Yesterday as I was casually strolling through Parkway Parade Shopping Centre in Singapore, I happened to stumble across a Singtel outlet with the LG Optimus 7 on display. Considering that I hadn’t seen one yet, I had to stop and have a play, even though I was slightly late in meeting my friends for some gnarly surfing at Sentosa Wavehouse.
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It may be the world’s smallest Android phone but the newly Australia-launched Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro still packs a punch!

I love how Sony Ericsson were able to maintain a tiny and sleek form factor despite having a full QWERTY keyboard on board. This gadget is obviously suited for people who love to type on the go and prefer something a bit smaller than its bigger brother: the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10.

I think more people would have been attracted if it had at least Android 2.1 on it – the good news is that the Sony Ericsson X10 range is due for an Android upgrade in October this year! Read the press release and see it in action below.

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The HTC EVO 4G is America’s first 4G phone. In the video below, the guys at PhoneArena argue that this is currently the best smartphone in the world. In my opinion, I think they could be right especially with the perfect mix of being on a speedy 4G / WiMAX network and juicy specs of the device. The HTC EVO 4G will be released by Sprint this week.

Compared to the U.S., Australia still lags behind in terms of a national 4G Network, however companies like vividwireless are working fast to close the gap.

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Looking for a HTC Desire case that will protect your device while maintaining its sleek form factor?

Presenting the Mr.Gadget HTC Desire Silicon Case (White). Made out of durable silicon, this HTC Desire Silicon Case will ensure that your device is protect from daily bumps and scratches. Perfect for HTC Desire owners who don’t want a chunky case.

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LG Electronics is a company to keep an eye on when it comes to smartphones. I was enlightened with their genuine interest in building the world’s best devices through understanding the consumer when I visited their offices in Seoul this year. Their newest Android device, the LG Optimus, is evidence of this. It seeks to address the problem of new users of the Android operating system finding the whole user interface too overwhelming. With the LG Optimus, LG have tried to simplify the menu options and layout so any first-time Android user would feel comfortable using it within a matter of seconds.

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There are rumors flying around that the HTC Desire is available as of today in Australia. My friend just got an email (which I will publish once it hits my mailbox) from Telstra saying that the HTC Desire can be purchased from T-Life stores. I’m going to pass by one on the way home so I’ll be able to verify this personally.

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In a few days, Australia will get their hands on what is one of 2010′s most anticipated mobile devices, the HTC Desire. I see reviews on the HTC Desire slowly filling my RSS feeds which is evidence of the buzz it’s creating and all share a common theme – this HTC Android handset kicks ass.

One of the better reviews on the HTC Desire come from the good folk at Pocketlint. Their break down of the major features of the HTC Desire and their likes and dislikes make it a must-read for potential HTC Desire owners.

For those strapped for time, here’s a summation of their findings.

Pros of the HTC Desire:

• Smooth edges mean comfortable for long phone calls
• rubberised edges give the phone more grip
• Inclusion of Leap View which gives you top down view of home pages
• HTC Sense customisation options and widgets
• HTC Sense rich contact integration
• 3.7 inch AMOLED screen is bright and vivid
• Internet Browsing is most satisfying than on any other phone
• Flash videos supported
• Speed and power which launches applications in a jiffy
• HTC keyboard is fast and accurate
• Photos from the 5 megapixel camera
• Photo editing options on the HTC Desire like “solarised”
• Media player is decent

Cons of the HTC Desire:

• HTC Sense widget auto-refresh times
• Touch response too sensitive
• No HD video recording
• Video playback isn’t as comprehensive as they’d like
• Battery only lasts for a day with active use

Advice / Tips for HTC Desire:

• Calibrate the screen as soon as you get it
• Get an application task manager to shut down unused apps
• To save battery power use Android Power control and turn down screen brightness and background syncing

Via PocketLint

It’s official – Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 has been launched in Australia. We talked about the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 only a couple of days ago and how its sleek design and gutsy innards (Snapdragon 1GHz chip) made Sony Ericsson’s 2010 flagship mobile so enticing.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Key Features & Specifications:

• GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• UMTS HSPA 900/1700/2100
• UMTS HSPA 800/850/1900/2100
• 4.0-inch scratch-resistant WVGA touchscreen with 480 x 854 resolution
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor
• 8.1- Megapixel Camera with 16x digital zoom, auto focus, geotagging and video recording
• Bluetooth Stero
• Media player
• Sony Ericsson Timescape and Mediascape features that handle communication and media, respectively
• Microsoft Exchange support
• Gesture control
• A-GPS with Google Maps and Wisepilot
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• microUSB connectivity
• Wi-Fi support
• Phone memory: up to 1 GB
• 8GB microSD card
• Android Donut 1.6
• Size: 119 x 63 x 13mm
• Weight: 135g
• 1500mAh battery

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Press Release Australia:

Australia, 8^th April 2010: Today Sony Ericsson launches the XPERIA™ X10, the flagship handset of the aptly named ‘Fab 5’ series of mobile phones for 2010. Building on Sony Ericsson’s entertainment heritage the handset is designed to deliver the best user experience in communication, social media and entertainment in one place on a stunningly clear new four inch screen.

