The new Samsung C3200 Monte Bar is a simply-styled mobile phone that, as its name might imply, features a solid bar form casing. The device itself is very easy to hold and use and comes with a decent range of features that will help the user in terms of everyday communication, and also comes complete with some functions for enjoyment and entertainment as well. In basic functionality the Bar comes complete with an integral camera, an FM radio and an extremely colourful icon display menu, and being part of the new Samsung Monte range of phones it also features many of the same concepts integrated into the Monte Slider and S5620 Monte.

In terms of appearance the Monte Bar features black casing and fairly bright orange-gold sections along each side of the device which provides a nice flash of colour, making the phone stand out. In the hand the casing feels smooth and is very comfortable with its lightweight design allowing to pack everything into a mere 77.3 grams. The Monte Bar’s dimensions also support this analysis, with measurements of 111.8mm long, 46.9mmwide and 13.3 mm deep. As a result it is not only svelte and lightweight in the hand and easy to carry but also fits comfortably into any pocket for ease of transportation.

The Bar also comes equipped with a 2-inch colour screen with a screen resolution of 240×320 pixels. One of the joys of this colourful display is the icons necessary for app selection display on the main menu which aids the user in making their feature selections. There is also a select key and a menu key, making the overall handset experience extremely user-friendly. The keypad itself is well-appointed in a nice ark shape, and the individual keys themselves and well-spaced allowing comfortable and easy typing.

With regards to entertainment and features, the Monte Bar fully supports both downloadable and Java games, great for those with a gaming addiction. The phone’s camera is a mere 2 megapixels however which, despite being a little low on the resolution stakes, does comes with the added advantage of being able to instantly share your captured photos with your friends via the MMS facility or store on your device for transfer later. The user may also choose to record videos at speeds of up to fifteen frames per second via the device’s two-megapixel camera.

The Monte Bar supports a range of video playback files to allow it to play and not just record media, however, including MPEG4, H263 and H264. The user can also play music in a range of file formats as well including WMA, MP3 and eAAC+. The built-in FM radio also supports a radio data system and radio recording.

The Monte Bar’s communication is good, and allows multimedia messaging via the popular MMS system through which the user can share a range of photos and video clips with other users that utilise the same service. MMS-sent messages can include texts with sound and also a photo or video clip, allowing an all-around fun method of communication between friends and family. The text facility also includes a predictive function, allowing the words the user types in a text to be stored and predicted the next time the user inputs the same word. Whilst this can be irritating on some formats it works well for most general users and allows for rapid text input.

Connectivity wise the device supports Bluetooth, allowing the user to connect to other such compatible devices wirelessly as long as the two devices being connected are within ten metres of each other. GPRS and EDGE are also supported, allowing for the rapid transfer of data between devices. The Monte Bar also boasts 40 MB of integral memory and further storage capacity is possible by means of a memory card connection though a MircoSD memory card slot. For those who like to get online while out and about the integral Internet browser can be accessed through the phone’s main menu, and the Internet icon is easy to find on the main screen. Usefully, the device’s fully-charged battery will afford the user a whopping 8.3 hours of talk time, helping ensure connectivity if you expect to spend long hours on the phone on a regular basis.

According to reports, it looks like HTC will be having its biggest marketing spend this year when they push the release of 4 different devices at the same time.

While we are never in the danger of being over saturated, this practically marks the first time we will be seeing so many significant devices coming from the Taiwan based mobile phone manufacturer.

Well, the mobile phone industry is no stranger to expensive and over the top budgets for marketing. Sony Ericsson did the exact same thing with the Satio –though that did not get good results, the Satio got suspended from sales and pull out of shelves due to firmware errors.

Anyway, the new HTC phones coming are as follows:

The HTC Desire is the penultimate HTC Android smart phone. This device served as the basis for the Nexus One. The stats alone tell the story, it comes with a 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen, a 5 mega pixel camera with 720p D1 recording, and of course, a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU.

Following the Desire is the HTC Legend. This phone is the successor of the highly successful Android smart phone, the HTC Hero. The Legend has a 3.2 inch AMOLED touch screen, a 5 mega pixel camera, a 600MHz Qualcomm processor and a spiffy aluminum casing.

HTC has also announced that it will be releasing the HTC HD Mini which will be using the Windows Mobile 6.5.3 Maldives platform while the HTC Smart is a low end smart phone that is going to be an O2 exclusive device.

No word yet on exactly what kind of marketing we will be seeing, but since this is HTC’s biggest spend; expect to see major ad campaign for their upcoming products.

Get to know the full details on HTC’s big marketing spend and the new devices at Mobile Today UK.

