Gadgets Blog » Smartphones

Just when you thought it was safe to watch Harry Potter on your cell phone, industry experts are saying it’s going to starting hitting you where it counts…in the pocketbook.

Do you remember the days before 3G coverage when we were forced to use tiny screens and actually push buttons and all we could really surf was out e-mail and a few sites designed for mobile Internet browsing. You remember those days? That’s when we actually used the phone to call people.

When 3G hit and phones were able to actually surf the web in its entirety, the game changed and we grew to not only love our new freedoms but also to covet and expect them. Soon, you could watch videos and television shows on the phone all while waiting in line for your groceries.

The major networks spent billions and billions of dollars to upgrade their infrastructure all the while offering unlimited data plans at a relatively cheap price. They made their networks better so we could watch Netflix from our phones and then seemingly paid the bill. Uh, yeah. Not so much.

HTC’s latest and greatest smartphone, the Desire, is one of the best-looking devices to hit the market in recent memory. HTC’s other devices have pushed the envelope of size for smartphones, but none quite reach the point of the Desire. With a 4.3-inch screen, it’s about as big a unit as one can actually fit into a pocket.

But the Desire doesn’t stop there. The large screen comes with 800×480-pixel resolution, making it one of the best-looking screens, as well as one of the largest. If you’re looking for a great alternative to Apple’s iPhone 4, then the HTC Desire should be at the top of your list.

The hardware in the Desire is excellent, featuring a solid black unibody case made of aluminum. The look certainly resembled the iPhone from a distance, but up-close, the phone has its own unique aesthetic. A 1-GHz processor powers the device, which boasts an 8-megapixel camera. Powering the phone is 768 MB of RAM, giving it speedy response time, and a solid graphical component enables the phone to display 720-pixel HD video. All the hardware comes at a cost, though. The battery life requires management over the course of a day if you’re not able to recharge it.

The world of mobile devices has gotten more and more crowded over the last decade. In addition to phones and MP3 players, portable computers, gaming devices, handheld GPS units and other electronics have shed their wires and moved into compact casings. Along with the steadily decreasing bulk of these devices has come the integration of multiple applications into a single unit; you can make calls, get directions and listen to music on a smartphone like the Droid or the iPhone. And now Sony has presented users with a product that combines two of their most iconic electronics.

Part phone, part video game system, the Sony Ericsson and PlayStation have met and been combined in some type of Frankenstein-like creation. Back in August, Sony dropped hints that it was considering such a device, but this week, the company announced plans to move forward with its production. The latest entry in the Ericsson lineup features integration with the PlayStation, capable of producing graphics up to the classic console of the 1990s. Not only that, but the device will look much like the PSP Go, with a keypad and buttons similar to those on iconic video game controllers.

While Sony might be better known for their television displays and gaming systems than their smartphones, the company has still had a great lineup of gadgets that have provided solid options for folks not wishing to go the Apple or BlackBerry route. The Sony Ericsson phone line has been a solid effort for the company, despite the name not reaching the same level of brand recognition of their main competitors. All that, however, could be changing with the new concept phone design that Sony unveiled earlier this week. Still in the concept stages, the latest Ericsson could have a screen unlike any other on the market.

Technically a flip-phone, the mechanism holding the two halves of the phone together operates differently than other phones of a similar build. Instead of “flipping” open, the Ericsson pivots, enabling the screen to move in a variety of horizontal and vertical ways. It can function like a traditional clamshell phone, with one half boasting the screen and the other half the keyboard. But the screen can also position itself so that the two halves are next to each other, creating an entirely new shape and resembling something of a small tablet computer. This screen positioning is intended to improve the quality of web-surfing and media options.

This week, Microsoft unveiled what has to be one of the more exciting gadget-related stories of the year. Boasting a full-fledged preview in Engadget, similar in scope and depth as their notorious iPhone preview, the computing giant unveiled its tentative models for what could be their most important gadget of 2010.

The Windows Phone 7 marks an important area where Microsoft has lost ground to competitors like Google and Apple. The company may still have a relative lock on desktop computers, but as things stand now, portables like smartphones and tablets lack a consistent Microsoft product that can compete. Perhaps then, this would be the gadget to bring Microsoft back?

To be fair, it is a bit too early to tell just how great these phones will be. One key difference between Microsoft and Apple products is their manufacturing process. Microsoft designs the software on their phones, but the actual phone design and manufacturing is left up to other companies like HTC and Samsung. Apple, on the other hand, makes both software and hardware, creating what some feel is a better-integrated system. Microsoft’s Windows 7 has been fully integrated for mobile phones, replacing Windows Mobile 6.5, a product that was plagued with some less-than-stellar features.