Mobile Phone News

Google Nexus One vs. HTC Desire Comparison: Battle of the Flagship Android Phones!

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (1387)

With Google’s first mobile phone appearing for registration on Vodafone’s site, we thought that we would take a closer look at the features of the Nexus One and see how close it really is to the HTC Desire, the Taiwanese manufacturer’s own competition for the title of top Android device…

The results may surprise you, with the two top-end blowers sharing a lot more than Google’s open source operating system. However, with HTC’s own Sense user interface and Google’s suite of bespoke applications, there is still more than a few differences between the two.

Join us as we explore them using Omio’s mobile comparison tool!

Size:

These two phones definitely share more than a little DNA, with the Desire and the Nexus One both created by Taiwanese manufacturer HTC. They certainly look like it too, sharing an almost identical tapered rectangular form factor, burnished with metallic accents.

The front of the two is almost identical in looks, but this is where the lion’s share of physical differences lie.

Both waste very little real estate with their slender yet substantial dimensions, yet the Desire is the larger device by the slimmest of margins with a 0.2mm wider and 0.4mm deeper form factor.

When plonked side by side the difference may be negligible, and the Desire arguably uses that space well, but the Nexus One is indeed the smaller beast of the two.

Winner: Google Nexus One

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Weight:

The more luxurious build of the HTC Desire also adds a few pounds as the contender’s metal frame tips the scales at 135g whilst the Nexus One trips the light fantastic at a mere 130g.

The Desire is incidentally the exact same weight as the 32GB model of the iPhone 3GS so…yeah, impress someone at a party with that factoid!

Winner: Google Nexus One

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Screen:

Both sport identical 3.7-inch capacitive touch displays, with all of the multi-touch, proximity and tilt-sensitive sensors we’ve come to expect from high-end handsets.

The Nexus One sports four virtual menu keys beneath the display, with a navigation trackball that screams old-school BlackBerry. The HTC Desire one-ups the Google phone with physical keys flanking a whizzy optical trackpad, essentially a teeny tiny camera that tracks thumb movements.

However, it’s what appears on the screen that counts in this round, and HTC’s Sense user interface is nothing short of a revelation. A complete overhaul of Android, Sense offers quick, intuitive movements around the most frequently used features, and a genuinely enjoyable phone experience.

The Nexus One does indeed ship with the latest Eclair build of Google’s mobile operating system, making it all feel snappy and responsive, but it simply feels barren and workmanlike to use when pitted against the gorgeous menus of the Desire.

Whilst the screen is the same, the accoutrements that adorn it and aid navigation are a darn sight better on the HTC Desire. Definitely a contentious one, but we think it takes this round back from the Google-branded Nexus One.

Winner: HTC Desire

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Camera:

Another photo finish. The camera on both devices is a 5-megapixel affair, with autofocus, an LED flash and digital zoom. The Desire seems to streak ahead when it comes to video capture, offering a solid 30 frames per second at D1 quality. The Nexus One only has D1 recording at a minimum of 20 frames per second – how embarrassing!

Yeah, the camera is pretty much identical. Both are great, and more than functional as a smartphone add-0n.

Winner: Draw

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Battery:

The battery may have a longer stand-by time on the Desire (340 vs. 290 hours), but the Nexus One streaks ahead in terms of talk time, boasting a massive 10 hours on 2G versus 6 hours and 40 minutes on the HTC device. Juice in the tank, or power on the move? The choice is there…

Winner: Draw

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Memory:

Another sly tweak under the hood for the Desire here, as HTC cranks up their own device with an extra few MB of RAM – 572MB against the Nexus One’s 512MB.

This may not sound like a lot, but the extra few megabytes count when running multiple applications, loading software or simply keeping navigation silky smooth.

The HTC Desire does scrimp when it comes to storage however, coming out of the box with mere microSD card support for up to 32GB whilst Google are generous enough to spring for a 4GB card.

With 8GB cards doing the rounds for less than £20, it’s easy for the Desire to speed up and overtake the Nexus One’s memory banks.

Winner: HTC Desire

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Connectivity:

Whilst the Android powerhouses are neck and neck when it comes to the essentials – GPS, Wi-Fi, 3G and the like – the Desire is a great device when it comes to keeping in touch.

Social media widgets form a large part of HTC Sense, with ‘Peep’ giving users a handle on the Twitterverse, whilst Footprints enables geo-tagging for images and FriendStream presents a thread of recent status updates from Facebook, MySpace and others. The Nexus One uses the impressive selection of wares that Android has to offer, whilst the Desire does all that and more.

