Nokia N8 HD (WomWorld) - Hurricane Irene flooding

Nokia E7 HD EDIT - Hurricane Irene Progress

My 4inch Smartphone Arsenal

After using the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro in addition to the Nokia E6 and Samsung Galaxy Pro, I realized how much I had become accustomed to the large screen in everyday usage. At one point, anything over 3.5inches was considered huge, but supergiants at 4inches and above began to eventually take over the mobile phone market. Getting my taste of Android on the Samsung Captivate, Symbian S3 on the Nokia E7, and Windows Phone 7 on the Dell Venue Pro was enough to permanently rearrange the way I saw the general smartphone for my own wants. It was clear that for any future device to even become considered for possible adoption in my arsenal, its display had to be at least 4 inches...NO EXCEPTIONS!

I also discovered yet another key element of change to my smartphone usage: the death of the portrait qwerty bar form factor. From my first Palm Treo 680 to the Sony Ericsson P990 and P1i to the Nokia E62, E61i, and E71, I was quite familiar with that build and could not see myself doing without it. With devices like the Nokia E90, N97, N97 mini, N900, HTC TyTN, Touch Pro 1 and 2, and AT&T Tilt, the beginning stage of my waning dependence was taking place...and I had no idea at that time. I even went through a phase where I proclaimed disapproval of the sliding qwerty in favor of faster access on the portrait bar. However, even this argument began to lose water in lieu of my using the Captivate with the Freedom Pro bluetooth keyboard and being blown away with such wireless tech prowess. Gradually, the appeal that once inspired me to hold the qwerty bar in high regard was fading...especially as I was drawn more and more to large touch screens.

The dust had settled after taking my time with the Nokia E6 and Samsung Galaxy Pro, and I was over both models for different reasons. The E6 suffered from a touch screen that was too small while the Galaxy Pro's HORRIBLE resolution made the screen almost useless for any worthwhile use. But underlying those initial problems was the fact that my heart was no longer invested in supporting the qwerty bar anymore. Even the opportunity to finally have Android with a hardware qwerty failed to make either the Galaxy Pro appealing or the HTC Status worth my time at the AT&T Store. In regards to wanting a larger screen, the Xperia Pro fell victim to rejection due to its 3.7inch display. While its typing experience was not bad on the sliding qwerty keys, swiping through the OS in closed mode was not on the same level as my Galaxy S2 or Venue Pro. In a funny way, it seemed that my fingertips kept running off the edge of the XPro screen since I was so used to a larger surface area.

As a result, I always felt at home when I would return my SIM card to the Galaxy S2...I even found appeal with the Venue Pro after dusting it off and playing with it via WiFi in my home! The proof was in the pudding: 4inches would be my minimum requirement for adopting another phone as my own. Another interesting twist to the situation materialized as a result of my not favoring the Nokia E6 with its Symbian Anna OS: I used extra funds to purchase a blue E7. While much of my reasoning involved Symbian nostalgia, there was also the necessity of formatting microSD cards that had been used in a WP7 device. Thanks to the USB OTG feature, the E7 could still pull off this feat with a card reader despite its lack of an internal card slot! In addition to those positives, there was also the amazing build quality, sturdy slider, capable keyboard and 4inch ClearBlack display in case I ever wanted to have another go with the Symbian OS again...even in its future Anna and Belle versions.

With the addition of the blue Nokia E7, my supergiant arsenal seemed complete with the 4.3inch Galaxy S2 running Android and 4inch Venue Pro running WP7.  Since the Galaxy S2 basically measured up as a most perfect Android candidate while the E7 and Venue Pro offered the best of competing OS models, was there really a need to continue waiting for the unlocked GSM version of the Droid 3? Maybe not.

Trent Smith
TRENT SENSE blogger/YouTube host
http://about.me/trentsense/bio
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S II

Thanks to WomWorld Nokia

There aren't any words that can fully experess the gratitude I have for the staff of WomWorld Nokia.  Over the years, a partnership fostered via Nokia device trials eventually led to being invited to trips for various special events ranging from a tech trade show to a desert excursion to an exclusive movie screening. When I began shooting my first YouTube video in talking about my first Nokia E90 Communicator, I never imagined my destiny would involve such a worthwhile venture with WomWorld Nokia! For such an established company to put its trust in me to review phones and put forth a genuine persona in attending special events still feels surreal to this day.

