All-purpose phones that cut the quibbles
I usually prefer consumer electronics products that do one thing very well, rather than "convergence" products that do lots but not with equal aplomb.
Too often multifunction means compromise. But multimedia mobile phones - especially those combining digital music player and digital camera capabilities with basic phone functionality - are so cheap and reliable it is easy to overlook small quibbles.
ADVERTISEMENT
The latest multimedia phones show significant improvements over earlier models and deliver very acceptable results most of the time. If you want to carry only one electronic gadget it may be time to trade up to one of the high-end multimedia handsets I have been looking at, most of which operate on 3G networks. They include Nokia's "N" series handsets, Sony Ericsson's W810i and K790 phones, Samsung's SCH-i990 (based on the SGH-Z710 sold in Europe) and LG Electronics' VX8500 (aka Chocolate).
Most are available in Asia and Europe, and now the US, where Chocolate launched on the Verizon Wireless code division multiple access (CDMA)-based evolution data optimised (EVDO) network this week.
Each has its strengths and, in some cases, weaknesses. Some, such as the Sony Ericsson Walkman phones, Nokia N91 and the Rokr models from Motorola, are optimised for audio features; others, such as the Nokia N90, for their photo capabilities. Several, such as the Samsung SCH-i990 and LG Chocolate, really are designed as all-purpose multimedia handsets.
Most higher-end camera phones - particularly those with megapixel sensors such as Samsung's SCH-a990, the Sony Ericsson K790 and the Nokia N93, which all have 3.2Mp sensors, or the Nokia N80 with its 3Mp resolution - yield digital images good enough to print and enlarge to about 10x8in format. Look for a minimum resolution of at least 1.3Mp, such as Chocolate's.
The best camera phones have features such as high quality lenses, 3x optical zooms (the Nokia N93) and built-in flash and should make it relatively easy to transfer images to a PC.
A number of multimedia mobile phones - Chocolate and Samsung SCH-a990 - support micro secure digital (SD) cards that slip into a full-size SD card adapter andcard reader or the SD-card slot on many modern portable PCs. Many also support wireless technologies enabling users to send images directly to suitably equipped printers.
The latestmultimedia phones are generally more sophisticated than the earlier versions. The Sony Ericsson W810i Walkman has autofocus lenses, but most handsets are fixed focus with flash units only effective at distances of up to about 6ft. One exception is the Sony Ericsson K790i, with a relatively sophisticated Xenon flash.
Most camera phones capture short video clips but the quality is jerky at 15 frames per second (fps) at best, although the Nokia N93 records MPEG-4 VGA video clips at up to 30fps.
When it comes to audio, the latest multimedia handsets are becoming more sophisticated by adding features that rival those in stand-alone players. Most multimedia phones now make it relatively easy to load on tracks from a PC - or download them directly over the wireless network - and play them back using MP3-player navigation tools.
The controls - and sound quality - on the Sony Ericsson Walkman phones are particularly good. I found the LG Chocolate navigation buttons difficult initially, but once familiar with its quirky design, I appreciated its audio capabilities. In fact, the LG Chocolate and the Samsung SCH-a990 are among the best multimedia phones on CDMA networks.
Among its features, the LG Chocolate supports stereo Bluetooth, delivering good quality sound through the Plantronics Pulsar 590 headphones I have also tested. In addition, the phone comes with almost 70MB of memory that can be supplemented with up to 2Gb of flash memory on MicroSD cards.
In the Verizon Wireless version available in the US, the LG Chocolate can play back both Windows WMA and MP3 format audio files. Users load music in three ways - with a MicroSD card, via a USB cable using Microsoft's Windows Media Player software or over the Verizon Wireless network at $1.99 a track.
This flexibility turns the Chocolate - and other second-generation multimedia phones - into viable alternatives to dedicated digital music players.