Seriously Steve, what is the worst that could happen?

Reports indicate that the main reason why Apple decided to go with a full app purge in an act to remove explicit and mature content was triggered by plenty of strong complaints from parents. What did Apple fear? After all, the complaints are hardly anything to worry about, and at the end of the day, Apple has the final say on what goes at the App store. From a consumer standpoint, what is the worry about a few irate parents? None of these individuals have a real case against Apple, not will they cease to be Apple customers.

Parents have to grow up so that they will realize that it is they who are responsible for educating, and teaching their children in order to ensure that they grow up properly. In fact, these very same parents are deeply at fault for being the ones who enabled their children to access the app store in the first place. The App store requires a credit card for signing up, which means that no minor could have been able to access the online store.

So now, we say goodbye to over five thousand iPhone apps such as Jon Atherton’s “Wobble iBoobs” breast jiggling application. There is nothing profound about these apps, but they are incredibly amusing and interesting -which makes it a serious loss that Apple has taken them all offline.

Adding insult to injury is the fact that Apple is setting double standards. Playboy and Sports Illustrated applications are still available online at the store. Which means that there is an app or developer bias that is going on; this will certainly earn the ire of many app developers in the long run.

Read mobile about the Apple porn purge at Tech Radar.

Sony Ericsson is finally getting ready to release its Vivaz and Vivaz Pro handsets, with the Vivaz Pro featuring an impressive-looking QWERTY keyboard arranged in four rows. Handily the keyboard also slides out and, unlike its sibling Vivaz device, has the integral keyboard that only serves to add an extra two millimetres to its overall thickness. In other terms the Vivaz Pro is almost identical to the Vivaz with one big difference coming in its integral camera which has 5-megapixels to the Vivaz’s 8. It does, however, have Touch Focus, geotagging as well as smile and face detection to name but a few useful features.

As a 3G phone the Vivaz Pro has excellent connectivity through GPRS, EDGE Class 10, WLAN Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB. It also features a decent 75 MB of internal memory storage space which can be bolstered to around 16GB via a MicroSD card. The display measures 3.2 inches and sports a TFT touchscreen with a 16 million colours, 360X640 resolution. The pictures are extremely sharp and vivid as well, and the Vivaz Pro supports a wide range of apps including Google Maps, Facebook and Twitter as well as supporting MMS, SMS and e-mail. The standard Li-Po battery gives a very reasonable potential talktime of just over five hours.

The Vivaz, as stated, has a slightly better camera than the Pro boasting 8-megapixels and also featuring an LED flash – vital for those all-weather shots – although the flash could ideally be more powerful. Like its sibling Vivaz Pro also has smile and face detection as well as picture geotagging, though naturally the lower camera quality does put some pinch on snapshots. One slight downside is that the camera doesn’t have any lens protection, which could cause a problem after any harsh outdoor usage

Structurally speaking the phone is also quad-band with full GSM support, and has a MicroSD card slot that enables a memory upgrade of around 16GB. The standard Vivaz package features an 8GB card to get users going. The Vivaz is also smaller than it had seemed in promotional photos, and actually slides very comfortably into the jacket or trouser pocket. At a very modest 97 grams it has a real size and weight advantage over the majority of the competition – particularly when you take its wide range of features into account. It is also very ergonomically designed and user-friendly with the screen taking up the majority of the device with the call keys located to the side and the menu in the middle.

Despite the otherwise impressive screen it can be difficult to read clearly in direct sunlight, although is better than its comparable competitors such as the Nokia 5800. Also, the device has no auto-lock feature, making the display prone to accidental presses during calls – making it mildly irritating at times, especially during business calls. It is to be hoped that Sony Ericsson’s future software updates will resolve this issue. The design is smart, although the display – along with the black plastic that surrounds it – are magnets for fingerprints, making it look fairly grimy after a few calls despite fitting very naturally into the hand during both calls and messaging.

The call performance of the Vivaz was good, with no reception problems at either end and a very loud and clear earpiece that gave absolutely no interference. Unfortunately the Vivaz does not feature either voice dialling or smart dialling which could come in very useful and are, in fact, featured on other Symbian versions. It also features the standard Symbian phonebook, which is quite excellent with almost unlimited capacity and excellent usability. Contacts can be arranged by either family or names, and contacts can be searched by gradual typing. Personal ringtones and videos can also be allocated to individual contacts as well should you feel so inclined.

If there is one thing we would all want to know about upcoming new technologies, it is when these things will actually arrive. We already have a good list on our heads which companies are likely to suddenly pull a quick 180 degrees just to say that a device will be delayed, and Microsoft is a long term resident of that list.

