Upwardly mobile
Sony Ericsson Naite
As the country enters a new era of Green government, we’ll surely all be soon watching what we consume. That also goes for the phones in our pockets. Or so thinks Sony Ericsson, which has launched two mobiles that it claims are 50 per cent more environmentally sound than an ordinary mobile phone.
This is due to the box – and even part of the phone’s casing – being assembled from recycled milk bottles, cartons and old plastics.
The manufacturer also cuts out the usual user-manual in favour of an ‘e-manual’ (even if most people rarely consult a manual at all for their phone).
While all of this is very progressive, Sony Ericsson may have concluded that the environmental consumer is not the same as the advanced technology consumer. This is evidenced by the modest abilities of the Naite itself, which has little to boast by way of features.
It is a fairly standard low-to-mid-range mobile with an entry-level camera, a basic screen and basic navigation controls.
It does have Facebook and Twitter loaded on, so staying connected is easy without having to go looking for an ill-fitting mobile application somewhere on the web. It’s a pity to have to choose between being kind to the environment and a cutting-edge mobile. Perhaps Sony Ericsson’s forthcoming touchscreen phones might square this circle.
Price: from €100 on O2 and 3
LG Arena
Two years ago, the arrival of a touchscreen smartphone was an event. The iPhone was cool and so was anything else that made you use your fingers directly onscreen. Today, it is a different story. Every manufacturer now has a touch screen model. Most of them are somewhat frustrating to use.
This is certainly the case with LG’s Arena. While it looks nice (which is to say no different from any other sleek smartphone) its me-too touchscreen operating system evokes a yawn rather than a yell.
As is the case with too many of its touchscreen competitors, the screen is not sufficiently responsive to keep up with speedy operations, such as fast texting. Otherwise, it comes with a standard set of features which includes photo, video andMP3support (including an ordinary 3.5mmearphone jack).The on-board camera is a reasonable five megapixels. The device boasts 8GB of storage space, handy for music and photos. For a budget touchscreen smartphone, this is fine. Otherwise, it’s boring as hell.
Price: €380 (sim-free) from www.phonesonline.ie
Nokia E52
If you’re a man and you’re over 40, statistically you are likely to hold at least one of the following views about mobile phones.
1. ‘‘I mainly want it for calls and texts, not internet or Wap.”
2. ‘‘I don’t really want any of this touchscreen stuff.”
3. ‘‘The most important thing is that it works with my car kit.” Sound like you? Then the E52 will be right down your middle aged, expanding waistline street. It has nice big buttons that can’t be missed. It comes in a reassuringly familiar form that aficionados of the 6310 will find comfortable.
And, like the 6310, it has a long battery life. It will easily last two days without needing a recharge, unless you stay on the phone all day. Being nice and slim – and 98 grams – it won’t crease your suit jacket pocket. Its memory is based on micro SD cards, which cost about €10 for a 1GB model. Not that you’ll need much memory, however. Nor will you be using your 3MB camera much. However, you might use the Exchange-supported e-mail client (if someone sets it up for you).
This should prove to be a big hit in its targeted demographic. Price: from €30 on O2
