HTC FUZE Smartphone (AT&T) - Refurbished Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)After comparing features on quite a few different phones, I thought the HTC Fuze would be the perfect replacement for my aging, but still quite functional HTC Wizard (Cingular 8125).
This phone has GPS, Windows Mobile 6.1, a decent camera, a nice screen resolution, a usable slide-out keyboard. In short, it has everything I was looking for in a smartphone.
Once I got it home, I found three significant issues:
1) Non-Standard USB Data/charging jack
Being someone who works with computer hardware quite a bit, I am very averse to "trying to fit a square peg in a round hole". When I went to start charging the phone, I noticed that the jack on the phone was not a standard Mini-USB, though it looked close. I looked in the box and found a small breakout adapter (for headphones) and it also had a standard Mini-USB connector on it, so my assumption was that I needed to have this adapter present to plug in for syncing and/or charging.
It turns out that the jack on the bottom of the phone was meant to accept standard Mini-USB as well as the custom adapter.
So, this isn't a showstopper, but I thought folks might want to know.
2) Way too much NON-REMOVABLE demo-ware Bloat (AT&T)
I'm used to getting phones with a few "demoware" titles put on by the provider. My normal approach to these is "give em a whirl, if they're a must-have, buy em, if not uninstall them never to be heard from again"
I was happy to see a large selection of potentially very interesting titles. However, I very quickly found that I didn't really like most of them. THEN I tried uninstalling. Only one of the pre-installed demoware pieces was available in the uninstall section.
I started researching... Just go ahead and try googling for "HTC Fuze Bloat"
Yes, there is a way to work around this, but it took me about four tries to get the timing right. Essentially you have to hard reset the phone and then catch it with a soft reset just before the AT&T setup stuff starts loading.
It's ugly, and if you ever have to hard reset, you get all the garbage back. NOBODY's come up with a way to completely remove the AT&T bloat without making a custom ROM
3) Noticeably low phone volume.
I bonded my Plantronics earpiece to the phone and made a call to a friend. I can't believe how many times I had to ask her to speak up or repeat herself. She was on her standard phone at home ... I know what volume level to expect from her. I thought maybe the phone or my earpiece were turned down... NOPE. I ensured that they were both at maximum. The volume was unacceptably low through the built-in earpiece as well.
It MAY be that there is an Automatic Gain Control (AGC) that is causing the audio to be turned down (It seemed to fade in and out even with fairly decent signal strength). I dunno, this was the straw that broke the Camel's back.
Ok, I've panned it. What's good about the phone?
1) Nice built in camera
Takes a MUCH better picture in available light indoors that the Cingular 8125
2) Nice style.
If you're an iPhone person, you'd almost feel at home with this. The styling is good, the TouchFlo interface seems very modern (though I didn't play with it enough to really decide if I loved or hated it)
3) Seems well built
This may be a small phone, but it's got some weight to it that makes it feel solid and substantial
4) ROM Update Available
HTC's official web site has a ROM Update available which is supposed to fix some performance issues. I haven't installed it because I'm taking my phone back, but this may be worth looking into if you just have to have this phone.
In conclusion, This phones features and specs say that it has it all, but I found myself somewhat disappointed. I took it back to the provider and asked that we try another unit to make sure that the volume issue was not just due to a bad unit. It was the same (low-ish normal volume with WAY over-reactive Auto Gain Control causing it to be difficult to hear the other party.
This review has been edited, but I can't appear to change the rating, so take it as read that I'd currently give it three stars instead of two. I'm about to try applying a rom update provided by HTC on their main site (specific to the AT&T version of this phone). I will update with further info if I come across anything interesting.
~~UPDATE~~
After the ROM update, my issues with the Auto Gain Control making conversations difficult to hear appears to have gone away.
I can comfortably upgrade this phone to 3.5 stars, but of course, I can't because I can't change my rating.


Click Here to see more reviews about: HTC FUZE Smartphone (AT&T) - Refurbished

Click here for more information about HTC FUZE Smartphone (AT&T) - Refurbished

Read More...

Nokia E90 Communicator Unlocked Phone with 3.2 MP Camera, 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Media Player, and MicroSD Slot--U.S. Version with Warranty (Mocha) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've used Nokia phones all my life, except well for the P990i from Sony. There are absolutely NO other phones, that even compare, beleieve me i've dealt with Sony Erricson, Samsing, LG and what not. Nokia are the best. THey're previous Communicators were bigger, and as amaing, I never thought they could beat it. But of course, being nokia, they paved the way.
This phone, is smaller, and thinner than the previous 9500 and 9300i. It is just slightly wider, the chasm used to open it is much stronger, and the keys illumuminated (finally! in the inner keyboard), and the outer keys are amazingly easy to use. The software, the speed, and camera, all amaing. Nokia outdid themselves on this one, this is a much improved phone, working seamlessly, keeping up with every task. The camera, 3.2 MP is a nice addition as is the 2nd VGA camera. Dont be fooled by the review above me, this phone is amazing. I've had it for abt 3 months now, bought it for a very high price. I cudnt be happier...if you do hear bad reviews abt this, its coz most ppl are new to the symbian software. It allows multiple programs to run simultaneously, for e.g. you can surf the net, access the menu turn on the media player listen to music, and at the same time view a powerpoint of word file. Course, you can switch between these like on a computer, but you need to know how to. Many ppl new to this, just think like any other phone pressing the 'end call' button closes everything. Thats not the case here! Ppl forget to close the programs, and open in addition to 4 or 5, and then complain abt it crashing. It can handle many many at the same time, but sometimes you forget and have too many open (there is a dedicated button to see whats open and switch). So anyone complaining it abt it being slow, is simply not using it properly. All Sumbian 60 series phones can do this...my last phone was the N93. Enjoy

