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Fido Sony Ericsson Naite Video Review

Ian Hardy — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 11:50:17 +0000

Sometime over the past few months Fido has become the “green” carrier of Canada. They have the most amount of devices that are eco-friendly: Motorola Renew, Motorola Renew+ and now the Sony Ericsson Naite.

When you look at the Naite it looks like any other Sony Ericsson device in design. So you can see that a great deal of thought went into creating this product to ensure the style was not compromised when making it green. The Naite is made from 70% recycled consumer plastics with the overall dimensions of 108.0 x 47.0 x 12.6 mm. So the length is a couple inches short of a standard gift card. When it comes to the weigh, the Naite is a measly 84 grams and you barely feel it in your hand, let alone your pocket.

The screen size is tiny at 2.2 inches (resolution of 240×320), but gets the job done. You have options to change the brightness settings and save your battery life – which makes the device even more green. Around the Naite you’ll see on the right hand side the volume rocker but missing is a 3.5mm headset jack. So to listen to your music (and charge the device) you’ll have to plug in the proprietary cable they provide. For the size of the Naite the keypad is actually nicely spaced out and you won’t have much trouble getting used to typing your text messages/e-mails. We did notice that the back light is a bit faded around the “s” so at night or in dark places it could be a challenge to see the letter. Nothing to be concerned about though.

You have all the standard features of a phone, such as contacts, calendar and phones. The call quality was good – people could hear us and we could hear others clearly. The Naite also has quick access to Facebook and Twitter, plus when you check out the video you’ll see they have also included in the applications feature tips on how to be green.

When it comes to other features, the 2 megapixel camera is probably the only thing I would improve on. The picture quality is good for taking quick pics and sending to your friends, but printing them will only come up pixelated. The Naite can take video and the quality again was a bit pixelated, but the sound quality rocked during the video test. This device also comes with an FM radio and video calling capabilities with it’s front facing camera. For the web experience it was as expected, no full HTML browser or WiFi but incredibly fast compared previous devices we’ve tested. Surfing the web is easy and viewing can only be done portrait view so the 2.2 inch display might take some getting used to. We checked out YouTube and streamed a video and found the video came up quickly, pixelated and the sound quality at full blast was muffled. Once I took it down a level it was perfectly clear. Realistically you’ll be listening to your music with your headphones. The Baite can also hold up to 8GB with a microSD card.

Again, I would have never picked Fido to be the green carrier but they’re doing a bang up job. The Naite can be yours for $25 on a 2-year contract or $150 no contract. You can check out the full review here

BlackBerry Curve 8520 officially available at Fido

Kate O'Brien — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:57:58 +0000

Fido has officially released the BlackBerry Curve 8520, this can be yours on the following price plans:
3-year contract with Voice and Data $50
2-year contract with Voice: $350
No-contract: $400

The Curve 8520 is a long-awaited new BlackBerry addition to the Fido lineup and comes with the new trackpad and a full QWERTY keyboard, HTML browser with WiFi, a 3.2-inch display (resolution of 320 × 240), 256 MB of Internal Memory, can hold up to 16GB with a microSD card, dedicated media keys, BlackBerry Maps, Speakerphone, IM, Bluetooth, 2.0 megapixel camera with 5X digital zoom and video capabilities. The overall dimensions are 109 x 60 x 13.9 mm with a total weight of 105 grams.

More here at Fido

Fido officially launches Sony Ericsson T715a

Kate O'Brien — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:21:27 +0000

Fido has released the Sony Ericsson T715a. This can be yours for $50 on a 2-year contract or $200 with no contract or Prepaid.

The T715a is a slider with dimensions of 91.5 x 48 x 14.9 mm and weights in at 96.5 grams. The screen size is 2.2 inches with a resolution of 240 x 320 (QVGA) and has a 3.2 megapixel camera with video camera capabilities, Facebook app, Geo tagging of photos, Google Maps, SMS, MMS, Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, IM, MP3 player, Bluetooth and Handsfree speakerphone.

More here at Fido

Rogers Apple iPhone 3GS Video Review

Ian Hardy — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:44:34 +0000

Over the past few days the new Apple iPhone 3G S has been strapped to my hand. This new faster model is making it even more fun to have around. The 3G S version has a 600 MHz processor that puts the previous models to sleep. In addition, it comes with 256MB of RAM.

There is nothing truly different about the overall design of the iPhone, just faster and comes with more features. Comes in black and white and 16 GB or 32 GB models. This weighs a bit more and comes in at 135 grams, previous models weighed only 133 grams. This has a 3.5 inch display with a resolution of 480 x 320.

During this review we chose not to go into great detail of the entire iPhone, but only the key additions to the 3.0 operating system, such as the Voice Memo, Camera (auto-focus) and Video features (editing), compass, Cut Copy & Paste and Search.

What I really love about the iPhone is how incredibly easy it is to use. It has honestly been dumbed so far down any young child, even at the ripe age of 2 can pick this up and start using it.

Check out the review here:

Fido Sony Ericsson T303 Review

Ian Hardy — Wed, 27 May 2009 05:57:33 +0000

The Sony Ericsson T303 is one of the smallest and lightest phones out there. If you’re looking for a basic device that can do just a little bit more this is one to consider. The price is certainly right at $15 on a 2-year contract, or, $100 outright through Fido.

Honestly, this has all the basics you need and from what we hear this is selling well at Fido. This slider only weighs a mere 93 grams and when closed is smaller than a credit card. When you slide the device up you’ll notice the keypad, this lights up in blue and is a bit crammed in simply due to its size. Overall dimension of the T303 are 83 x47 x 14.7.