你有最“酷”的手机吗？
我
通常更喜欢能把一件事做得非常好的消费电子产品，而不是能做许多事情、但不是样样都做得好的“全能型”产品。
多功能往往意味着折衷。但是多媒体手机，尤其是那些将数字音乐播放器和数码照相功能与基本通话功能结合起来的多媒体手机，价格如此低廉，性能又非常可靠，让人愿意忽略一些小瑕疵。
新款多媒体手机比早期型号有了明显改进，大多数时候的使用效果都令人非常满意。如果你只想携带一个电子小器件，也许可以从我在关注的高端多媒体手机中挑一款了。这些手机大多可在3G网络运行，包括诺基亚(Nokia)的“N”系列手机，索尼爱立信(Sony Ericsson，索爱)的W810i和K790，三星(Samsung)的SCH-i990(基于欧洲销售的SGH-Z710)，以及LG电子(LG Electronics)的 VX8500(称为“巧克力”)。
多数手机在亚洲和欧洲都能买到，如今在美国也可以了。“巧克力”手机最近配合美国Verizon Wireless基于码分多址(CDMA)技术的演进数据优化(EVDO)网络推出。
每款机型都有自己的优势，有些方面也有弱点。有些机型对音频功能进行了优化，如索爱随身听(Walkman)手机、诺基亚N91和摩托罗拉(Motorola)Rokr系列；有些机型对拍照功能进行了优化，如诺基亚N90。有几款手机确实是按照全能多媒体手机设计的，如三星SCH-i990和LG“巧克力”手机。
大多数高性能拍照手机照出的数码影像效果都非常好，足以打印放大为10x8英寸的照片，特别是那些配备百万像素传感器的手机，如三星SCH-a990、索爱K790和诺基亚N93（均有320万像素传感器），或是诺基亚N80（分辨率为300万像素）。最低分辨率至少也要达到130万像素，如“巧克力”手机。
最好的拍照手机都有高质量镜头、3倍光学变焦(诺基亚N93)和内置闪光灯等功能，而且应该能够很容易就把图像转移到个人电脑上。
很多多媒体手机(“巧克力”手机和三星SCH-a990)都支持微型安全数字(SD)卡。这种SD卡可以插入标准的SD卡适配器和读卡器，或是许多新款笔记本电脑的SD卡槽中。很多机型还支持无线技术，让用户可以直接向具有无线功能的打印机传送图片。
最新的多媒体手机通常比早期型号更高级。索爱W810i随身听手机配备了自动聚焦镜头，而多数手机的镜头焦点是固定的，闪光灯的有效距离最多只有大约6英尺。索爱K790i是一个例外，它配有相对高级的氙闪光灯。
大多数拍照手机都能拍摄视频短片，但影像质量不佳，最多只能达到每秒15帧(fps)，尽管诺基亚N93拍摄的MPEG-4 VGA格式视频短片能达到每秒30帧。
在音频方面，新款多媒体手机变得更加复杂，增加了一些可与专用播放器相媲美的功能。多数多媒体手机现在可以相当容易地从个人电脑载入音频，或直接通过无线网络下载，然后用MP3播放器的导航工具进行播放。
索爱随身听手机的操控性能和音质都特别出色。我最初觉得LG“巧克力”手机的导航键很难用，不过在熟悉了它独特的设计之后，我对它的音频性能还是很欣赏的。事实上，LG“巧克力”手机和三星SCH-a990是CDMA多媒体手机中的佼佼者。
LG“巧克力”手机的特色还包括支持蓝牙(Bluetooth)耳机，可通过缤特力(Plantronics)Pulsar590头戴式耳机传输优质音效。此外，这款手机有近70MB内存，还有微型SD卡多至2Gb的闪存作为补充。
美国Verizon Wireless推出的LG巧克力手机，可播放Windows WMA和MP3两种格式的音频文件。用户有三种方式可以下载音乐――用微型SD卡，通过USB连接线使用微软Windows Media Player软件，或通过Verizon Wireless网络以每段1.99美元的价格付费下载。
这种灵活性使得“巧克力”手机，以及其它第二代多媒体手机，完全可成为专用数字音乐播放器的代替品。
