Virgin Mobile Lobster 700 TV released :: Mobilna telefonija ~ Operateri ~ Servisiranje ~ Smartphone

Virgin Mobile Lobster 700
This page contains information and a review of the Lobster 700TV phone from UK operator Virgin Mobile. This phone is capable of viewing a number of TV services, as well as DAB digital radio.

Manufactured by HTC, this phone is powered by Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone edition, and is also known as the HTC Monet.
Key points:
TV services including BBC 1, ITV and E4, with content from Channel 4
DAB Digital Radio (up to 50 stations)
Electronic Programme Guide
1.3 Megapixel camera
Smartphone powered by Windows Mobile v5.0 software
Tri-band
Lobster 700 Spec
OS: Windows Mobile Version 5
Expansion: Micro SD storage cards
Display: 2.2 inch, 240 x 320 pixel colour screen (64,000 colours)
Memory: 64MB RAM / 128Meg ROM
Navigation: four-way navigator
Battery: Removable, rechargeable Lithium-ion (5 hours talk, 140 hours standby).
Processor: 201MHz Texas Instruments OMAP 750
Connectivity: GSM/GPRS, USB, Bluetooth
Dimensions: 112 x 58 x 24 mm

This phone is the first phone in the UK to offer digital TV and DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) radio services in such a small package, and is likely to be a hit with those looking to keep in touch on the move. As well as being a TV and radio phone, it's also a fully-featured smartphone, running the latest version of Windows Mobile v5.0 software.

Virgin Mobile Lobster 700 TV review

It's September 2006, and we finally have a Lobster 700TV in our hands. After a mere three hours of play-time, we're very impressed with this device. As a Windows Smartphone, it's powerful, responsive, and has a great screen. As a TV and radio device, we've been surprisingly impressed too.

In this section, we'll run through some of the key areas of functionality, and provide our take on what the phone has to offer.

Out of the box, the Lobster comes with a set of headphones (with an inline volume control), a power adapter, USB cable, battery, two CDs (ActiveSync/Outlook, and a PC drivers CD for the phone's modem), and a well-written 170 page manual.

Getting the phone up-and-running was pretty straightforward - insert the SIM and battery, charge it up (the book recommends 'overnight', but we couldn't wait that long), then switch on via the little button at the top.

TV and Radio

This is obviously the 'killer app' and major selling point for this phone, and the Lobster 700 does, indeed, do what it says on the tin. TV content is provided over-the-air using BT Movio (and not streamed over the Internet like some TV services). Here are a few screenshots:

At the moment, the BT Movio TV service includes live TV from BBC1, ITV1, E4, and a service callled C4 Shortcuts (bits and pieces from Channel 4)

As far as radio goes, depending on signal and where you are in the UK, you could receive up to 50 DAB digital radio stations. National services include the BBC radio stations, plus 1xtra, BBC 6, BBC7, BBC Five Live, BBC Asian Network and BBC World Service. A number of national commercial services are available including TalkSport, Virgin Radio, Planet Rock, Capital Life, Core, Classic FM and OneWord. There's also a number of local radio services on offer, which vary depending on where you are in the UK.

For more on DAB, see the Radio & Telly DAB page. There's also a little more information on the phone's TV and radio services here

Connectivity:

The Lobster 700TV phone supports Bluetooth for connection to PC, Bluetooth headsets, etc, and also supports PC connection via USB (mini-USB connector at the base). The phone doesn't support wi-fi or infrared.

The phone is bundled with Microsoft's Outlook 2002 and ActiveSync on the supplied CD. ActiveSync is used for PC connectivity - this supports file transfer, and sync of Contacts, Calendar, Tasks and Email with Microsoft Outlook. Windows Media Player can be used to sync music and video between PC and Lobster if required.

As far as data is concerned, the Lobster supports GPRS, so is great for sending and receiving emails, for web browsing, and for services like MSN Messenger and Hotmail - all of the required software is pre-loaded as part of Windows Mobile.

The Lobster 700 can also be used as a Data modem, to allow a laptop to connect via dialup or GPRS
Camera:

The Lobster 700 TV has a 1.3 Megapixel camera (no flash), up to 1280 x 1024 resolution, and the photos are pretty much what you'd expect from a mobile's camera. The camera app has a self-timer, 3x digital zoom, white balance and some effects (sepia, grayscale).

There's also a video recorder application (2 x digital zoom, white balance and effects). It can record video in M-JPEG, MPEG-4 or H.263 formats.

Applications:

As well as the TV and Radio application, the 700TV comes with the standard Microsoft applications, which include: Internet Explorer, Windows Media, Messaging, Calendar, Contacts, Voice notes, Picture/Video viewer, Tasks, Calculator, File Explorer, Pocket MSN Messenger / MSN Hotmail, SIM manager, and the camera / video application. There are two games: Bubble Breaker and Solitaire.

The CD contains the ClearVue software application, which allows viewing of office documents, such as Word, Excel and Powerpoint files, as well as PDF documents

Telephony:

This is a tri-band phone that supports GSM 900 / 1800 and 1900. The phone is powered by Windows Mobile v5 Smartphone Edition, so supports all that's needed to work as a powerful mobile phone, including speed dial, loudspeaker, call history, etc.

Online data connectivity is via GPRS. This is not a 3G handset.

Summary

In summary, we really like this phone - it's well-built, hi-spec, and the radio and TV is a crowd pleaser. The phone has a distinctive look about it - the bulge on the right is a little bit of a culture shock, but it's a comfy fit in the hand, and the phone is by no means a brick. Fast, good functionality, and reasonably priced. Hard to find a reason not to recommend it!
Pros: Good features, TV and DAB radio
Cons: Nothing yet. Some more TV content (over the four channels we have now) would be good