The Samsung M5650 comes with an impressive 2.8 inch touchscreen and a 240×320 pixel (QVGA) resolution.  It has a 3.15-megapixel camera with autofocus (which isn’t fantastic but will do the trick when you need to take those emergency snaps); video recorder; GPRS; EDGE; WiFi; 3G; Bluetooth and a microUSB port.

The phone is perfect for staying in touch as it gives you one touch access to Facebook, MySpace and Twitter where it enbles you to easily upload pictures and videos.

A phone like this won’t be complete without modern messaging capabilities and here the M5650 doesn’t disappoint.  It comes with Email, Instant Messenger (IM), SMS and MMS and provides useful tools such as Organizer, Document Viewer and Voice Memo.

Remember this is a Music phone so we must talk about those features for this review to be complete.  It uses DNSe (Digital Natural Sound Engine) technology and offers the Find Music recognition service (this feature lets you record a few seconds of the song and send it to a server that identifies the track, artist, album and genre).

It also has dedicated music keys; Stereo FM radio with RDS; stereo speakers; and a media player that supports all the latest audio and video playback formats.  You won’t be crippled with storage either as the M5650 allows microSD expansion up to 8G.

It’s connectivity options aren’t to be sniffed at, as it boasts 3G HSDPA connectivity up to 7.2Mbps and Bluetooth V2.1 with A2D.

Pitched as a budget phone the M5650 packs some impressive specs into quite a neat little package measuring 106 x 57 x 12mm, weighing only 98 grams and comes with interchangeable battery covers in  black or blue.

Following the European launch it will be available in India, China, South-east Asia, the Middle East and Africa.  The Samsung M5650 is already available in Portugal.

Based on the huge popularity of the iPhone it seems that every software maker wants to develop an app for it.  Personally I can’t blame them, with tens of millions of iPhones in the marketplace there’s clearly lots of money to be made.

Symantec on the other hand is working on a product that will back-up critical iPhone data and make it accessible from a PC or the Web.  It is expected that the service will also provide anti-virus scans on the protected data.  Apple’s MobileMe iDisk performs a similar function by allowing you to easily store, access and share files online.

The iPhone is gradually making inroads into the corporate Smartphone market, currently dominated by Blackberry.  One of the issues slowing it’s progress is that some Network Administrators are hesitant to connect the iPhone to their secure corporate network.  One of the major gripes is the lack of encryption on the iPhone and also the inability of software vendors to access the list of sandboxed applications.  If McAfee can prove that their software will provide significant security improvement to the iPhone within a corporate environment this could improve the uptake of the iPhone within companies.

With over 1 Billion iPhone apps downloaded from the Apple App Store since it’s launch in July 2008 it makes sense that this will increase security threats and warrant the development of some sort of iPhone Virus Protection product.

McAfee has not yet given a date for the launch of the anti-virus software for the iPhone.

They are calling these earbuds “motion activated” and apparently they use Sony Ericsson technology dubbed “SensMe Control”. The body contact actually makes them work and apparently they need a conductive surface so there is no risk that squishing them in your pocket will activate the music.

There is no denying these earbuds are a great idea. No longer will you have to fish in your pocket or bag to turn your music off or find your phone to answer a call. The simplicity of the design is attractive and the price is pretty tempting too. These are due to go on sale for around $55 (€39). You can get them in chrome or you can go for the yellow and white variety.

Sadly you’re going to need a Sony Ericsson phone if you want to use them. That’s enough to scupper the deal for me, not to mention the earache earbuds cause. If you do use them, you have the right mobile phone and you fancy getting hold of these then check out the Sony Ericsson website for a demo and more information.

If they work well I’d expect to see the same technology being rolled out for a mass market set of headphones in the near future.

The square design allows you to stand it on end which is ideal for using the 3 megapixel camera with flash, auto-focus and of course timer. The device even supports VCAST video streaming and video on demand.