Socialise with friends and family in a whole new way through new unique signature applications Timescape™ and Mediascape, on the XPERIA™ X10 and open up a world of possibilities with the Infinite button.  This clever function is integrated into Timescape™ and Mediascape and can automatically recognise connections between contacts, content and media. By recommending alternative ways to communicate or guiding users to new media experiences, the Infinite button lets consumers discover more in a truly open way.

• Timescape™ intuitively brings together all recent mobile and online communication in chronological order onto a 3D scrolling menu – Facebook™ and Twitter updates, photos, missed calls, emails, and SMS messages –easy viewing and organisation of previews, or full views. Press the Infinite button to access all of your communications with one person in one place.
• Mediascape is the smart way to get music, photos and videos, as it cleverly pulls online content as well as content already stored on the handset all onto the same screen. Smarter still, when listening to a favourite song, press the Infinite button to see related content about that artist, as well as albums, songs and video content from YouTube™ and Google.

Another signature feature is Face Recognition – simply take photos of your friends with the 8.1 megapixel camera, with 16 x digital zoom, and tag up to five faces on the screen. The image is automatically filed in date order under the friend’s name in the photo gallery or social phonebook. Upload the photos directly to social network sites or simply click on a friend’s face to start communicating with them. Next time this friend is snapped in a shot, they will be automatically tagged using the face recognition software.

Brendan Johnston, Managing Director, Sony Ericsson Oceania said, “The XPERIA™ X10 is a superior consumer experience enabling people to catch life all in one place while on the move. We are delivering a true, open world of entertainment with our unrivalled social networking capabilities, media features and choice of the most popular applications on Android Marketplace. Add that to our new, unique User eXperience (UX) platform and it really sets the XPERIA™ X10 apart.”

The UX platform builds on top of the Android™ operating system and brings together a rich graphical user interface, unrivalled service plug-ins and content from external partners to deliver unique consumer experiences such as Sony Ericsson’s signature applications Timescape™ and Mediascape.

Enjoy a host of features and capabilities including: Gmail, YouTube™, Google Maps™, Street View™, 3D games, push email and calendar, video streaming and recording, album art, TrackID™, 8GB microSD™ card and Bluetooth™ stereo with a 3.5mm audio jack. Its human curvature design ensures the handset ergonomically fits in the palm of the hand for the best user experience possible.

The XPERIA™ X10 supports GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, UMTS HSPA 900/1700/2100 and UMTS HSPA 800/850/1900/2100

The XPERIA™ X10 will be available in Sensuous Black at an RRP of $1,099.

For further information:

Download Sony Ericsson Product Photos from Picasa
Check out the Sony Ericsson Facebook Page

For Product Video Clips and Demonstrations visit Sony Ericsson on YouTube
Visit the Sony Ericsson Product BlogGo to the Sony Ericsson Press Room

The HTC Legend is one of the best-looking upcoming smartphones. Speaking of good-looking here’s a video of the HTC Legend user interface which is HTC’s very own HTC Sense (by PocketNowVideo).

Out of all the nifty features, I particularly liked the pinch and select feature which allows you to choose from multiple HTC Sense windows (see image above). I wish Apple did this on the iPhone. It’s a super quick way to jump from screen to screen instead of flicking through all the time.

HTC Legend HTC Sense UI Walkthrough Video:

YouTube – HTC Legend User Interface Tour

Keen on getting one of the most rugged smartphones on the market? Check out the video on the HTC Legend that was recently unboxed by the guys at Pocketnow.com. They showoff this metallic Android beauty which has just been released by T-Mobile in the U.S.

I personally love the shiny casing and its slim design. I won’t spoil the video – check out the unboxing of the HTC Legend below.

Specifications of the HTC Legend:

General	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
	3G Network	HSDPA 900 / 2100
	Announced	2010, February
	Status	Coming soon. Exp. release 2010, April
	Size	112 x 56.3 x 11.5 mm
	Weight	126 g
Display	Type	AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	320 x 480 pixels, 3.2 inches
		- Sense UI - Multi-touch support - Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate - Optical trackball
Sound	Alert types	Vibration, MP3, WAV ringtones
	Speakerphone	Yes
		- 3.5 mm audio jack
Memory	Phonebook	Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall
	Call records	Practically unlimited
	Internal	384 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM
	Card slot	microSD (TransFlash) up to 16GB

HTC Legend Unboxing Video by PocketNow.com:

YouTube – HTC Legend Unboxing