When it comes to browsing, the Google Nexus One has a great display but the Desire trumps it once again by offering support for graphically intensive sites running Adobe Flash.

Whilst Flash sites have varying degrees of functionality on the Desire, it is one of the very few phones available that can run it at all…

Winner: HTC Desire

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Media:

Beginning to sound like a broken record, but HTC have really tarted up the Desire to be an attractive Nexus One alternative! Dolby Mobile enhancement support makes for a richer audio experience on the HTC phone, and the addition of a stereo FM radio complete with RDS leaves the Nexus One with just static…

The Nexus One cuts through that chatter with active noise cancellation – a great addition both in terms of connectivity as well as media – and that 4GB of included memory comes in handy when taking tunes on the road.

Both have the Android Market to download applications from as well as the wonder of streaming music (thanks to Spotify), and as such media support proves another tight round for the Google-powered duo…but ultimately the Desire wins thanks to the FM radio and support for a few of the more obscure video formats.

Winner: HTC Desire

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Verdict:

Not really the fairest of fights when one manufacturer makes both phones… HTC gave the search giant what they wanted in the Nexus One – a market leading Android device that would showcase the best that the platform could offer.

Problem is, they just went ahead and made a phone of their own that was a little bit better. The Desire matches the Nexus One almost exactly in terms of raw hardware, and then proceeds to excel past the Google smartphone in every department. HTC Sense is just the beautiful and intuitive icing on a delicious smartphone cake…leaving the Nexus One powerful on paper but relatively soulless.

The Taiwanese manufacturer has managed to become a great company in their own right, coming out from under the shadow of their former clients to create game changing devices such as the HTC Touch Diamond.

It is little wonder that HTC are in the sights of Apple’s lawyers, with them producing phones as good as the Desire they have every chance of taking a shot at the iPhone’s dominant position…

HTC Tattoo To Get Android 2.1 Eclair Update!

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (1387)

Great news to those who thought that the more affordable Android phones might become casualties in the Google phone revolution, the HTC Tattoo has been confirmed to be receiving an update to the latest 2.1 build of the search giant’s mobile platform.

The ‘gateway’ Android smartphone, HTC’s Tattoo is a bargain blower with a nice line in customisation both inside and out, but we feared that the internal gubbins might not be up to the task of running the newest build of Android, a fate that has since befallen the pioneering T-Mobile G1…

A refinement of the big ‘2.0′ update that saw sweeping changes for the operating system from browser fixes to camera improvements, Android 2.1 really makes new Google-powered smartphones such as the HTC Legend and their own Nexus One sing with support for the latest applications like Gesture Search and Google Earth, and will be a great weapon for cheaper web-aware devices to keep up with the mobile elite.

A date for the Tattoo to get the update is unconfirmed, but we assume ’soon’ means…soon.

Check out what we thought of the Little Android Phone That Could in our HTC Tattoo review.

Source: Frandroid via GSMArena

Google Nexus One on Vodafone: Registration Starts Today

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (1387)

Good news for those wanting their official UK Google phone fix, Vodafone has finally opened up their site for consumers to register interest in the Nexus One.

Previously only available as a SIM-free device from Google themselves, Vodafone’s registration for the Nexus One on their ‘coming soon’ page marks a move into pay monthly for the search giant’s debut in the mobile market.

The Vodafone site wants you to be pretty forthcoming with your details however, requiring a mobile number, current mobile provider, whether you are currently on contract or prepay and even the date your contract runs out! Looking to snap up some new customers at any opportunity, eh Voda?

It is also important to note that these are not pre-orders for the device – pricing and a release more concrete than April has yet to be revealed – but it shows that the march of the Android phones is continuing unabated.

The Nexus One is the next stage in the evolution of Android, an imposing device sporting the new 2.1 build of the operating system, a 5 megapixel camera, 3.7″ capacitive touchscreen and touch-sensitive controls.

The actual method of purchasing the Nexus One from Vodafone stores is still unclear however, we got word earlier that they won’t be stocking the device in stores, but rather giving you a SIM and then showing you where to go and buy one. Which is from Google.

Can’t be bothered to wait? Then the cosmetically (and karmically) close HTC Desire is also due to our shores very soon…check out our comparison of the latest HTC Desire deals ahead of its April 1st release!

HTC Legend Review Impressions: Android’s Poster Child

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (1387)

Well, we’ve had HTC’s new metal marvel in our hands for a couple of days now, so we thought we’d sum up our time spent so far with the Android-powered HTC Legend.