With this device there is nothing really screaming that stands out. The screen is 1.8 inches (resolution of 128 x 160) and comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera with 4x zoom, FM radio, Bluetooth compatible and has only 8GB of memory… no place to expand this. Check out the review here:

Fido Samsung f266 Video Review

John Connors — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 17:20:43 +0000

For an entry level slider phone, I’m really impressed with the new Fido Samsung f266. Apart from your standard phone features such as contacts, calendar, to-do list, calculator…this is a great phone that can do more than your basic needs. I mean for 25 bucks on a 2-year contract, or outright for $150 it is tough to go wrong. (I actually thought the price should have been $99 outright)

The design I was impressed with – has a nice chrome/silver shine to it… and it’s lightweight at only 99 grams. You can even call this “moderately” classy. The keypad is revealed when you slide the phone up. The numbers and letters are well spaced out so you won’t have much frustration when dialing or typing a text message. The f266 also has dedicated keys for your music player and menu items.

For the price, it comes with an impressive 2 megapixel camera that can take video. Also, you can load up to 8GB for extra memory for any music/games/pics.

A couple items that need improvement though:
1. You should always make sure the phone is locked when you put it in your pocket. Where the Internet button is located makes it easy for an accidental unwanted surfing and can possibly rack up your data charges.
2. The speakers are not the best, acceptable… but need a little bit of work.

Otherwise, for the $25 this is great phone:

Fido redesigns brand with friendly “in-your-face” yellow

Kate O'Brien — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:27:21 +0000

It’s just before 5:00am on Tuesday and we thought we shall take a look at Fido and see how the new brand is coming along. They’ve been updating the site for the past couple hours and this is the second time this year that they’ve experienced a full redesign… but now they have a brand new spanking logo with a bright yellow colour to keep us awake and alert. The website still looks to be a work in progress as some of the phones are missing and plans are not listed yet.

We hear the plans will include the following: $15/month plan gets you 50 minutes, 50 text messages in Canada. $20/month plan gets you 50 minutes, 50 text messages in Canada, unlimited evening & weekends. $25/month plan gets you 100 minutes, unlimited text messages in Canada, unlimited evening & weekends. $35/month plan gets you 250 minutes, unlimited text messages in Canada, unlimited evening & weekends. $50/month plan gets you 600 minutes, unlimited text messages in Canada, unlimited evening & weekends. $70/month plan gets you 2000 minutes, unlimited text messages in Canada, unlimited evening & weekends. **overage rate: $0.35/minute, *billed by the second, *$10/month unlimited incoming calls
*existing plans will be grandfathered, *no System Access Fee (SAF), *no 911 fee

8:00 now and the the official press release just went out and can be found here. Fido aims to give wireless customers ‘low prices a good home….a suite of high-value low-price plans and an exclusive customer ‘owner’s guarantee’. The new Fido brings more simplicity and predictability to Canadians’ monthly wireless costs while offering low prices, market-leading customer care, and preferred capabilities for consumers to master their wireless destiny. Fido’s exclusive ‘owner’s guarantee’ provides wireless customers the services they want to control their monthly wireless bills. This includes low prices, usage alerts, easy price plan switching, and the choice to have no term contract, along with the industry-leading benefits of FidoRewards.”

Hover above the images below and see how the step-by-step process of the brand in re-design mode:

iPhone, Instinct, Bold showdown (Part 1)

John Connors — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:50:57 +0000

The past couple months have been monumental for the Canadian mobile industry. Not only have we finished a massive wireless auction that generated over $4.25 billion, we have seen great devices come our way such as the “finally arrived in Canada” Apple iPhone, the “iPhone Killer” Samsung Instinct and RIM’s much improved “upscale” BlackBerry Bold.

Part 1 of our iPhone-Instinct-Bold showdown we took a few minutes to compare all these holy grail phones when it comes to price, size, screen size and clarity, music player, video and camera… Check it out here and leave your comments on which your favourite is:

Part 2 of our showdown will come coming up next with a look into connecting to the web via 3G.

Apple iPhone 3G Video Review

John Connors — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:58:54 +0000

We’ve been playing around with the Apple iPhone for a few days now and can honestly say we’re addicted. This touchscreen makes if so incredibly fun to play with and use. With its stylish looks, the iPhone comes loaded with a whack of applications and features: phone, contacts, text messaging, GPS powered by Google Maps, only a 2 megapixel camera (not possible to capture videos yet), watch YouTube videos, e-mail compatible with Microsoft Outlook, Calendar, Weather application, Stock ticker, 3G connectivity to the web that shows pages as it would on any computer, iPod… the list can go on as it now includes the Apple AppStore (where you can install anything from a set group of categories – either free or purchase).

Below is the first of many installments to our review. We called this Apple iPhone 3G: The Basics”:

Available in white and black exclusively at Rogers and Fido for $199 with several voice and data plans available to choose from.
Much more to come as the iPhone will continue to evolve.

Fido Sony Ericsson Z750i Video Review

John Connors — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:41:02 +0000

The Sony Ericsson Z750i is a basic flip phone that has a 2 megapixel camera, HSDPA capability and video calling and now available at Fido. The display is decent (2.2″) and the key pad is not crammed in so you will not have any challenges re-typing an e-mail, text messages or calling people. This phone it truly comes with a great media player for listening to your music and videos. The mirrored case makes the style of this phone unique – Some cool features are when you get calls or text messages the external display lights up.

The specs:
* Size: 97 x 49 x 20.1 mm
* Weight: 110 grams
* Talk time: up to 3.5 hours
* External screen size: 1.1” (128 x 36 pixels) OLED; Internal screen size: 2.2” (240 x 320 pixels)
* Instant Access Keys to: Music & Video Calling
* 2MP Camera with video recorder
* calendar, to-do list, notes, calculator, synchronization with PC
* Alarm clock
* Hands free speaker