The X10 mini pro may be small in size, but it touts a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash. The small size of the device gives it a nice feel when held in camera mode, so this morning, I went snapping the usual suspects.

There’s a dedicated camera button that launches the camera application, and when half-pressed focuses before you push all the way down to take the shot.

The camera interface is simple and easy to use. All controls are in the four (4) corners of the display and very accessible.

This cutie shoots fast too and is ready for the next shot almost immediately. That’s a good thing. But are the end results any good?

You be the judge:

From Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini pro Camera Samples, posted by Yomi Adegboye on 9/01/2010 (4 items)

Generated by Facebook Photo Fetcher

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Its Android time again after a very long break. The last Android smartphone that was reviewed here on Mobility Nigeria is the T-mobile G1 way back in May 2009.

This time, we bring you a unique Android smartphone that was recently released in June, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro. It is the smallest smartphone that I have ever seen. It is so small that at first I was scared that it would be absolutely unusable. Here are the specifications:

• Android v1.6 (upgrade to v2.1 coming in Q3 2010)
• Weight: 120g
• Size: 90 x 52 x 17 mm
• 2.55-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen of 240 x 320 pixels
• Scratch-resistant surface display
• slide-out QWERTY keyboard
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED
• GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA
• Wi-fi, Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP, USB cable
• Qualcomm MSM7227 600MHz processor
• 165mb RAM
• Memory: 212mb + microSD slot (2GB card in retail box)
• GPS with A-GPS support
• Stereo FM radio with RDS

First Impressions
I have had it for a few hours, and have found it quite usable. Surprise, surprise. The QWERTY keyboard is good and the display responsive.

At the moment, I am installing and configuring it to my taste, and in the next several days, this cute babe will be put through its paces. Let me know if you have any particular questions that you would want addressed in the upcoming reviews.

In the meantime, here are a few pictures:

Size Comparison - X10 Mini Pro and the Samsung B7610

Size Comparison - Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro and Samsung B7610

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In this gallery of screenshots, you will catch a glimpse of the full editing QuickOffice suite and Nokia’s Chat application which supports multiple chat services. But that’s not all. There’s Facebook, Hi5, Friendster, MySpace, Twitter, Ovi Sync and YouTube, among other extras – making the E5 an excellent social networking tool.

If one must be straightforward, the E5 packs a wallop with a long list of built-in functionality. Those others will be examined in a subsequent review article.

For now, enjoy the following screenshots:

From Nokia E5 ScreenShots, posted by Yomi Adegboye on 8/28/2010 (12 items)

Generated by Facebook Photo Fetcher

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We took the Nokia E5′s 5 megapixel camera for the usual spin. This camera has an LED flash but unfortunately it is fixed-focus. There’s also no dedicated camera button though, so you’ll have to settle for using the D-pad to take your shots.

Overall, it isn’t a shabby camera and produces some nice shots.

“Camera shots using the Nokia E5′s fixed focus 5 megapixel camera.”

From Nokia E5 Camera Samples, posted by Yomi Adegboye on 8/27/2010 (5 items)

Generated by Facebook Photo Fetcher

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It is sensible in the sense that nothing major is missing, and its usability is one of the best out there in its category. Here are a few quick points:

1. the E5 has a very good battery life. I get over 24 hours of intensive use – always-on 3G mode, email client checking mails every 5 minutes, active Bluetooth earpiece connection, web browsing, calls, music, etc. With less intensive use, the E5 chugs on for about 2 full days.
2. the QWERTY keyboard is the most user-friendly I have seen yet in its class. Characters like comma, full stop, the @ sign, and question mark require one key press, instead of a combination of two keys on other candybar QWERTY and BlackBerry devices. The keys are also well domed, making them easy to use.
3. one-handed use of the device is tops. It is almost like using a regular phone – except that the QWERTY is there for when you need to really crank out text
4. good build quality
5. good music and video playback
6. very good web browsing
7. good (not superb) 5 megapixel camera

I could go on and on, but the summary is that the E5 does everything you want. It won’t win any awards for any groundbreaking feature, but it is a sound decision to make when you want a sensible device for everyday use.

While there are real issues with the Symbian S60 5th Edition interface, I don’t see what people are complaining about the non-touch version (3rd Edition) as it is today. Everything looks lovely and works well. I am able to customise the menu to my taste and there are subtle effects implemented by Nokia.

The Web browser supports multiple tabs, javascript and Flash, and handles everything that I need well, so no issues there at all. With 256mb RAM and a 600 MHz processor (same specification as the N900), it is no wonder that I hardly encounter anything slowing down or freezing up on the E5.