In short…wow. We’ve never had so much interest and sheer excitement surround any other handset that has graced Omio Towers, and the response to the Legend’s gorgeous aluminium chassis, Sense UI and speedy processor has been overwhelmingly positive judging by the constant steam of inquisitive colleagues visiting our desk.

Let’s break it down a little to see what the fuss is about, shall we?

Form factor

From the moment the Legend landed on our doorstep, the first thing we remarked upon taking it out of the package was just how luxurious it looked. Amidst a flock of recent devices that have found difficulty in justifying their smartphone price tag - the X6, for example – the angular design, heft and sheer quality of workmanship in the HTC Legend was a real sight to behold.

Hewn from a single piece of aluminium, the Legend truly evokes the same sense of quality and luxury the original iPhone held over the competition, mirroring Apple’s iconic device with a metallic body merging alongside dark plastic accents for all of the connectivity gubbins to lay in.

The form factor deviates little from the HTC Hero’s striking profile, with a ‘chin’ causing the bottom of the device to jut out at a slight angle.

Slightly less pronounced that the jawline of its forebear, the practicality of the chin is to offer the optical trackpad (another upgrade on the Hero, which sported a trackball) and four physical keys a better angle of use whilst viewing the Legend’s beautiful touch display…

Cosmetically similar but poles apart from the Hero in its construction, the sturdy HTC Legend draws looks from technophiles and fashionistas in equal measure as another bold design decision from the Taiwanese phone maker is pulled off with aplomb.

Features

All this attention and we haven’t even turned it on! Well, the Legend has a screen lock key in exactly the same position as the iPhone, nestling at the top of the device yet eluding the many people (ourselves included!) that took it for a spin…

A single press and the Legend’s rich 3.2-inch AMOLED display sparks into life, presenting a bright and vivid lock screen that is still unmistakably Android with the familiar taskbar at it’s height.

A brisk downward swipe reveals the latest iteration of HTC’s ‘Sense’ user interface, an overlay that cut it’s teeth on Windows Mobile and has since blossomed into a mobile experience on a myriad of platforms.

The large clock dominates the screen’s real estate, whilst the visually arresting weather app cycles through its ever-entertaining animation to reflect conditions outside. An flurry of virtual leaves skitter across the screen, drawing coos of excitement from slightly jealous iPhone owners at a home screen with a tad more dynamism…

HTC’s makeover extends across the multiple homescreens that Android offers, each now home to a unique widget that offers easy access to e-mail, bookmarks, messaging and the now obligatory thread of updates from your favourite social networking sites (here dubbed ‘FriendStream’).

The menus and widgets are useful and visually appealing in equal measure, are completely customisable and also lots quicker to flit between than on the Hero, thanks to a 600Mhz processor under the bonnet and the latest version of Android behind the wheel.

A colleague who almost immediately dismissed the previous Android phone to grace our doors – the Motorola Milestone – as sluggish and uninspired was duly amazed at the agile Legend, multitasking between programs without a break in pace and loading up web pages – Flash and all – with little trouble.

Indeed, the slick user interface does become part of the furniture after a while, you almost forget how impressive the Legend is at keeping up with tapping out a draft e-mail, browsing  the web in another tab and checking recent tweets, all whilst streaming music from Spotify in the background barely freezing up for a second.

That being said, the various widgets do often need a little kick to remind them to refresh and update every so often, whilst a few of the them do have a bit of an over-reliance on the Android ‘menu’ key to bring up functionality that could have easily been on the standard layout, but these are quite minor gripes here…

Another impressive demonstration of the Legend (and Sense UI, for that matter) is the ‘leap’ or ‘helicopter’ view – a quick pinch from any screen immediately zooming out to show all seven homescreens at a glance, and allowing you to jump to another location on the device at a moment’s notice. A great touch.

The Sense user interface is chock full of those great touches, the little things that you wish other manufacturers would think of offering as standard, but usually reserved for the really expensive ones.

Reducing the ringer when the phone is picked up, easy access to favourite contacts, the vastly different custom themes for work, play, and travel, automatic FM radio station scanning upon first boot, a 3.5mm audio jack that is happy to receive all comers and a micro USB slot for charging…it’s all the little touches that have a cumulative positive effect and make us like the Legend a heck of a lot!

Connectivity

Straight out of the gate Android sees you right with Google Maps, Gmail and a great suite of calling and threaded messaging functionality. What we didn’t expect was the leaps and bounds taken in the Android browser. It works quickly and easily, the virtual keyboard well spaced for typing in URLs and boasting support for Flash 10.1, but with some sites definitely looking better than others.

