Casio Exilim C721

Casio has decided to combine the Exilim camera brand with its rugged handset philosophy, resulting in Casio Exilim C721, possibly the country's first high end megapixel camera phone built to be water and shock resistant. Indeed, the C721 has a 5.1 megapixel camera with plenty of features that rival that of standalone point and shoots. It even has a rotating display that fold out to act as a camera viewfinder. On top of that, it comes with a music player, EV-DO Rev.

A, and a HTML Web browser. If you want a high quality feature phone built to withstand the elements, Casio Exilim C721 is certainly the one to get. Still, the C721 won't be cheap it'll cost $279.99 with a two year service agreement and a $50 mail in rebate, which is pricier than most smartphones. Casio Exilim C721 does not look a thing like a ruggedized phone. Unlike its G'zOne brethren, Casio Exilim C721 has a sleek, smooth, and stylish exterior, which is more indicative of the Exilim brand.

You would never think that the Exilim C721 is military certified (under code MIL-STD 810F) to withstand immersion in water, blowing rain, shock, dust, vibration salt fog, humidity, solar radiation, and high altitudes. The chassis is a hard plastic shell, and the headset and microSD ports are protected with tight rubber seals. There's also a slide lock mechanism for the battery cover.

Though we didn't submit Casio Exilim C721 to the same battery of tests as the military, we did dunk it in water and throw it on the floor a few times to test its durability. It kept on working without a problem. We even managed to take a couple of photos with the camera while it was still in a tank of water. Measuring 4.06 inches long by 1.97 inches wide by 0.77 inch thick and weighing 4.76 ounces, Casio Exilim C721 is wide yet slim, and has a nice solid heft in the hand.

The entire front surface of Casio Exilim C721 is clad in glossy black save for the Verizon logo at the bottom. However, if you activate the phone, you will see a monochrome OLED display that shows the signal strength, battery life, and a digital or analog clock (you can choose the clock format in the settings). It also displays caller ID, and if you have any new messages or missed calls. It even shows the currently playing track if you have the music player activated.

Of course, it doesn't support photo caller ID, and you can't adjust things like backlight or font size. On the left of the phone are a microSD card slot and a charging pad. On the right are a headset jack, a back button that doubles as a rewind or previous track key for the music player, volume controls that can be used to navigate the camera's menu and as camera zoom controls when in camera mode, a side control key that can only be used in camera mode for selecting functions and settings, and the camera shutter button. On the back of Casio Exilim C721 are the camera lens, a very bright LED flash that can also act as a flashlight, and an external speaker.

SNOW LEOPARD COMING THIS SEPTEMBER FOR $29

Apple has finally "come clean" concerning Snow Leopard. At WWDC they have finally detailed the informants concerning Leopard. We were a little disappointed because instead of reinventing the wheel, they refined it which doesn't seem to be what the rumors were saying concerning the new onslaught of Microsoft and Window's 7.At any rate there is a new remote Finder as well as support for Microsoft

SAFARI 4 IS OUT OF BETA

Well what would you know, Safari 4 has been released and according to Apple, offers "unparalleled speed." They go on to say that this concerns their tests against Internet Explorer 8. Some of the new features included is a full history search that features cover flow (like what you find in iTunes).In Leopard (debuting this September), Safari will run on the 64-bit framework so we are hoping to

CUTE PENGUIN FLASH DRIVES APPEAR EVERYWHERE

Every once in a while we bring you the lighter side of the computer world and today is no exception. If you are in love with your "supposed" ancestors in Antarctica, then you might want to check out these new flash drives which will be available like NO!They come in 2GB, 4GB and 16GB sizes and as you would expect, titled specifically Penguin drivers. Better yet every time you buy one of these

Sony Ericsson W995a

Despite its many features, Sony Ericsson W995a manages to be rather compact (3.8 inches tall by 1.9 inches wide by 0.6 inch thick) and lightweight (4.0 ounces). The phone travels well and it has a solid feel, but we noticed that the slider mechanism wobbled just a bit. The W995a comes in progressive black, cosmic silver, and energetic red, though the features are the same on all models. Sony Ericsson W995a's real estate is dominated by a gorgeous 2.6 inch display.

