The phones features a 3.7 inch 480 x 800 pixel curved AMOLED touchscreen with ClearBlack technology.  This is supported by a 1.4 GHz single core processor and 512 MB of RAM, making it a solid entry into the mid-range mobile market.  Design-wise, the Lumia is reminiscent of the Nokia N9, with similar overall dimensions (but smaller display).

Of course, the big news here is under the hood.  The Lumia 800 supports Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) with a totally unique user interface.  Active tiles display information such as how many email messages a user has or what the local weather is like, making it feel more useful and relevant than many of its rivals.

Other Mango-related features include browsing with Internet Explorer 9 and the ability to use Microsoft SkyDrive to upload up to 25 GB of data.  Nokia also provides “Nokia Drive” which works hand-in-hand with the GPS system to allow pre-download of maps and turn by turn navigation.

Xbox Live integration is included, as are mobile versions of Microsoft Office and Nokia’s streaming radio service.

An upscale version of the Nokia Lumia 800 – the Nokia Lumia 900 – is expected to become available in the US during the first half of 2012.  It is expected to be available exclusively through the US mobile phone provider AT&T.

The Radar features a 3.8 inch 480 x 800 pixel S-LCD screen and weighs approximately 137 grams.  The body is made from aluminium and features three physical keys in addition to the touchscreen.  These are: the power button, the camera shutter keys, and the volume control.  Touch sensitive keys located at the bottom of the screen support home, back, and search functions.

Inside, the HTC Radar features a 1 GHz processor with 512 MB of RAM.  Don’t let these numbers fool you though; the inclusion of a Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon chipset means this handset can really perform.

Internal storage is at 8 GB and, unfortunately, because Windows Phone does not support external storage, there is no micro SD card support.  Battery life for the Radar is good, lasting approximately one and a half days during testing.

The rear facing camera supports photos at 5 megapixels and features an f/2.2 lens which improves results for images taken in low light conditions.  While camera performance is adequate, imaging isn’t one of this handset’s stronger points.

Because the unit features Windows Phone 7.5, Internet Explorer 9 is supported, which means the HTC Radar provides one of the best browsing experiences currently found on mobile offerings.  Voice Search is also supported and results were fairly satisfactory.  There were some issues with inaccuracy, but short and specific voice commands tended to find their mark.

Recombu considers the HTC Radar to be a pretty good all-around phone, with adequate camera and an excellent OS.  However, the absence of Flash and the lack of expandable storage ensure that this handset stays firmly in the middle range of smartphones.

The Google Nexus S has a sleek design that is similar to the Samsung Galaxy S.  The phone runs on the fastest Android operating system and includes a 5 MP camera with a LED flash.  One of the highlights is the sound capabilities of the phone.  The rear speakers provide great volume for music or voice, making this a top choice for those who use their phone as a MP3 player.

The Google Nexus S comes with preinstalled Google services and offers 50MB of RAM.  With a fast start up and shut down time, users enjoy the unique features, stylish design and included software offered with this phone.

The Atrix 4G comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread as the standard operating system. This will enable the user to access hundreds of thousands of free or very reasonably priced apps, which are available on the Android Marketplace.  Virtually all of these run at a good speed, due mainly to the phone’s dual core technology and Gingerbread’s efficiency.

There are some interesting accessories available for the Motorola Atrix 4G. One of these is a very light and small laptop that uses the phone as its brain, the other is an HD dock that lets you connect your Atrix to an HDTV and use a USB keyboard and mouse for input.  Both of these accessories show that it will not be long before computers start to be replaced by smartphones. These accessories are both very worthwhile investments for someone wishing to access their data at all times, whether it is music and movies or spreadsheets and text documents.
 
Overall, the Motorola Atrix 4G is a very powerful and innovative smartphone that gives you the power of a PC in your pocket due to its cutting edge technology and high end features.

With an eye on current trends and at the forefront of technological advances, Samsung developed their first wireless internet mobile phone in 1999, and by the year 2000 a special edition Samsung Olympic Games Phone was selected to be the official handset of the Sydney Olympic Games.  Following this success, Samsung branched out to produce colour mobile phones and handsets with integrated megapixel cameras, and by 2006 had produced another world first with a handset that included a 10 megapixel camera.

Samsung have continued to grow their mobile phone brands, and are particularly targeted at the high end of the market.  Their Galaxy and Omnia ranges have proved to be a huge worldwide hit, and Samsung remains focussed on their core of Android smartphones which continually rate amongst the world’s best.  Within the Galaxy range are the Samsung Galaxy S2, at present the world’s slimmest mobile phone, which features a cutting edge Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen, and the extremely highly rated Google Nexus S which leads the field in terms of speed, design and a wide variety of Android sat nav apps.