Heavy.com was fairly hard work for the Legend, whilst Flash gaming havens like Newgrounds proved a stumbling block. However, the impressive way that text based sites are automagically reformatted to fit within the width of the screen was nothing short of wonderful.

The browser almost removes the necessity to go landscape by sorting the text from any site into a neat single column of readable text.

No scrolling left to right to scan each sentence, just a great bit of intuitive re-arranging by the browser does all the hard work. It often makes for a more comfy reading experience than the iPhone for text-heavy sites, loading quicker over both wi-fi and 3G in many instances.

The calling and messaging stuff is probably where HTC have tinkered the least, offering a bespoke Twitter client in HTC Peep, but leaving the calls and threaded messaging largely up to Android 2.1. Hey, if it ain’t broke…

The Android Market is still only as good as the apps allow it to be, but is starting to fill out with some decent stuff as Google now point users in the right direction a little better with easier search functionality and a better organised layout.

The Legend’s internal memory is a meagre 100MB but can be beefed by microSD cards of up to 16GB, a bit of a necessity as the 5-megapixel snapper won’t even take a photo unless there’s a bit of extra memory onboard!

Thankfully, the camera is worth the effort as it sports a handy flash and is a decent enough replacement for the average digital, although not quite a dedicated SLR.

The Legend’s battery life as to be expected from an always-on device of this nature, we’re getting a day’s worth of use but are absolutely thrashing it, to be honest. Wi-fi, Spotify, Flash-heavy web browsing, nosy individuals flicking and poking at it almost constantly…it’s certainly getting a proper workout and yet has 20% or so left at the end of a day.

Early verdict

There’s still a bit of stress testing with one or two things before a full review, but we are way past kicking the tyres and having a look around this beast, and we think it’s amazing.

The Legend’s stunning looks will have the masses flocking to an Android device like never before, whilst the Sense user interface will keep them interested.

HTC have managed to make a phone that encapsulates that sexiness, that reassuringly expensive smartphone feel that has been sorely lacking from iPhone contenders – and pretenders – since the release of the 3GS.

It’s not a million miles away from the HTC Hero, I guess the Legend is more of a refinement of existing technology in the same way that luxury modders Brabus take a Mercedes sports car and give it an extra level of desirability – and oomph – for the elite few.

In this case, those elite few are the lucky Vodafone customers that will be able to snap the HTC Legend up come April, as this metallic masterpiece is a network exclusive.

Judging by how much we’ve enjoyed this phone so far, there’ll be a long waiting list…

Jump the queue by signing up for HTC Legend deals alerts, we’ll let you know as soon as it becomes available!

New Samsung Shark 2 – S5550 Slider – Deals Now In!

By Jon RustcloseAuthor: Jon Rust Name: Jon Rust
Email: jonathan.rust@trafficbroker.co.uk
Site: http://www.omio.com
About: See Authors Posts (82)

Samsung first mentioned their new Shark range of sleek, yet affordable handsets way back in January. Now, we are pleased to announce the first Samsung Shark deals at Omio.com.

Well, not for all the Shark phones just yet, but you can pick up the better of the two slider phones in the series, the Samsung Shark 2 5550, for just £25 per month with Unlimited internet, 600 Anytime Cross Network minutes, 500 texts.

If that isn’t enough to tempt you, BuyMobilePhones.net is also throwing in a wheelbarrow of free gifts to sweeten the deal.

The Samsung Shark range is designed to bring advanced social networking functions to the entry-level market, without compromising on the stlye or durability of the handset.

Each Shark handset has widgets that let you access Facebook, Myspace, Bebo and other social networks via your homescreen.

The Samsung Communities app then makes a doddle of both uploading to and viewing from Flickr, Photobucket and YouTube.

Like the sound of that? Then check out Samsung S5550 Shark deals at Omio.com!

HTC Legend Hands-On: Photo Gallery

By Jon RustcloseAuthor: Jon Rust Name: Jon Rust
Email: jonathan.rust@trafficbroker.co.uk
Site: http://www.omio.com
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Ok, so the HTC Desire might be top of the Taiwanese manufacturer’s spec-sheet, but it’s the HTC Legend that’s had the top spot on our wishlist ever since we first saw it at last month’s Mobile World Congress.

Essentially, the HTC Legend is this year’s reboot of their Android-powered Hero. It’s still got the handy little kink at the bottom, but this time it comes with a super-bright AMOLED screen, a super slick optical trackpad and is encased in a one-piece aluminium shell.

