Review of Samsung's curvy new Instinct S30 for Sprint

The Samsung SPH-M810 Instinct S30, often referred to as the Instinct Mini in the rumor mill, is a new version of the very popular Samsung Instinct that includes most all of the same features, but packaged in a far nicer design. If the spec sheet of the original left you wanting for more, the Instinct S30 might not interest you, but if you were turned off by the original's plain Jane design, then the S30 might be just the ticket.
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Physical Aspects
In terms of pure physical design, the new Samsung Instinct S30 has very little in common with the original Instinct except for the large touchscreen display. The S30 features gently rounded corners, sweeping curves, and a new color scheme that makes it look quite different from the plain rectangular slab that was the original Instinct.
And while it appears to be smaller than the original, the Instinct S30 is actually both longer and thicker. The new curves make its 118mm x 14.5mm x 55mm (4.6in x .6in x 2.2in) dimensions look and feel smaller, even though they aren't. At 109.9g (3.9oz), the S30 is quite a bit lighter than the older version, though. The Instinct S30's 240 x 432 pixel resistive touchscreen(INFO) display hasn't changed, and it works well overall. The touch sensitive area below the display is used for the call send, home, and back buttons. Hardware keys, such as those on the Samsung Finesse, would have been better, but these still work adequately.
The hardware controls on the device are all located along its edges. The power/lock button is up top, voice command and camera shutter on the right edge, and volume on the left edge. The covers for the Samsung proprietary power port, the 3.5mm audio headphone port, and the microSDHC(INFO) memory card slot are also good. We really would have preferred a micro-USB power/data port, however.

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Review of HTC's crown jewel, the Touch Diamond2 touchscreen smartphone

The HTC Touch Diamond2 is the upcoming replacement for last year's Touch Diamond, improving on the previous handset with a larger screen, better camera, and the addition of a touch sensitive zooming bar beneath the display. The Touch Diamond2 also features some neat new UI tweaks and double the memory of the previous Touch Diamond, which should help keep things running smoothly. We take a closer look at HTC's new baby to see if it really is as precious as its name would suggest.
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Physical Aspects
The HTC Touch Diamond2 is slightly larger than the original Touch Diamond in every dimension. It measures 108mm x 53mm x 14mm (4.25in x 2.09in x 0.54in) and weighs 117.5g (4.15oz). It has a simple tablet form-factor, with the large 3.2" resistive touchscreen display dominating the front. This new display is not only larger, but also has a higher resolution of 480 x 800 pixels as opposed to the 480 x 640 pixel resolution of the first Touch Diamond. It can also display 65,000 colors, and has average legibility outdoors.
Beneath the display you'll find the new touch sensitive zoom bar that allows users to zoom in and out of images, web pages, and Google Maps with the simple slide of a finger. This replaces the somewhat flaky zoom control that was found on the original Diamond's d-pad. Below this you'll find the usual 'call send' and 'call end' keys, as well as the 'back' button and Windows 'Start' menu button. The call end key can also be used to return to the home screen, as indicated by a little house engraved below it.
The rear of the Touch Diamond2 is far simpler than that of its older brother, and the faceted rear cover has been replaced with a more practical flat cover. Unfortunately, it is still made from the same shiny plastic that is prone to picking up scratches and finger prints. The only diamond-esque design cue to be found is the brushed-metal effect triangular bezel surrounding the camera lens.
The sides of the Touch Diamond2 are equally plain, with a narrow silver strip serving purpose as a volume rocker on the left and the active stylus and loudspeaker slit on the right. The top houses only the power button, and the bottom features the microphone pinhole and the mini-USB port for charging, headsets, and data.

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Nokia : renforcement d'Ovi Store, suppressions d'emplois

Tout en restant le leader incontesté des ventes de téléphones portables, le géant Nokia s'est lancé dans un vaste repositionnement stratégique qui doit permettre de tirer profit des services mobiles. Il a amorcé sa mutation avec le lancement du portail Ovi mais il faut maintenant lier plus étroitement terminaux et applications mobiles pour constituer un ensemble cohérent.C'est vers cet objectif que se portent désormais les efforts avec la réorganisation de sa branche Services qui va devoir trouver les moyens de renforcer l'expérience utilisateur et de séduire les développeurs tiers.Selon Niklas Savander, vice-président exécutif de la branche Services de Nokia, " les changements prévus sont destinés à améliorer et simplifier l'expérience utilisateur des services Nokia, étendre les opportunités pour les développeurs tiers de créer des services innovants et accélérer le développement d'une plate-forme commune aux différentes offres ".Nokia : homogénéiser l'offre de servicesNokia annonce ainsi que les jeux mobiles seront intégrés à l' Ovi Store en plus de leurs canaux de distribution habituels de façon à toucher directement les utilisateurs de terminaux Nokia puisqu'ils pourront explorer les contenus du portail depuis leur téléphone portable.Le fabricant finlandais compte également nouer des partenariats avec d'autres fournisseurs de services, comme les réseaux sociaux ou les sites de partage de photos afin de les mettre en valeur au sein des fonctionnalités de ses smartphones.Mais l'annonce de ses modifications dans l'organisation de la branche Services, annoncées comme permettant de réaliser des économies et d'améliorer l'efficacité de la division, nécessiteront de supprimer 450 emplois supplémentaires.Pour toucher un plus grand nombre d'utilisateurs et les inciter à utiliser ses services, le président de Nokia s'est exprimé sur la stratégie à suivre, qui consistera à proposer des smartphones à des prix associés au milieu de gamme, à l'instar du Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, écoulé à plus de 2,5 millions d'exemplaires au premier trimestre 2009

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