first impressions

The JBL Nokia PowerUp speaker, much like the Lumia 920, is hard to find these days with supplies running low from many retailers. In fact, cyan and white versions of the pricey accessory are quite rare with black being a lot easier to purchase.

Ours just showed up today so we figured we would give you a quick unboxing and our initial thoughts on the experience. The JBL Nokia PowerUP packs two 10W  2.5” full range drivers, Qi wireless charging, NFC for instant pairing and of course Bluetooth 2.1 streaming all for $250-299, depending on where you go.

If you currently own a Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone you're probably considering the Lumia 920 as your next Windows Phone. But how do the two compare?

Sure, the Lumia 920 has NFC support, the Pureview camera and Windows Phone 8 but how do these two Windows Phones compare with regards to design?

Samsung is back in...white...with the Focus 2 on AT&T. What do I think of it after a few hours? Let's find out.

For many of us, the original Samsung Focus (review) was our first foray into the Windows Phone world. And truth be told, it was an excellent experience. With it's 4" Super AMOLED screen, slick design, light body and decent (for the time) camera, the Samsung Focus set the precedent. Recent numbers also reflect that status with upwards of 90% of AT&Ts first generation Windows Phone being the Focus.

Today, AT&T and Samsung have released the Focus 2, a moderate update to the original design (check out today's unboxing video). Eschewing glossy black for the new hip white, dropping in a faster 1.4GHz CPU and adding 4G LTE are the most notable changes. Adding a more rounded design with some updated sensors and cameras are the more under-the-hood type differences.

So how does it stack up in the first few hours I've been toying with it? For $50 on contract or $399 off, the Focus 2 is a nimble little guy that has certainly caught my attention.

The feel of the device is really good in the hands albeit a touch slippery. The roundness of the device, while slick, makes it a joy to hold and at 4" for the screen size, it's a more natural fit. The chrome accent adds a touch of class and while the device is very plastic, it doesn't feel cheap. The buttons have an interesting layout with the volume keys to the left, power and camera to the right. While odd, it does make it less confusing than the Lumia 900's where they are all lumped together on the same side. Travel of the keys is good and they're tactile with no rattle.

The Super AMOLED screen is really brilliant but obviously not as good as the Lumia 900's. Still, it holds its own and it's great to look at while not getting to grimy.

Audio quality is moderate with very little distortion when maxed out. It's a touch tinny but not by much.

The camera is surprisingly good even at 5MP, in fact forgetting the loss of resolution, it's as good if not better than the Nokia Lumia 900's. While it doesn't really contain any advanced settings e.g. no anti-shake or panorama, photos are well detailed and pleasing to the eye. We do however recommend turning up sharpness and contrast a smidge more to make the most of it.

Any extras worth reporting on? No, not really. There are the advanced GPS settings (GLONASS) and Samsung's "extra settings" present but other than that it has the same wallpapers as other Samsung Windows Phones and their regular cheesy ringtones.

Overall though, we're impressed and like the Focus 2 a ton. It feels great in the hand, is fun to use and makes a solid addition to AT&T's lineup. I'm going to have little problem adding it to my repertoire of Windows Phones.

Check after the break for a few more pics of the device and a couple camera samples (compared to the Lumia 900)...

The FedEx truck dropped of AT&T's latest Windows Phone from HTC earlier today. While Nokia's Lumia 900 is getting most of the spotlight, the HTC Titan II is quietly landing on AT&T's store shelves on April 8th and it makes a very impressive first impression.

Okay... here's the tell of the tape. The Titan II measures in at 5.2 x 2.7 x .50 inches and weighs only 5.18 ounces. The original Titan measures in at 5.14 x 2.78 x .39 and weighs 5.6 ounces. And for those curious, the Nokia Lumia 900 measures in at 5.03 x 2.7 x .45 inches and weighs 5.6 ounces. These three phones are extremely comparable in size, weight and feel.

The Titan II's 4.7" Super LCD looks great and is backed by a 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor.  You'll find 512mb of RAM and 16GB of storage under the hood. Speaking of the 4.7" screen, it has a unique shape in that as the face of the Titan II reaches the three front buttons, it curves out. Not really sure why it's designed this way but it gives the Titan II just enough contour to make it feel really good in the hand.

Unlike the Titan, the Titan II does not have a removable battery. There is a SIM card cover but no battery access. And where the Titan has a bare metal back, the Titan II has a rubbery finish on the back that gives the Windows Phone a little more gripability.

HTC has done a very good job at improving upon the design of the Titan with this new Windows Phone. The volume, camera and power buttons are textured to give them a better feel, the 3.5mm headphone jack isn't as recessed to give you a better connection, and the unibody design just works.

Oh... did I forget to mention the 16mp rear camera?  I'm really curious to see how the Titan II's camera performs.  The Titan II uses the same BSI Sensor that is found on the HTC Titan and Radar which helps handle low light situations a lot better.  My main curiosity is how well the small sensor handles the larger resolutions.

Titan II or Lumia 900? I've got both and based on fit and feel alone, it's a coin toss. Over the next few days I'll take the Titan II out for a test run and get a full review up on the site shortly. From there, we'll also take a look at both the Lumia 900 and Titan II side by side to give you a better idea how these two Windows Phones compare.

Stay tuned for there is definitely more to come.

The Nokia Lumia 710 is expected to hit T-Mobile's shelve on January 11, 2012 and will run just under $50 after contractual discounts . It will be the first Nokia Windows Phone for the U.S. Market and we've gotten our hands on one.

First impressions? The 710 is a very nice, compact Windows Phone. Feels solid in the hand and the screen looks great.

The Lumia 710 is slightly smaller than T-Mobile's other Windows Phone, the HTC Radar, separated by only tenths of an inch. The Lumia 710 has a 3.7" screen while the Radar sports a 3.8" screen.  The Lumia 710 is also very similar in size to the AT&T Samsung Focus Flash with the Flash being slightly smaller and lighter in size.

 

  Nokia Lumia 710 HTC Radar Samsung Focus Flash Size 4.69 x 2.46 x .49 4.7 x 2.4 x .43 4.57 x 2.31 x .27 Weight 4.4 ounces 4.83 ounces 4.1 ounces

The Lumia 710 is fitted with 512mb RAM, 8GB of storage, a 5mp camera, and 1300mah battery.  As with other second generation Windows Phones, the Lumia 710 comes across as a well built, solid phone but due to smaller storage space, the lack of a front facing camera and other specs it may not appeal to everyone.

We'll take the Lumia 710 out for a test drive over the next few days and get a full review up on the site shortly thereafter. If there's anything in particular you'd like us to look at, speak up in the comments.