INNOSTREAM

Camera: 1.3-megapixel CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) Display (internal): 1.8in 262,000-colour TFT LCD (thin-film transistor liquid-crystal display), 128 x 160pixels Screen (external): 0.95in, 65,536-colour STN (Super-Twisted Nematic) LCD, 96 x 64pixels Messaging: MMS (multimedia messaging service), SMS (short message service), e-mail Connectivity: Infrared, GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), CSD (Circuit-Switched Data), USB, fax, WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) Phone memory: 128MB Battery types: 3.7V 830mAh (standard) lithium-ion and 1,000 mAh (extended) Standby/talk time: 201 / 5 hours Other features: MP3 and audio player, videoplayer, Java applications Weight: 85g (with standard battery) Dimensions (w x d x h): 44 x 23.8 x 90mm Price: RM1,688 Website: www.innostream.com Review unit courtesy of Southall Sdn Bhd, (03) 7492-1117

IKOMO

iK202 (iKoMo Technology Co Ltd) Camera phone Camera: 0.3-megapixels (640 x 480pixel VGA) with 4x digital zoom Display (internal): 1.8in 65,000 transmissive TFT (thin-film transistor), 128 x 160pixels Screen (external): 65,000 colours OLED (organic light-emitting diode), 96 x 64pixels Messaging: MMS (multimedia messaging service), SMS (short message service) Connectivity: Serial data cable (RS232) Phone memory: 4.5MB Battery type: 530mAh lithium-ion Standby/talk time: 250/6 hours Other features: GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) 900/1800, GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), 64-polyphonic ringtones, thumbnail function for personal information in phonebook, 300-entry phonebook, alarm, stopwatch, photo editor, currency converter, memo Weight: 80g Dimensions (w x d x h): 53 x 68 x 21mm Price: RM1,188 Website: www.ikomo.com Review unit courtesy of Ikomo Technology (M) Sdn Bhd, (03) 5636-7399 DO YOU think that most clamshell camera phones sold in the market are way too big, making them difficult to put in one's shirt pocket? Well, you are not alone. This is probably why the iK202 camera phone from Hong Kong-based iKoMo comes in a smaller package – approximately half the size of most clamshell phones. The iK202's square design makes it look like a mini GameBoy Advanced SP portable games console. The company managed to trim down the size by reducing the keypad's buttons to just six and then “slicing” each button into two. Although the keys look incredibly small, they were actually not that difficult to press, mainly because most of us normally use our fingertips when SMSing. What's inside Despite being small built, the iK202 is certainly not on the petite side when it comes to features. As a matter of fact, it offers almost all the features that you would expect from an entry-level camera phone. Being a “fun” phone, the iK202 has an interactive menu – you have to cycle through a bunch of animated tools (PC, webcam, organiser, telephone, etc) to access the camera phone's functions. For example, if you want to go into “settings” just press the corresponding button repetitively till you get the “PC” icon. For camera functions look out for the “webcam” icon. The iK202 features a 0.3-megapixel digital camera which allows you to take an image at up to 640 x 480pixels. Quality-wise, photos taken were on par with most camera phones that we have tested. Shots taken under bright sunshine produced the best results, with less noise and better colour composition. You can also make use of the built-in picture frames such as Christmas tree, magician's hat and wedding bell to further enhance your photos. Kinda cool, although using the frame in your picture will increase its file size. You are limited here by the 4.5MB internal memory capacity. The camera function also features a self-timer, 4x digital zoom, serial shots (continuous shooting) and video-shooting for up to 10 seconds (videos can be sent as MMS). One feature that really stands out is the built-in speaker. When set to the highest settings, the alarm could even wake up your neighbour! Okay, we're exaggerating, but you get the picture. Bundled with the phone is an extra lithium-ion battery, a travel and desktop charger, a handsfree kit, PC sycn software, user manual and serial data cable. This is the one that stumped us: A serial data cable in this day and age when all other phone manufacturers are using USB cables? This is not a problem if you enjoy installing the driver, switching off the PC, plugging in the cable, and switching on the PC just to get it to work. Once successfully installed, you can easily sync the phonebook, schedule, to-do list, memos, SMSes, images and melodies with your PC. So cute... I showed the phone to some women friends and colleagues and the typical response was “awww, so cute.” When I showed it to the guys, the comments were somewhat reserved. Some said “too small for me” or “cool.” I even got some smart alecs who remarked how it looked like a funky cigarette lighter. Unfortunately, the price is a bit on the high side considering the other phones that are available in shops today. For the same price, you can get more features like Bluetooth, infrared and an external memory card slot. Hopefully, in the next version, the company will beef up the features, use USB and bring the price down.

LG

Introduction / Preview The G7100 features a built-in camera in a 270-degree swivel-folding display screen. The camera is built-in rotated mechanism and positioned on the edge of the phone. It is necessary to rotate the screen to make photos. With MMS the phone allows for the sending and receiving of pictures and multi-media files. With an internal 65K-colour LCD screen, and also an external 256-colour display, which has a resolution of 128õ160 pixels. The display shows up to 7 text lines and 2 service lines Other features include: Graphical internal UFB 65K display, Java support, GPRS, WAP, Infrared port, 32-tone polyphonic ring tones, MMS, SMS and in-built Java games.

NEC

Introduction / Preview At A Glance: Price: RM1,099 Local Distributor: Global Web Distribution (GWD) Sdn. Bhd / NEC (M) Sdn Bhd. Contact: 03-2178 3674 Build quality: 9/10 Applications: 8/10 Interface: 7/10 Value-for-money: x/10 Overall rating: 8.5/10 + Comfortable to hold + Relatively fast response + Data cable included - No Bluetooth - Keys are too close together - Ugly rubber patches all over the phone Again we follow up on the theme of the NEC Primero, which dominated the market at one time. The NEC 238 is the better and more expensive of the two NEC phones that were launched in Malaysia recently.