Web browsing is also super friendly with keyboard shortcuts that enable you to zoom, go back, switch between tabs, reload a page and more.

Email Issues – again.
One thing that I do still have issues with is Nokia’s implementation of email on their smartphones. The interface is lovely, but for some reason, there are periods that the email client is connected to the server but does not download any fresh mails. There are days I go to bed and for the 7 hours that I am asleep, the E5 does not download any mail until I pick it up and select the option to “Send and receive now“.

Not good. What is wrong with Nokia and email? My mobile history is checkered with clashes with Nokia’s email clients on smartphones, whether we are talking Symbian or Maemo.

Email management is made user-friendly though with keyboard shortcuts too. Users can delete mails, mark mails read or unread, and carry out a number of various actions via keyboard shortcuts. Now, if only Nokia can fix the auto-retrieve issue…

Conclusion
Besides the email auto-retrieve issue, I have no other complaints about the E5. It is a device that almost anyone will love and find handy.

My verdict: I rate the E5 a 4.75 out of 5.

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I found that amusing (and you will find out why shortly), but never got to respond to his “complaint”. For starters, what is NFC?

Near Field Communication or NFC, is a short-range high frequency wireless communication technology which enables the exchange of data between devices over about a 10 centimeter (around 4 inches) distance. This makes NFC specifically suitable for mobile payment, identification and other related services.

Basically NFC turns a mobile phone into a contactless card and electronic reader, and allows the phone to communicate and exchange information with other NFC devices.

With all the excitement pushed by the gentleman, the reality is that there is a very limited choice of devices on the market at the moment. There are no more than a handful of NFC phones available. Nokia has announced that from 2011 their new smartphones will be NFC-enabled.

In the meantime, NFC on mobiles is still almost entirely on trial. For example, perhaps the most easily obtainable NFC handset is the Nokia 6212 Classic (pictured in this article), but even that is no longer in production. While some other manufacturers have NFC devices, they are either for development or trial purposes.

This was what made the gentleman’s comments amusing. There is no NFC revolution going on anywhere yet. Even if he lived in North America or Europe and wanted to purchase an NFC phone now, he would be hard pressed to find one.

Do you know of any NFC devices in circulation? Have you used any? Have any useful information about NFC? Tell us about it.

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the razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human.

The question is: how fast can you type out that sentence?

Get someone to time you if you can’t handle that yourself (a timer is more accurate than the average clock or wrist watch), get out your mobile device and give it a go, then post your result/s here. Tell us:

1. what device you used
2. what text input you used e.g. T9, SWYPE, landscape onscreen QWERTY, etc
3. your time record (or a list of all your readings)

Feel free to try as many times as possible and then post your best record. While we have no way of verifying that everyone will be truthful, what does anyone stand to gain by cheating on this? The purpose of this exercise is fun. The results presented here cannot be deemed scientific in any way as we each have different typing speeds and are used to different input media.

Let’s have some fun!

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All customers who have purchased phones from the phone store since August 17, 2010 have been automatically entered for the promo.

Did you say that the promo just got more interesting? Yes; we know! Here’s the link to the promo page again: www.mobilitynigeria.com/promo/.

The WIN-a-smartphone promo is valid till 5.00 p.m., Friday 24th September 2010.

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How soon? A matter of weeks, barring any delays. Of course, for the sake of your sanity, it may be better to assume that there will be a delay. Mobility Nigeria shall not be responsible for any cases of anxiety or related mental/emotional conditions arising from your waiting for the announcement of the new tariff/s.

Anyone wants to guess which network this is? First correct answer wins N500 airtime on any network of choice.

Important!
To be eligible, you must be registered and logged in to submit your comment. Also ensure that your real name is entered in your profile, even if it is a nickname that you choose to display publicly.

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The Nokia E5 is a candybar QWERTY smartphone running Symbian S60 3rd Edition. This pictorial review presents shots of the hardware of the device.

From Nokia E5 Hardware, posted by Yomi Adegboye on 8/19/2010 (6 items)

Generated by Facebook Photo Fetcher

While predominantly plastic, with touches of metal here and there, the E5 hardware seems well built and feels comfortable in the hand. One handed use is pleasant. Everything packed into the comfy size of the E5 is a miracle if you remember how big the E61 and E61i were years back. Here’s a picture from my archives (E61i on the left; E61 on the right):

One thing is sure, those two ancestors were built like tanks compared to the E5.

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