Financial Situation

Often the consumer will spot a mobile phone that looks great, but is out of their price range.  Perhaps the handset is within their budget, but may only be available on contract.  If so, you should ask yourself if a contract is ideal. 

Lifestyle

If you want a high-end mobile phone, but are unlikely to use all the features, a PAYG handset may be more appropriate.  However, to get the most from your mobile handset, a contract mobile phone may be preferable.  Even with PAYG handsets, many networks offer bundles of free minutes and texts.

Usage

For business users or those who make lots of calls and use multi-media functions, a contract may be more appropriate.  However, for mostly receiving calls, a PAYG mobile phone might be a better solution, since there is no requirement to commit to a contract or set up a Direct Debit; simply top up when you want to make calls.

To find out the latest information on all handsets available on contract or PAYG, online deals and reviews can prove to be useful.  Samsung Omnia 7 deals are available on most major networks; alternatively Sony Ericsson Arc and LG Optimus Black reviews provide trusted reports.

The high contrast ratio touchscreen is completely smudge resistant and currently one of the best on the market; strong colours and user friendly tiled and uncluttered interface make the Omnia easy to read even in bright overhead sunlight.   The large screen responds well to touch and allows for seamless zooming in and out. The Omnia 7 offers superb quality for movies or videos, offering superb audio quality.  Another plus point with the Omnia 7 is that transferring music is so simple.  Unlike many of its rivals, the Omnia 7 has a home button located underneath the screen.  The Omnia 7 offers an internal memory of 8GB.

The physical appearance of the Omnia is classic; the device is black matte finished, lightweight yet metal not plastic, (the sliding cover is metal too) making it extra durable and hardwearing.  The Omnia 7 is very elegant, and unobtrusive, extremely portable and with the unequalled AMOLED screen and superspeed performance and connectivity, is one of the best smartphones around.

A refreshing piece of Palm Pre 2 kit is its clever backing plate which houses not only the usual SIM and battery but also a clever wireless device which, when used along with the Palm Touchstone charger, allows the phone to be placed flat on the charger where it immediately takes on a charge, no plugs or wires necessary and the phone is kept in place by a magnet housed inside the charger.  Once the phone is placed on the charger the integral WebOS software enables the phone to operate in Touchstone mode and this allows for useful information displays e.g. email, time, date, calendar etc.

The Palm Pre 2 takes multitasking very seriously, so if there are a few webpages open at once the phone groups then like a hand of cards and similarly with email.  The Palm Pre 2 has remained simple to operate and user friendly, resisting the complications arising in Android devices.

As well as the superb rear-facing camera, the phone comes with a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, which is perfect for video calling.  Out of the box, the phone comes equipped with the 2.2 version of Android’s operating system, although this is easily upgradable.  The HTC Incredible S has been compared to both the HTC Desire S and the HTC Wildfire S, and, judging by looks alone, it is easy to see why.  However, technologically speaking, the Incredible S lends itself much more to the Desire HD, with its massive 4-inch capacitive screen and its wonderful 8-megapixel camera.  Like the Desire S, the Incredible S comes equipped with 1.1GB of internal memory, 768MB of RAM and the option to increase the memory to 32GB with the insertion of a MicroSD™ card.

One criticism of HTC in the past is its failure to address poor battery-life issues.  While various software updates have been rolled out by the firm in order to correct the issue, none have really worked.  However, HTC now feels that it has addressed this issue by fitting the Incredible S with a high-powered battery (1450mAh) and boasts that the phone will produce 9.7 hours of talk time from a fully charged battery.  Due to this, the Incredible S should definitely be a consideration for a consumer wanting a reliable, feature-filled smartphone.

It is easy to use, with access to all of the main screens such as the dial screen, text messages and the web browser via the launcher menu located at the bottom of the phone. The phone comes with an in-car cradle, so when it is combined with one of the latest android sat nav apps it operates as your own sat nav. GPS signals are acquired easily and with Google Maps pre-installed this is a great feature.

Music support for the phone is great as well, with a variety of files supported such as MP3, WMA and M4A. A 3.5mm jack also means you can use your favourite headphones. 

Compared to some of the latest phones, it is not the most attractive mobile. The camera is also only three megapixels and is not equipped with a flash.  Sound quality can also be problematic occasionally, but the price means this phone remains good value for money. The battery life is reasonable, being equipped with a 1500 mAh battery. If you are in need of a sat nav device and a music player then you can’t go wrong with this phone.