Market Update Week 3

It's time for the next episode of our Market Update series brought to you each Friday (or almost). This week there are several interesting handsets appearing in stores and we present you our Market Update 2008 - Week 3.

First off in our market update this week is a PocketPC that looks like anything else but a PocketPC. The highly awaited LG KS20 is already available throughout some Vodafone networks with hopes that a SIM-free variant of the device will be available very soon.

The fashionable LG KS20 is a HSDPA-enabled device meaning that it supports both HSDPA and HSUPA for achieving great speeds in downloading as well as uploading. LG has also thought of areas where 3G is not usable adding EDGE and GPRS to the network connectivity capabilities.

The KS20 sports a touchscreen 2.8" TFT display with a QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) resolution. The somewhat surprising news here is the presence of the Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional OS in the device, having in mind that its "smart" predecessor KS10 was based on Symbian 9.1 S60 UI.

The LG KS20’s camera sports 2 megapixel resolution, autofocus, flash and video recording abilities - not bad for a stylish PocketPC. There is also a secondary camera used for video calls. Other multimedia features of the sleek handset are video and mp3 players as well as FM radio and TV out. The 90MB user memory is expandable through the microSD card slot.

Wireless connectivity is also taken care of by including Bluetooth v2.0 and Wi-Fi in the compact device. LG KS20 measures 99.5 x 58 x 12.9 mm and weighs only 99 grams, which is a great achievement for all the functionality included. The LG currently can be found online for around EUR 190 (USD 280) on a contract with Vodafone. The SIM-free price will most positively be different.

Photos of LG KS20

Nokia 8800 Arte is the next hot stylish phone that is already available. Made of exquisite materials it continues the tradition of the luxurious 8xxx-series but adds something of its own too.

Beside 3G functionality, the handset also flaunts a 3 megapixel camera with auto focus. No memory card slot yet, but the 1GB of internal memory might just do the trick this time. The Nokia 8800 Arte comes dressed in black while the panel is covered by goat hide from Eastern India, which is manually embossed and has several protective coats to prevent the daily wear-and-tear.

The body of the Arte mobile is again made by metal and glass much like the Nokia 8600 Luna. Supposedly, that glass and metal body should be covered with some top-secret anti-fingerprint coating, but we will believe that only after we see it with our own eyes.

The tri-band GPRS/EDGE phone has a 2-inch 16M QVGA OLED display as well as MP3 player and Bluetooth v2.0. The Nokia 8800 Arte currently can be found online for around EUR 810 (USD 1190).

Nokia 8800 Arte

Samsung also moved two of their slider phones to the stores – Samsung F250 and Samsung J610.

The Samsung F250 is a music-oriented handset, which is positioned somewhere in the lower midrange. It may not be a flagship of any kind, but it's really classy and we find the design great. The F250 has a 1.3 megapixel camera, a 2-inch 65K color TFT display with a resolution of 128x160 pixels. Additional specs go as far as tri-band GSM/EDGE support, stereo Bluetooth, microSD memory card slot and FM radio.

The Samsung F250 currently can be found online for around EUR 165 (USD 240).

Samsung F250

Samsung J610 comes again in slider form factor, a form factor that Samsung seem to be sticking devotedly for quite a while. The J610 has a relatively small 1.9-inch 65K color TFT display and moderate dimensions, keeping a waistline of 15.9 mm of thickness.

The tri-band J610 also make use of its GPRS/EDGE support to keep you in track with the data transmission. As of other connectivity, we welcome the Bluetooth v2.0 and USB v2.0 support.

The fun sector is headed by the 2 megapixel camera, capable of video recording, FM radio and MP3/MPEG4 player. Images, tracks and video clips can be stored on the built in 15 MB memory, or directly to the microSD card. Samsung J610 is available in multiple colors to suit different tastes.

The Samsung J610 currently can be found online for around EUR 135 (USD 200).

Photos of Samsung J610