Overall, the Touchpad delivers on performance expectations.

The complete list of specs and features include:

  • LED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
  • Practically unlimited phonebook entries
  • Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
  • Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP, EDR
  • Messaging: Email, Push Email, IM
  • 16 or 32 GB of internal memory
  • MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player, MP4/H.264/H.263 player
  • Organizer, document viewer/editor, predictive text input
  • Adobe Flash 10.1 support
  • Touchstone technology

With all of these features and more, the 16 gb HP Touchpad and 32gb HP Touchpad Tablet are hard to resist and their sleek, black look makes them a part of the elite bunch of tablet computers on the market today. You may pre-order your HP TouchPad at GSM Nation.

Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1 Now Available

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Just when you thought the tablet couldn’t get any slimmer or lighter, Samsung comes out with the new Galaxy Tablet 10.1. As the first Android Honeycomb tablet, it’s a direct response to Apple’s iPad 2 and based on comparisons, it’s obvious that Samsung has certainly answered back loud and clear.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

At 1.24-pounds compared to the i-Pad 2’s 1.33-pounds and a nail’s difference in thickness, the 10.1 packs a powerful punch with a dual-core Tegra 2 processor, 1GB RAM, a 3-MP back camera and 2-MP front camera, 16GB of storage space, unique keyboard dock and dual speakers. Some additional but subtle changes include the 10.1’s 7000mAh battery life and four-way accelerometer and gyro versus the iPad 2’s 6600mAh battery and a three-way accelerometer and gyro. At the same time, the 10.1 matches the features of other Android tabs, including built-in GPS, support for Adobe Flash in the browser, 1290 x 800 screen resolution, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor and Android tablet app.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

So does this mean the Galaxy Tablet 10.1 is better than the iPad 2? Perhaps. But it’s safe to say that the few differences the 10.1 has, though small, give the iPad 2 a good run for its money. Ultimately, the 10.1 is a smart buy for anyone who wants a light and portable Android tablet for which the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1’s pick-up-and-go functionality and portability is a dream. After all, it is hands down the sleekest tablet to date that money can buy.

For more details, check out the Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1 now.

Top features include:

  • 1 GHz dual-core processor
  • Adobe Flash 10.2 support
  • Google Search, Maps, Gmail
  • YouTube, Google Talk
  • Audio and video playback
  • Front facing 2.0 MP camera
  • 16GB Internal Memory
  • 3G Bandwidth: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz
  • Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot

Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro Review

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What do an international businessman, world traveler, and a social butterfly have in common? They all need a cell phone that can keep up with their busy lifestyles while allowing them to be productive on the go. If this sounds like you, then the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro is the perfect phone for you!

Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro runs on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS and features a 3.7-inch touchscreen with Sony BRAVIA technology for ultra brightness and clarity. With an 8-MP camera and hi-def video recording, users can capture high quality photos and videos even in the dimmest light.

The most outstanding feature of the Xperia Pro is the QWERTY keyboard with its firm, heightened keys and optimized key spacing, which minimizes errors and is perfect for typing long emails and messages. It’s incredibly comfortable and makes typing a breeze, so users can quickly and easily send emails, edit documents, and even make Facebook updates. For all you app and game lovers, the Xperia Pro has access to more than 150,000, including the pre-installed OfficeSuite Pro app for all your work-related needs.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro

Another convenient feature is Timescape, which allows users to view all their messages, call logs, Twitter tweets and Facebook updates in one place. Also, the Xperia Pro’s split screen system allows users to preview all their emails on one side and at the same time, view the selected message on the other. Arranging apps has been made simpler, too, so users can customize the layout and change the order of the apps by alphabet, size and date installed.

Choosing the right cell phone may be a daunting task, but one thing’s for sure: the Xperia Pro is all about productivity and maybe even a little fun. For more details, check out the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro now.

Top Features include:

  • Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS
  • 3G Bandwidth: 900/2100 MHz
  • 320-MB internal memory plus 8-GB SD Card included
  • Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g
  • Bluetooth
  • QWERTY keyboard
  • 8-MP camera/Hi-Def Video recording
  • 3.7-inch touchscreen
  • Built in GPS

Introducing The GSMNation Phone Finder

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Do you remember the day when mobile phones were the size of shoes and long antennas? It was easy to pick a phone because they were all basically the same. Nowadays, there are so many choices that it’s overwhelming to pick the right phone for your needs. This inspired us to develop the Phone Finder.

Today, with the number of choices available, finding a phone has become complicated and stressful. And it doesn’t help that the typical advice consists of reviews, lists and comparisons. Writers direct buyers to suit their personal interests rather than addressing your wants and needs.

We at GSM Nation have gotten feedback from customers, and have personally experienced this problem. We understand your frustration. Your online shopping experience should be enjoyable, simple and hassle-free. With the Phone Finder, this is exactly what you get.

Navigate to this tool by clicking Phones at the top of our website.

Phone Finder

By using the Phone Finder, you can narrow down your search through our 6 basic categories: Manufacturer, Operating System, 3G, Camera MP, Features and Price Range. Say you were looking for an Apple iOS with a Camera – you would do the following:

  • Scroll to Apple under Manufacturer
  • Check the box for iOS under type of Operating System
  • Check the box for Any Camera under Camera

That’s it! Try the Phone Finder now and simplify the cell-phone buying process.

Phone Finder - Apple