Samsung Galaxy S I9000 & HTC EVO 4G

2. Samsung Galaxy S I9000: An hour before HTC launched the EVO 4G, we featured the Samsung Galaxy S I9000 as the ‘HTC HD2 with Android that everyone has been waiting for’. Indeed, the handset is an amazing piece of machinery and Samsung’s customized version of Android 2.1 promises to further the functionality of this baby manifold. The addition of Swype for all messaging will make typing on the 4-inch Super AMOLED screen (480×800 pixels) a much more pleasurable experience than any other touchscreen phone. Check out our report on the Samsung Galaxy S here.

1. HTC EVO 4G: The most feature-rich and hardware-heavy Android phone in the near future is the HTC EVO 4G, brought out in collaboration with US mobile carrier Sprint. Packing a large 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen (480×800 pixels) and powered by the 1GHz Snapdragon processor, Gizmodo reckons that this is “the best Android phone out there. It may even be the best phone, period. Its combination of speed, size, and power mean that everyone else is officially playing catch-up.” The icing on top? It can use 4G WiMAX networks for higher Internet speeds, comes with an 8-megapixel camera and offers a mini-HDMI port! The HTC EVO 4G promises to convert those who don’t believe in love at first sight. Read our coverage of the EVO 4G

GPS-oriented Nuvifone phones

The Garmin-Asus series of GPS-oriented Nuvifone phones has been received with mixed reactions so far. While the GPS part of the device is unquestionably awesome, the ‘phone’ part hasn’t quite lived up to the mark. And at the high prices they sell for, it wasn’t a lucrative proposition for most Indian users.

Now, the company has introduced a new phone that’s a bit more affordable while providing all the same GPS features as its bigger brothers. The new Nuvifone M10 has a 3.5-inch resistive touchscreen (65K colours, 480×800 pixels resolution) and runs on the new Windows Mobile 6.5.3 operating system – the only phone in India to come preloaded with this latest version, according to Garmin-Asus.

Other features of the phone include a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus (but no flash), 4GB of internal flash memory (expandable via microSD), Pocket Office, push email, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with A2DP and, of course, GPS with A-GPS.

Recognizing that location is relevant to every aspect of every day, the Garmin-Asus M10 is designed with location information at its core and it delivers the most advanced location experience on a Windows phone. Navigation functions – available in both Hindi and English – are linked to frequently used applications such as calendar, contacts, email, internet browser, and messaging; making anexceptionally intuitive and smooth navigation experience. All of the maps come pre-loaded on the phone’s internal memory.

The M10 also has highway mode that tells drivers the next three upcoming street exits so they can plan ahead. The device is ready for automotive navigation out-of-the-box, and it includes everything a customer needs to use the device in a car, including a powered cradle and windshield mount

The Garmin-Asus Nuvifone M10 is available in India at Rs. 19,990.