CES Preview
Nov 12, 2008, 2:11 PM by Eric M. Zeman
Phone Scoop had the opportunity to spend some time with a few new phones at a preview event for the Consumer Electronics Show. Here is a hands-on report.
Propel
The Samsung Propel is a messaging phone that AT&T is aiming at the mass market. It runs AT&T's standard feature phone platform, but has a full QWERTY keyboard for typing messages.
The screen size is generous, those the resolution is not the highest we've seen. On-screen graphics and images looked a bit pixelated.
The Propel is solid. It feels weighty, but it is compact and easily fits in your pocket. The navigation buttons on the front of the Propel are large, easy to find, and offer good travel and feedback.
The sliding mechanism feels very well designed. It is satisfying to open and close the Propel, and you can tell that it was well built.
The keyboard is a bit squished if you ask me. Though the keys have good travel and feedback, there are very closely packed together. I found the keyboard somewhat difficult to use.
The user interface is unchanged from other AT&T feature phones. In all, the Propel iis an able messaging device that doesn't require you to upgrade to a smartphone to get a QWERTY keyboard.
Here is a short video tour of the Samsung Propel. You can watch it here:
Or visit YouTube for more viewing and sharing options.
VU30
Motorola's VU30 is an entry-level flip for Verizon Wireless. Its body is smooth and rounded, somewhat reminiscent of the Motorola PEBL. The controls on either side of the VU30 are easily found and function well.
Perhaps the phone's best feature is the external display. The external display is touch sensitive, and allows you to interact with the music player and camera. Pressing it will turn the camera and music player on or off, and it provides haptic feedback when pressed. The quality of the external screen wasn't great, but being able to interact with it is nice.
On the inside, the keypad looks nice, but functions poorly. Each of the keys is a round dot. The dots are too small for my tastes. They may be easy to find, and offer good travel and feedback, but the size really bugged me. I didn't like how the buttons felt against my thumb.
Other than that, there's not much to complain about. It is a simple phone and offers simple features.
Here is a short video tour of the VU30. You can watch it here:
Or visit YouTube for more viewing and sharing options.
ACTV
The MOTOACTV is a semi-ruggedized handset for T-Mobile. It bears a slight resemblance to the KRZR line of phones from Motorola, but is made of sturdier stuff.
Some of the external surfaces are covered in rubber to give the ACTV some grip to it. The rubber actually feels good, not cheap. The ACTV is narrow from side to side, so it is comfortable to hold in your hand.
The external display was a little on the small side, but the buttons around the phone's edges all worked well and are easily found.
The keypad of the ACTV is the most interesting thing about it. The entire thing is covered with one solid piece of rubber. This means you can use it with wet fingers and not worry about getting water into the phone's innards. Each key is a little hump underneath the rubber surface. It is quite easy to differentiate between the keys, and they all offer good travel and feedback.
Other than that, there's not much else that sets the ACTV apart from a bevy of other entry-level flips.
Here is video tour of the ACTV. You can watch it here:
Or visit YouTube for more viewing and sharing options.
About the author, Eric M. Zeman:Eric has been covering the mobile telecommunications industry for 17 years at various print and online publications. He studied at Rutgers Newark and University of Kentucky, and has a degree in writing. He likes playing guitar, attending concerts, listening to music, and driving sports cars.
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Comments
VU30 = Old News!
We simply had some hands-on time with our cameras in hand. We hadn't published any "hands on" stuff about these yet, so we thought some people might like photos, video, an...
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