Best of Singapore and CommunicAsia 2009

Aside from the all beautiful women at CommunicAsia 09, the opportunity to play around mobile tech that hasn’t yet hit us here yet, new handset models and the beautiful women, did I say that already?... a few handsets also peaked my interest. I decided to compile a quick list of the handsets that I was eager to review first if or when they got here, so here are my choices of the best of Singapore and CommunicAsia 09.

GD900 Crystal
One of the handsets I was hoping to see at CommunicAsia 2009 was LG’s GD900 Crystal with it’s transparent keypad and LG’s S-Class UI. What intrigued me was the keypad itself that doesn’t just function as any other touch sensitive keypad that we’ve ever come across. It is in fact a navigation system as well that offers users more than just a method of data entry. Since the Crystal also supports multi-touch, the keypad’s surface can be used for pinch controls for zooming in and out of the images. It also has an intuitive shortcut system wherein you can assign specific functions to a design or alphabet and simply by tracing out the form on the keypad the function will commence.

The 1GB of internal memory, Wi-Fi and its 8MP AF camera are also what will make this handset quite a sought after device, aside from its unique and creative design and functionality. It’s not something that you can use on a daily basis of course, but for the luxury loving fashionistas, this handset is going to be right up there with the best of them.

LG GW525
Fans of the LG Cookie are gong to love this – the GW525 takes things to a whole new level with a full slide out QWERTY keypad. It’s a well designed light weighted handset and even though it may ‘seem’ a tad bulky, believe me, that’s well worth that slight weight addition. The key pad is well laid out and each key is well laid out for ease of typing quickly.

Its features are quite similar to the Cookie's but the screen size is just a little smaller at 2.8-inches. The 3 megapixel camera is still present and it’s loaded with features for social networking. A few business features like a document reader are also thrown in. The touchscreen was quite responsive and the UI is easily usable without a stylus.
    
Samsung I7500 Galaxy
The Samsung booth at CommunicAsia had a lot going on - from its mobile projector unit to the plethora of Omnia variants and even its Pixon 12 camera phone. But my personal favorite wasn’t the newly unveiled super fast Jet handset. I rather liked the I7500 Galaxy, Android powered mobile. Having had limited opportunity to check out the OS and UI personally, the Galaxy was just what the doctor ordered. To start off with, the handset itself is very sleek with well defined curves and a refined yet somewhat sporty finish. It has a real feel good factor and a comfortable grip.

The Android OS is brilliant. It took me a few seconds to adjust to the layout and that’s all it takes really to have a great first impression. With its 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, 3.5mm earphone socket and large internal storage capacity the Galaxy will do well when it gets here sometime in July or August.



Sony Ericsson Yari
Although Sony Ericsson didn’t even have a booth at CommunicAsia this year, they did have an event of their own to unveil a few new handsets for their South East Asia Markets. Of these that included the W995 with its 8MP camera, the Satio with its 12 megapixel snapper and the Aino for PS3 connectivity the future actually lies with the Yari. It’s not as flashy as the other handsets but this slider has taken mobile gaming to whole new level. The Yari employs a motion sensor in the front of the handset. It detects motion like a proximity sensor and converts it into signals on the handset for specific games.

With this handset mobile gaming is now totally interactive, like the Nintendo Wii and, dare I say it, a smaller less intricate version of Microsoft’s Natal. You don’t need a set of controls for the handset to recognize movement, just go with the flow. From boxing games to yoga and workouts, the Yari’s gaming capabilities are brilliant. The iPhone may have the market cornered when it comes to touchscreen gaming, but there’s nothing like the Yari yet.

Garmin ASUS Nuvifone G60
Finally, and I’m quite surprised myself, the one handset that really fascinated me with its brilliant interface and smooth functionality, was the nuvifone G60 from ASUS and Garmin. For a handset that’s primary function is its GPS capability, the OS and UI, which is Linux by the way, was the most responsive I’ve seen till date, bar none. If you’re thinking – hey what about the iPhone’s U.... Stop right there. I said bar none.

The Linux OS was fluid and responsive to a fault. Accessing information with large clear cut icons and a smooth yet intuitive navigation system makes the G60 the best in my book. It’s fully equipped for GPS functionality with A-GPS support for location-based apps, a 3MP camera, 4GB of storage space and 3G capabilities with Wi-Fi thrown in. The only minor flaw I saw was the 2.5mm handsfree socket. All else was A+. The good news is that I was told that the handset could very well be on its way to India, but that’s yet to be officially confirmed.

Hon. Mention
LG GD910 Watch Phone
There’s just one more device I’d like to talk about before I end this list - We’ve seen watches that have the ability to integrate with mobile phones via Bluetooth and we’ve even seen touchscreen watches that bring up data and features stored on the device. What’s really impressive is when a manufacturer successfully combines all three bits of hardware and technology. Enter, LG’s Watch Phone, the GD 910.

It has a smooth flowing, very responsive touch sensitive UI. From typing messages to taking calls the GD910 is a luxury product of course and will make Dick Tracy’s overcoat turn green with envy.

This was a rather difficult list to make up as there was so much in the way of mobile technology and handsets that were showcased at CommunicAsia this year. It was a great opportunity to be there and get first hand information on what we can expect from the future of this industry. I hope you’ve enjoyed the live coverage we’ve been providing for the same.