Every time I've had to correspond with WomWorld staff via email in the early years, there was always a sense of professionalism, and this was further enhanced when I finally had the chance to meet staffers in person. There was Tom Messett and Adam Woodley on my first trip to Orlando, FL for the CTIA Wireless trade show; Donna Suffling and Kathy Garfield on the exploration of the Nevada desert; and finally James Whatley and Donna Suffling again at the Transformers 3 screening in Miami. Through all of the fun activity, it was also a great pleasure to meet Mindy Miller of Nokia who always added a dose of humor and sunshine wherever she went! The best part about meeting these people was how each of them allowed themselves to have a great time with all invited members. While letting loose in rampant conversation and endless banter was always a give in for the invited bunch, I never lost sight of how the WomWorld/Nokia team members all maintained focus on their work. It was definitely not unusual to hear of one of them staying up late or getting up early to be chained to a laptop for the sake of fulfilling pending duties. This kind of dedication did not go unnoticed, and I could not help but have respect for them all.

I an addition to giving thanks to WomWorld and its amazing staff, I must also thank each and every single soul I had the pleasure of getting to know on my trips. It was definitely an experience to be starstruck in seeing faces that were always appearing on social networks on my Mac. For a change, I could finally engage in smartphone-centered conversations that were two-way! I had lost count of moments at home when friends would either smile and nod as I went on and on about a phone. Being granted the opportunity to be with colleagues on the same level was one of those life experiences that made feel 100% whole.

Overall, my journey as a blogger and gadget enthusiast still continues even if I have slowed down quite a bit, and I am just grateful to be along for the ride. What I didn't expect was being told about how my uploaded videos had truly inspired others to either become bloggers or buy certain smartphones! This one part of all my excursions still remains the most memorable to me...aside from phone stress tests, a red-carpet media event for TF3, horseback riding, clubbing (with a sirloin slider on the dancefloor), chicken and waffles in Vegas, Nokia Maps scavenger hunting, quad racing, running in Miami humidity, alligator sightseeing, mine touring, a money-hungry taxi driver, a Lady Antebellum concert, and seeing The Edge from U2 and Tyrese Gibson IN PERSON!!

Without a doubt, if it weren't for WomWorld seeking me out with that email years ago to introduce me to an E75 and E71 review unit, I would not be where I am today.

Trent Smith
Sent from my Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro

HTC Inspire 4G: The Atrix Rebound

This was a word document being written on the Inspire 4G about the Inspire 4G, and the fact that I was typing on the virtual qwerty said enough in itself about its responsiveness. Even though its virtual qwerty was not really on the same level as Windows Phone 7, the 4.3inch width and word completion made up for it. With such substantial support for my hands, thumb typing never felt so good on any previous Android model I've used. What drew me to the HTC phone in the first place was the UI overlay of Sense feeling better than the MotoBLUR alternative upon trying demo units in an AT&T and Verizon store on the same day. Between the Motorola Bravo, Droid Pro/X, and HTC Incredible, it was quite obvious that Blur had a ways to go to even be on the same level as Sense. Tolerating another clunky UI overlay after TouchWiz on the Captivate was certainly not at the top of my list, and I was not going to start then.

In addition to the software prowess of HTC, the hardware was also a great find as well. A fantastic blend of soft-touch plastic and metal felt great on the Inspire's back and gave it a polished, high-quality presence. From the considerable amount of weight and feel of such solid components, I was actually reminded of the Nokia N8 for a brief moment! After being with the plethora of plastic from Samsung on the Captivate and Focus, the Inspire was indeed a great departure! Unfortunately, there was a snag in the promising hardware design that emerged from what seemed to be a faulty battery door. I struggled to pry open this door from the slot for about three to four minutes, and even bent my index finger nail backwards in the process! I eventually had to rely on a flat-head screwdriver to save the day, but at the price of having some damage done to the plastic slot. While the other door for the SIM and microSD slots was much easier to remove, I was relieved to know the battery door would only have to be opened that one time. After getting over that tragedy, I was overjoyed to know there was a notification LED included on this Android device! After SO many months of tolerating the lack of this most useful feature, I finally got it back with HTC. The 4.3inch SuperLCD screen was indeed a mammoth alternative to the 3.5 and 4inch variants I had used previously, and I was afraid of reliving the portability horrors of the HD2. Sadly, after the honeymoon period, I had to admit that the width and weight of the Inspire was too much. While daily handling of the Inspire was somewhat tolerable, running with it for RunKeeper GPS tracking was a different story. In the course of a run, the size and weight of the device was more noticeable than previous phones, and I also worried constantly about a potential fall damaging its nice build. Removing from my pocket to check cardio tracking progress felt more cumbersome since the 4.3inch screen required both hands to safely operate while running. A belt clip holster would have been an option, but at the sacrifice of my own comfort during exercise. As much as I loved its Sense UI, the Inspire once again reminded me of why I preferred the 4inch screen as a maximum for a mobile phone.