This is why many of us took the news of a potential WP7 October release with a grain of salt. Even if the folks at Microsoft mean well, we all know the high likelihood that delays can happen –in some cases we even expect it. This is why recent reports regarding the upcoming Windows Phone 7 series device from Asus have not been surprising; some sources say that the device is due for 2011, not October of this year.

In any case, people will definitely be lining up for this mobile phone –if only for the new Windows Phone 7 operating system. So far, we have not seen a mobile platform that is as graphically impressive or intuitive as WP7 –even when compared to the Apple iPhone OS and the Google Android OS.

The difference in the systems are vast, while the iPhone OS and the Android feel a lot like miniature versions of desktop computers, WP7 delivers a very mobile phone-centric experience. The way menus and feature access is a great innovation in the field of user interface design.

It has been confirmed recently that the new OS will not be compatible with existing Windows Mobile phones and that development on the previous 6.X version will continue. This probably means that the older WinMo platform will be concentrating more on business markets as opposed to the general market.

Read more about the coming of an Asus-made Microsoft device at Mobile Choice UK.

Have you ever seen something then after having it, you get the feeling that it might be what you have been waiting for a very long time. Well this is the feeling you get when one of the HTC Desire gets into the palms of your hands. The super phone is a marvel of its own kind and the fascination that it brings to the market cannot in any way be underestimated. The phone has some of the most spectacular features and this has made one of the gadgets that are almost hard to beat in the phone markets.

The phones sophistication is clearly displayed in the numerous functions that it can perform. The fact that it is a super phone illustrates just how innovative it is.  The manufacturers who have made this possible have done a perfect job and the market has been waiting for this fascination for a very long time. The HTC Desire advanced feature makes it one of the few gadgets in the market to earn the term super phone. The phone is enhanced with a 3.7-inch display screen which provides its user with an unbeatable quality of viewing and browsing experience.

Speaking of browsing and the HTC Desire is definitely the phone to go for. The phone has an inbuilt super fast processor which ensures that browsing the web in a fast rate is not only a possibility but a reality. The processor also ensures that your world of multimedia entertainment is greatly enhanced by increasing the speed in which you access the media. One of the marvels of the phone is its ability to allow the user to move from application to application without it hanging or posing any problems. This is the sole task of the processor which ensures that the phone is effective in discharging its duties.

The phone’s screen which is a light emitting diode ensures that clarity is not in any way altered. The phone delivers colors in the most brilliant of ways and it also ensures that color contrasts are as natural as possible. The HTC Desire is designed to give its user unmatched quality in terms of information, multimedia and even entertainment. The features that are incorporated in the super phone clearly highlight the fact that the phone was designed with the consumer in mind.

The world of information comes into the palm of your hands with the HTC Desire. The phone has the news application as its feature and so your can keep up to date with the on goings in the outside world. The phone provides the user with the option of choosing from the array of channels that gives them all they need at their fingertips. So if getting the latest stock exchange or sports news is your desire, then the HTC Desire is truly what you need.

With the phone, storage space should never be a bother to you. The phone provides you with the opportunity of traveling with your emails, appointments and contacts all in a compact size wherever you go. This is not all, the phone has an inbuilt feature that allows you to view any contact information of any company at the palms of your hands. You can protect your password with this gadget and you can also state your status with it. It also offers you the chance to use applications such as twitter, Facebook and others which makes the phone more fascinating. Internet experience with the HTC Desire is at an all time high. The phone through its amazingly large screen brings the internet revolution at your hands and the screen itself delivers clean crisp images so you can enjoy all the niceness that the internet offers.

• HTC Contracts

Windows Phone 7 is confirmed to be heading our way this October. Microsoft and Asus will be delivering the very first MS branded mobile device and from what we have seen at the Mobile World Congress, the new mobile platform has plenty of promise.

The biggest promise of course is the fact that the new OS will change the way we use mobile phones. For now, the user interface is simply a very stylized reinventing of the touch screen user interfaces that we have been used to having on the Android and the iPhone OS. There are plenty of dynamic elements in the system, doing away with much of what was once static content. The new tiles system replaces widgets as the customizable areas of choice.

WP7 separates phone functions into several categories. First is “people”, which is where users get to send messages, make calls and keep track of their online contacts. Information here is synchronized with user accounts on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking tools. You can even set a title to show the Facebook updates and Tweets of a specific person you are following.

Another category is Office. Right now, it is still pretty empty with only two existing tools; OneNote and SharePoint. So far, the interface looks impressive, though it would help a lot if the system was on a phone with a physical keyboard.