Click Here to see more reviews about: Nokia E90 Communicator Unlocked Phone with 3.2 MP Camera, 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Media Player, and MicroSD Slot--U.S. Version with Warranty (Mocha)

The Nokia E90 features a combination of advanced technologies that will enhance the way you experience work in a mobile world, by allowing faster and enhanced access to important information for greater collaboration and productivity. At first glance, it's a candybar-style phone, but the top flips up to reveal a widescreen LCD and full QWERTY keyboard. Perfect for frequent travelers, it provides quad-mode global GSM connectivity so you can stay in touch wherever you roam. It's also compatible with speedy 3G networks (UMTS 2100) for lightning quick multimedia downloads and web browsing, as well as Wi-Fi connectivity (802.11b/g) for accessing open networks at home or on the road at hotspots.
Locate meeting venues, restaurants, and places of interest with the integrated GPS, and increase mobile productivity with applications for browsing and editing documents. Other features include a 3.2-megapixel digital camera with flash, a secondary QCIF camera for video calling, Bluetooth connectivity for communication headsets, 128 MB of onboard memory, MicroSD expansion, FM radio, digital audio player, Symbian OS, and up to 5.8 hours of GSM talk time.
This unlocked cell phone can be used with a GSM network service provider and it provides quad-band connectivity (850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz). When paired with a compatible 3G network that uses UMTS 2100 MHz connectivity, you'll enjoy a variety of feature-rich wireless services with speeds up to 384 Kbps--from data connectivity to your office to multimedia streaming. You can also take advantage of simultaneous voice and data services. In areas where the 3G network is not available, you'll continue to receive data service via EDGE network (depending on network compatibility).
The top of the phone has a standard numeric keypad, navigation pad, soft keys, and 2-inch color LCD (with a 240 x 320-pixel resolution). The internal screen has an 800 x 352-pixel resolution--capable of displaying the full width of a web page at once--and both displays produce brilliant imagery thanks to support for 16 million colors. A QCIF camera sits at the top left corner of the internal screen for video calls, while a lens on the back of the device captures still images up to 3.2 megapixels in size. Camera functions include an LED flash, red-eye reduction, and self-timer. You can also record video at up to VGA resolution and 30 frames per second. The E90 also has an integrated GPS and Nokia Maps application to provide help in finding routes and locating services.
Getting on the Internet is easy with the E90. In addition to 3G UMTS (UMTS/WCDMA 2100 MHz) network connectivity, the phone also supports high-speed EDGE and GPRS data connectivity. The integrated Wi-Fi connectivity (802.11b/g) enables you to make VoIP phone calls over an open network, and it offers a variety of security settings (WPA2-Enterprise, WPA2-Personal, WPA-Enterprise, WPA-Personal). When used with a carrier data plan and the phone's USB or Bluetooth data capability, the phone can also be used as a wireless modem for laptops and PDAs.
The E90's innovative built-in browser, one of many enhancements included with the device's Symbian operating system--known as Series 60 9.1 Version 3--offers full HTML viewing as well as support for page zooming, CSS, JavaScript and other technologies that will bring you very close to a desktop PC browsing experience.
The E90 supports PC synchronization standards via USB or Bluetooth, which means you can manage and synchronize contacts, calendars and other data with your PC. Nokia's PC Suite application makes this process a breeze. A number of handy software tools are bundled with the device, including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, and an alarm clock. Productivity tools bundled with the E61i include a word processor, a presentation viewer/editor, a spreadsheet viewer/editor, PDF viewer, and a zip file manager. The office applications are compatible with the most common features of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel (MS Office 97 or later). Robust contact and calendar applications are also included.
With support for the MMS (multimedia messaging service), the E90 can send picture, video and text messages. Instant messaging is also supported, and the phone ships with a built-in email client that supports POP3, IMAP, and SMTP protocols, as well as Microsoft Office-based email attachments. Other features include:
Up to 128 MB free memory for user data and applications
MicroSD memory expansion up to 4 GB
FM radio and digital audio player (compatible with MP3 and AAC)
Supports Windows Live for mobile access to Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Hotmail
Mini USB, USB 2.0 full-speed
2.5mm Nokia audio connector with ECI
Web browser (x)HTML, Flash Lite 2.0 supported
Voice commands for menu short cuts, keypad lock, and profiles
Voice recording for making notes or recording conversations
Enhanced voice commands with Speaker-Independent Name Dialing (SIND), and voice aid for eyes-free control of core functions
Polyphonic ring tones and vibrating alert
T9 predictive text entry

Vital Statistics The Nokia E90 weighs 7.41 ounces and measures 5.2 x 2.24 x 0.70 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5.8 hours of GSM talk time, and up to 14 days of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE and 2100 MHz UMTS (3G) frequencies.

Click here for more information about Nokia E90 Communicator Unlocked Phone with 3.2 MP Camera, 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Media Player, and MicroSD Slot--U.S. Version with Warranty (Mocha)

Read More...