Sharp AQUOS SH-06D

Sharp's AQUOS SH-06D will most probably never leave the Land of The Rising Sun. That doesn't stop us, however, from lusting after its 4.5-inch. This 720p display also manages 3D, spread across a slinky 10mm frame that houses NTT DoCoMo's recently launched NOTTV streaming broadcast system. The device arrives in pink, white and blue options -- all provided with a matching dock and built-in aerial. Like several eastern phones with the ability to tune into live TV broadcasts, the AQUOS SH-06D has its own extendable antenna built into the side. The device, despite its largely plastic build felt solid in our hand, although the minuscule power and volume buttons proved difficult to manipulate at times. The screen technology is still a closely guarded secret, but it aims to bring both 3D functionality alongside a crisp HD display performance during two-dimensional antics. Viewing angles are great -- a welcome trend we've seen on plenty of handsets at this year's MWC -- but the heavily customized Android 2.3 skin took away some of that sheen. Applications are stowed away into several drop-down menus that took some getting used to -- regardless of any language barrier. Sharp hasn't revealed any plans to join its Japanese competitors in the frenzied global smartphone market, but some import options wouldn't go amiss. See why in our hands-on right after the break.

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Asus EEE PC T101MT REVIEW

toshiba-satelliteRemember my first hands on preview of the ASUS T101MT convertible netbook tablet? ASUS sure does as they were not pleased with my findings so they’ve send me another sample, this one being just like the one that you’ll be able to buy from stores in a few weeks. I won’t make a new review, or hands on video, but I’ll highlight the differences from the product I’ve handled a few weeks ago and this final version.

The big question you all have in your minds is whether the screen is good. Well, I’m happy to report that the new unit has no problems with the touch input. It’s as precise as you can expect from a resistive screen (meaning a little push is always necessary but it’s not an effort at all). I couldn’t detect any problems with the edges of the screen at all.

This is how you know it's a convertible tablet

A nice addition to the second model is a new small piece of software that allows you to select the input method for handwriting: pen of finger. This option calibrates the screen for one of the two touch methods and the end results is quite nice (remember that selecting pen input won’t allow you to use your fingers for handwriting). Of course there’s the same lag between the moment you finish writing a word and the moment it’s being converted to text (2 or 3 seconds), but the Atom CPU is the one to blame for that.

The chiclet keyboard is very good

The flash CPU occupancy stays high also in this model I’ve reviewed but overall performance in Windows 7 Home Premium (apparently the T101MT will ship with it) is better, but don’t expect miracles as the poor CPU has to run mode processes needed for the touch interface.

It works well also as a netbook

Also I can confirm that this model ships with Bluetooth, unlike the early sample I’ve previewed. Also as many of you have asked me about palm detection I can certify that EEE PC T101MT has also this function, so you’ll be able to write down your thoughts just like you do on a piece of paper. That makes it on par with the Lenovo S10-3t which I hope to review in a few days/weeks and compare it with the ASUS T101MT, it’s main competitor on market today.