Still yet to be convinced? Then take a look at our photo gallery (click each pic for a closer look):

Like what you see? Expect to see our impressions of the phone as the week goes on, topped off with an in-depth review!

Not long to wait… HTC Legend deals are available in the UK from next month.

UPDATE: HTC Desire Pay Monthly Pricing Revealed

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (1387)

Palm Pre To Get iPhone Apps, Ports Possible ‘In A Matter Of Days’?

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (1387)

The Palm Pre may not have set the world alight quite as we had expected, but it has gone from strength to strength both as a versatile smartphone and an enterainment device, thanks in large part to the refreshing touch interface and the myriad titles available on the App Catalog.

Palm are hoping to take this to the next level, presenting a new software kit at this year’s Game Developer’s Conference that makes it even easier for programmers to make graphically intensive games and applications, as well as porting content from the iPhone and getting it to work on the Pre with minimal effort.

The Palm Development Kit is said to be so friendly with Apple’s applications that they “can be ported over in a matter of days…and they don’t really suffer any degradation in performance,” according to John Paczkowski of All Things Digital.

This goes some way to explaining why the virtual shelves of Palm’s App Catalog are filled with wares from big names like Glu, Gameloft and EA Mobile (the lattermost currently giving away their biggest games to demonstrate the Pre’s new-found gaming prowess), whilst Android phones are coming up short when it comes to digital distractions.

The ease of porting these titles means extra money for publishers with minimal added development time and resource spend, and a profusion of third party applications coming to the Pre would hardly be a bad thing.

Following from this logic, why stop at games? If Palm’s software is as snazzy as they claim, then we may see all manner of applications make the O2-exclusive handset even more appealing to those not willing to opt for Apple’s iconic device.

Considering that an App Store equivalent was found wanting in both quality and quantity upon the Palm Pre’s release, this concerted ramp up in the offerings to be found on the device is certainly an appealing development, as is Palm’s pro active nature in giving developers the tools to make it happen.

Let’s just hope Palm don’t stray too far into lawyer-baiting territory once again, you know how Apple gets…

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 To Get Android 2.2 Upgrade?

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (1387)

With excitement mounting over the latest range of Sony Ericsson Android phones, word has it that they may be leapfrogging the Eclair build of Google’s operating system and chomping into Android 2.2 in the second half of the year.

The Asian launch of the Android trio of the XPERIA X10, X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro was the scene where the manufacturer confirmed to crave that these handsets will be getting a boost from their current customised 1.6 build of Android, and that it “will be an Eclair variant, so it could be 2.1 or even 2.2″, according to a rather overzealous spokesperson.

Great news that the X10 gang will be getting futureproofed in due course, but without a timeline of when that might be, Sony Ericsson’s hardcore refurbishment of the Android user interface could result in these handsets constantly playing catch up amongst the smartphone elite…

Omio Review: Comes With Music Service on Nokia X6

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (1387)

With Nokia’s premier music phone starting to spin the decks on many of the major networks, we thought this a perfect time to cover exactly what makes the Nokia X6 32GB worth the extra readies – the Comes With Music download service.

Comes With Music and Nokia’s Ovi Player are set to take on iTunes with an interesting alternative method of musical distribution – simply giving it away to paid-up subscribers. Read on to see whether the Finnish phone maker’s innovative offering is music to our ears…

Comes With Music

The premise is beautiful in its simplicity. Buy a ‘Comes With Music’ device, be it the iPod-bothering Nokia 5800 Xpressmusic or the top-flight X6, and get unlimited access to over 6 million songs…for a certain length of time.

For the duration of the licence purchased (anything from 12 to 24 months), users can simply log in to the iTunes-aping Nokia Music Store and download to their heart’s content.

However, all the songs downloaded are DRM-ed to the hilt, meaning only one PC (no Mac support, sorry!) and one Comes With Music phone can be supported at a time, as well as a discernible inability to transfer any music to a particular iDevice…

Once the subscription is over, the complete collection of tunes can be kept and are free to be listened to indefinitely.

Subscribers are free to peruse and purloin absolutely everything from the Store’s ample virtual shelves, from the latest albums from popstrels like Ellie Goulding to some of the biggest stars in the history of music, from Michael Jackson to Johnny Cash.

Strong distribution deals with all the biggest labels mean there are few gaps in the Store, with most music tastes amply catered for.

With at least a year to pick and choose music, there’s plenty of opportunity to build out a handsome collection of digital anthems before it expires.