The Games category currently hosts the Xbox Live Games service, though the lack of existing game demos has yet to show the true value of this new addition. Other features that have also yet to become a standard of WP but are present in this phone are Zune and Bing.

For the rest of the news and features about the Windows Phone 7 series and its upcoming launch this October, go to Softpedia.

Windows Phone 7 may have stolen the show at the Mobile World Congress, but that still leaves plenty of other impressive devices that deserve time in the spotlight. No amount of media exposure has been missing for the devices listed below, but for a quick second look at some impressive Android smart phones, try the following:

It comes as to no surprise that our lineup of Android smart phones starts out with the HTC Desire. The device was originally considered for a basis for the Nexus One and carried the name Bravo. Sunday saw a new name and a slight new look for the device. The phone continues to carry a 3.7 inch AMOLED touch screen, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and a 5 mega pixel camera with the ability to record videos on 720p D1. Leaked pages from Amazon Germany state that the phone is only 419 Euros.

Another Android smart phone from HTC is the Legend. This device is expected to be the successor to the HTC Hero. The phone will have a 3.2 inch AMOLED touch screen, a 5 mega pixel camera and a Qualcomm 600 MHz processor. The device has been confirmed for Netherlands through the KPN site.

Sony Ericsson has its own Android phones as well. The XPERIA X10 is one of the high end smart phones coming out soon with its 1GHz Snapdragon CPU and 4 inch touch screen. The device will have two follow up phones, the X10 Mini and the X10 Mini Pro. As one might guess from the names, the X10 Mini is a bit sized version of the X10 and the Pro is a second version of the X10 Mini but comes with a physical keyboard.

Get to know more of the major highlights and products showcased at the Mobile World Congress at Pocket Lint.

Before we begin, here is a point to ponder: even if Google’s Buzz needs changes, do we need the Buzz?

Google’s Buzz social networking tool came out of the blue. It surprised everyone and Google thought that this wonderful new web service will bring delight to many people.

Google was wrong. Just ask Harriet Jacobs, an American woman and a well known blogger. She suddenly found her buzz being followed by an ex-husband simply because she had corresponded with him before.

Now, if this was on Facebook, then the usual internet reaction of face palming and proclamations of “fail” would be justified. But this is Google Buzz. With Facebook, before you do anything, before anyone will even see your profile, you get to decide what appears on your page. Before your account goes public, you customize your visibility. Before anything happens, you are given the almighty power to approve or deny it.

Google gives you nothing at all.

The moment you click the button that brings you see Buzz on your Gmail account, the default settings kick in and anyone in your contact page becomes a follower and you are suddenly following them.

Just imagine the crazy ex; the one who you were still with when you signed up for Gmail. These days, it is almost impossible to have never corresponded through email. Yeah. Now imagine that person following your updates.

Even if you have not posted an update, it abhors us thinking that you need to actually think about editing the settings before doing anything. Not everyone is tech-savvy. This is why privacy settings are force introduced by social networks upon signing up. It is not a given. Only a war veteran would check a quiet open field for mines, a dentist would simply stroll through.

Get more buzz about Google Buzz at Times Online UK.

When Steve Ballmer went up onstage, everyone was so busy drooling over the impressive new Windows Phone 7 user interface that actually paying attention to the presentation of the finer aspects of the platform’s new features was totally out of everyone’s minds. Thankfully, some thoughtful souls took time to jot down some key notes and highlights for use to review.

Here’s a quick breakdown of all the cool new things WP 7 brings:

First off, this is not the old Windows Mobile OS. While the name change is superficial (Windows Phone 7 is not quite as catchy as Windows Mobile 7), everything else is fully functional. The stylish new operating system is based on the concept that the “phone is not a PC”. Accessing information, files, and other phone content has always been mimicry of desktop computer interfaces. Now, WP 7 delivers an entirely new user experience that will change the way you look at your mobile phone.

WP7 also introduces the new customizable Tiles. These, combined with the larger than life user menus make for an impressive presentation on your phone screen. Tiles are basically specialized widgets that can be customized to contain almost any kind of information. You can even sync it to a specific Facebook contact and get a live feed of their status updates. The large menus may look like they are oversized, but in practice, they look awesome. The bleeding effect at the edge of the page is stylish and reminds you that you can always pan around to see the rest.

Also new to Windows Phone 7 is the introduction of Xbox Live Games service for the mobile phone. Right now, there are no game demos out yet so it is hard to say how much of an actual benefit this is. MS has yet to release a game line up too.

Read more on WP 7 at the source

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