HTC's track record in camera quality for recording video with acceptable audio had not always been a good one, and the Inspire continued this with its offering on the 8 megapixel camera unit. My HD footage test in 720p was not only unimpressive from a visual standpoint with lackluster frame rates, but the tinny audio also played a part in this as well. However, taking still pictures was acceptable even with a dual LED flash that was stunningly bright.

Signal reception was no different than any other smartphone I had previously used. I experienced no dropped calls on AT&T 3G. Actually, there was a strange occurrence with the "H" for HSDPA appearing on the Android taskbar even though I was informed by an AT&T store rep that 4G had not been enabled for my area yet.

GPS worked amazingly well in my usage of RunKeeper for tracking outside runs and Google Navigator on road trips. Obtaining a signal lock happened fairly quickly and there was never any trouble in maintaining its accuracy in route recalculations.

The loudspeaker was yet another area in which HTC fell short for playing back multimedia files for both music and movies. While I was not surprised after once again considering HTC's track record, this was still disappointing to see such a large screen go to waste for the most part without any wired headphones. If audio feedback was not tinny, it was too low for adequate listening even at the highest volume levels. I did find a way to amplify sound with the placement of the corner between my thumb and index finger, but this proved to be an inconvenience in holding the phone for long periods. Even with on-board sound enhancements of SRS and Dolby in addition to standard EQ settings, the differences could hardly be discerned from the lackluster volume on the Inspire. To make matters worse, the mic on my Sony wired headphones did not work for voice calls and playback controls on my Sony bluetooth headset were useless. As a result, this brought on a rare moment where I found myself missing the Captivate.

The SuperLCD display was no competition to the SuperAMOLED from Samsung, but still was not too bad for granting an acceptable viewing experience for the HTC Sense UI. Seeing pictures and movies was indeed impressive on the 4.3 inch screen alone. If not from sheer color representation and visual clarity, the Inspire could at least stand apart with its screen measurements.

Battery life with the Inspire left a lot to be desired...a LOT! When I first read of the 1230mAh capacity, I was not ever expecting a full day of usage from the HTC phone. Memories of the HD2's battery began running through my mind, so I prepared myself for the worst. The latest Android offering from AT&T and HTC certainly managed to meet my worst expectations. The lackluster battery performance on one overnight charge barely got the phone past half a day before it was below 50%! There was no doubt that I would have to keep an AC adapter in my pocket to get any decent reliability on the phone. In retrospect, I may have had a faulty unit since other users online have accounted for decent battery life on their Inspire 4G units.

Overall, I really wanted to fully appreciate the pros of the Inspire involving the notification LED and its Sense UI, but the battery life, poor speaker quality, lackluster video camera and chunky size kept me from doing so. Honestly, the upcoming Atrix from Motorola was due to arrive with its laptop dock to AT&T, and I couldn't help but be tempted by what seemed to be a better upgrade at the time. Unfortunately, I really did not have much time to get comfortable with the Sense UI upon exchanging the Inspire for the Atrix after only a week. Usually, I would have felt guilty for such an action...but my admitted excitement over the new Motorola just could not be swayed. HTC made a considerable Android effort in the Inspire, but it was not enough to keep my attention. Maybe in the future I would have another opportunity to try the Sense UI.

Trent Smith
TRENT SENSE blogger/YouTube host
http://about.me/trentsense/bio
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S II