However, extending a subscription isn’t a matter of buying a gift card and getting back in the game, rather customers are required to buy another Comes With Music device and port their existing account and library across, otherwise the Store reverts to a iTunes clone complete with per-track billing.

Nokia Music Store

Now, being a iTunes clone is hardly a bad thing, with the Music Store’s simple and clean layout enabling quick and easy navigation.

The home screen showcases the latest albums dynamically with a huge tabbed menu, whilst album art is emblazoned across each page, proving inviting to the casual clicker.

From the home screen the sidebar enables the current top 40 albums and singles can be scoured with ease, as well as the latest releases (the new Gorillaz album was day and date with availability in stores) and the chance to ‘rediscover’ the cream of artists from yesteryear.

Genres are also exhaustively listed along the sidebar, and the choice of a 30-second sampler or downloading the track is a simple matter of clicking the prominently placed orange buttons beside each song title.

Downloading a track produces a discreet progress section to appear at the bottom of the Music Store, showing each song as it is transferred to the PC at blazing fast speeds.

Between 20 and 30 seconds per track resulted in full albums being downloaded in less than 5 minutes, the Store is really fast, and great for those who become addicted to the all-you-can-eat nature of Comes With Music.

The software is also a fully fledged music player, with altogether familiar playback buttons nestled at the top of the interface.

Comes With Music on the Nokia X6

The experience of Comes With Music on Nokia’s flagship music phone is markedly different – shorn of the real estate offered by a PC screen, the process is somewhat less elegant but still straightforward, working a treat for getting music on the move.

The mobile version of Nokia Music has a similar layout, showcasing new artists and and the latest tracks, albeit with a significantly smaller selection on display and tiny thumbnails illustrating each artist and album.

Pared down to the essential features, the menu now has navigation and search buttons at the top of the screen, with three buttons at the bottom leading to a barebones main menu, account settings and download progress respectively. Not pretty, but decidedly functional.

The large green button takes you to a list of tracks, each of which have to be clicked on and downloaded individually to the phone.

A little frustrating when attempting to get a 12-plus track album, particularly as the X6 tends to get into a tizz, stuttering a lot when the songs mount up.

Downloads are pretty swift, and look familiar to anyone used to queuing up applications from the Ovi Store. The progress bar at the bottom depicts download progress, and can be performed in the background by pressing the ‘hide’ button.

However, we found that attempting to perform any other functions whilst tracks were being downloaded often caused a huge strain on the device, causing it to hang on menus and crash on at least one occasion.

We advise patience for the 20-odd seconds it takes to download a track (on wi-fi, expect considerably longer over 3G), and the X6 will be grateful for it.

Once downloaded, however, the Store transitions seamlessly into the X6’s media player, each song appearing with correct labels and (sometimes pixellated) album art.

The Store does not use MP3s but rather the WMA format for its output, but the bitrate quality of the audio is impressive, tracks sounding more than good enough to blast out of the X6’s speakerphone.

Playing a track is preceeded by a couple of seconds where the X6 verifies the DRM as present and correct, then it gets to the business of media playback, which is identical to the device playing music sourced from iTunes or any other location.

Moving music between the PC client and the handset is quick and painless for those unwilling to traverse Comes With Music on the X6’s smaller screen, and editing names and images is a cinch to boot.

Summary

All in all, the Comes With music service is an entirely impressive solution to the issue of legal downloading, a relatively liberating where any song from almost any artist can be accessed in seconds, and transferred to a mobile in moments.

The DRM is a necessary evil, giving users the keys to the candy store has to come with caveats, and locking the music to just a single PC and phone is constricting but understandable. It rarely gets in the way…as long as you are adhering with the rules.

The premise of Comes Wth Music is brilliant, and the extra cost is negligible in comparison to the amount of tunes on offer.

The freedom to sample new artists, dabble in foreign genres or simply let yourself be inspired by Nokia Music’s intelligent suggestions make the service a brilliant alternative to the nickel-and-dime nature of current digital download outlets.

The torrent (if you’ll excuse the pun) of legal tunes the Comes With Music service flows into Nokia phones it a perfect aural accompaniment to an entry-level Xpressmusic device, but we think it may just push the high-end Nokia X6 into prohibitively expensive territory.

A great source of music – both as a player on a home computer and as a place to purchase new content – Nokia needs to relax the security restrictions, iron out the glitches and simply allow more subscribers for Comes With Music to become a legitimate iTunes alternative for the millions of X-series phone owners around the globe.

It’s that good.