Supporting 16.7 million colors (320x240 pixels), it lends itself well to still graphics, photos, and simple animations. The menu interface is standard Sony Ericsson you can choose from four styles, but we consider the list and grid options to be the most intuitive. You can adjust the brightness to your liking. Sony Ericsson can stumble when designing navigation controls, but the W995's come off pretty well.

The circular toggle and central OK button are large and pleasantly tactile. The surrounding navigation controls, which are shaped like half circles, are a bit small, but they're also raised above the surface of the phone. You'll find two soft keys, a clear button, and a control that activates a user customizable shortcut menu. Spacious Talk and End or power keys sit on either side of its navigation array. The keypad doesn't fare quite as well, unfortunately.

The buttons are rather small and they have a slippery feel. Compared with other slider phones we could dial without looking, but it wasn't the most comfortable experience for rapid dialing or texting. Also, we're worried about long term durability since the area that surrounds the keys "gives" just a bit when we pressed down. It's worth noting that a similar phone the Sony Ericsson W580i developed cracks over time.

On the left spine you'll find a Walkman player shortcut and the proprietary Sony Ericsson headset jack. We're hoping that before too long Sony Ericsson joins other manufacturers in moving to a standard Micro-USB charger connection. On the right spine are a camera shortcut, music player controls, and a volume rocker. The latter doubles as a zoom control for the camera, though it's a little too small for our tastes.

The 3.5 millimeter headset jack rests conveniently on the top of the phone between stereo speakers. You'll be able to use your own headset while carrying the phone in a pocket. On the rear side are the camera lens, flash, and kickstand. The former two are in the top right corner so that Sony Ericsson W995a resembles a standalone camera from behind. The camera controls are easily accessible when the phone is the horizontal position just be sure to keep your fingers out of the way.

As we mentioned, you can use the kickstand to prop the W995 on a table without resting it against your hand or a book. It certainly makes for convenient media viewing, though the kickstand's hinge is rather loose. We'd prefer that it click into place in the open position. And for what it's worth, we'd like it even better if the display offered better video quality.

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Nokia E75

Nokia E75 smartphone is expected to prolong the success of its predecessor, at which the Nokia messaging feature is very likely to help. One difference between this service and a comparable one such as that of BlackBerry, is that the latter settles for any company network, whereas the Nokia user is dependent on Nokia's network. "Designed for the way we manage our business" this is Nokia's message on the box of Nokia E75.

The visual messages on the box imply Nokia E75 is meant for all round communication. You can gain access to all your email accounts in three steps select 'set email' and start the program. Select manage email account and enter your password, whereupon you, as a Nokia E75 owner, are ready to communicate with the outside world. Nokia E75 has a high quality appearance. The handset features attractive curves and fairly compact dimensions.

Nokia E75 feels solid partly thanks to the materials used. When we slide the device sideways to open it, a QWERTY keyboard appears. In horizontal position, Nokia E75 lies safely and stable in your hand, providing easy operation. The equipment included with Nokia E75 comprises of a set of earplugs (HS-43), USB cable, battery charger, BL-4U Lithium-Ion battery, microSD memory card and an instruction manual. A voice recognition navigation system with maps for a period of 3 months comes with the E75 as a nice extra, although this may vary by region.

For the Nokia E75 review, we received a silver and black version, however the handset is available in several other colors (also depending on the region). Nokia E75 cell phone has a stylish design. Whereas before, the Nokia phone design used to be somewhat conservative, or in other words ordinary and certainly not trendy, Nokia E75 is an eye catcher.

It has a striking appearance and will look good on any desk. The weight of the device is considerable yet not too heavy. It provides essential stability. Compared to its predecessor, the E71, the Nokia E75 is somewhat larger in size. On the other hand, the E71 is wider than the Nokia E75. Altogether, it doesn�t make much of a difference as far as the total dimension is concerned, although personally I do prefer Nokia E75.

The back features a truly attractive finish, and seems to radiate pure luxury. The engraved pattern gives the phone a classic yet modern appearance. The form factor a slider phone with a keyboard that slides open sideways, is new for Nokia. Nokia E75's form factor may in fact signal a new generation of Nokia slider phones.