It comes in black with Xpress-on covers provided in purple and black and it looks super cute but how would it actually be to use? Well it measures 2.71 x 2.71 x 0.59 inches and it weighs 3.44 ounces. Seems like a decent device for messaging but for actually talking on the phone I’m not convinced.

Another cool feature with the Nokia 7705 Twist is the fully customizable Contact Light Ring. It is a light at the bottom right that flashes to alert you of incoming messages and phone calls and you can assign different colours to different people. I’m not sure how practical this device really is but it seems destined to end up in quite a few handbags because it is compact, cute and a little bit different.

It goes on sale in Verizon stores within the next few days and it will cost $99.99 after a $50 mail in rebate and sign up for a 2 year contract.

There is a large 3.1 inch HVGA touch screen which supports a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels and conceals a slide out full QWERTY keyboard beneath. There is a 5 megapixel camera with support for video recording. It works as a digital audio player and includes Amazon’s MP3 store, Shazam, Last F.M. and Imeem as well as a dedicated YouTube application. You will of course be able to access various Google services such as Google Maps and the phone supports loads of email clients. There is also a QuickOffice Suite for viewing documents. You’ll also be able to surf the web via a Google Browser and there is Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS support.

You may be left wondering what the difference is between this and similar products like the Samsung Galaxy i7500 or the HTC Magic. Well the answer is, not much. Motorola seem to have fallen behind in recent months. The one major selling point which might persuade you to pick up the CLIQ is the inclusion of their new MotoBlur service. MotoBlur is designed to bring together all of your communications into one feed. It ties into your email accounts, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter and consolidates it into a single feed so you don’t have to dip in and out of different applications.

The Motorola CLIQ will be made available by T-Mobile within the next few months. It is set to be offered in titanium or winter white but the pricing has not yet been confirmed. Motorola also confirmed they would be releasing a second Android based phone very soon. On this showing I’ll be waiting to see what else Motorola have up their sleeve. You can check out a video demo on YouTube.

The first stop for anyone with a new iPhone looking for ringtones will be iTunes. You can download a track from more than 500,000 currently on offer at a cost of $0.99 each. You can have the track converted into a custom ringtone via iTunes for another $0.99. That means you can get ringtones made from any song on iTunes for a total cost of $1.98. You can download the new ringtone via a sync with iTunes and you also get to keep the full music track as a separate file. There are more expensive options out there for ringtones but there are cheaper options too.

You don’t need to pay anything at all if you already have a song that you would like to convert into a ringtone. If you check the article at The Apple Blog you can find a detailed step-by-step guide for creating free iPhone ringtones using iTunes and songs that are already on your computer. This method only works with DRM free tracks but you can get around this by using an application called GarageBand.

If you would rather not use a song for your ringtone and you want to find some free options then check out Mac Most. They have a variety of free ringtones which you can preview as MP3 files and they also provide them as free downloads in the .m4r file format. This means you can download them and just drag and drop them into iTunes in order to sync them onto your iPhone the next time you connect it. The quality of some of them is not fantastic but there are plenty of themes to choose from and they are all completely free.

If you are willing to sign up to a subscription service then you could check out something like Ringtone Feeder. They charge $1.98 per month or $19.98 for a full year and that fee entitles you to download at least two new ringtones every week. The installation is easy and these files come ready for use in vocal and instrumental varieties.

It is so easy to create your own iPhone ringtones that subscription services seem like a waste of money to me but if you want something easy to use then they might appeal. For a ringtone to work it has to be 40 seconds or less and while making them is easy some people will prefer just choosing something they want and downloading it. You can still do this without having to subscribe to a service or pay out any cash.

If you want access to a wide selection of completely free, no strings attached ringtones then check out Nakko. You can sign up for a free account and get access to a wide selection of ringtones for your iPhone which can be downloaded for nothing. Each account lets you create a locker where you can store your selections and you can even upload your own creations to the site for others to download. Each ringtone has a five star rating to help you choose the best examples and there is a locker count which gives you a guide to the popularity.

Once you have the ringtone you want, simply use iTunes to convert it into the right format and you can add it to your iPhone the next time you sync. Finding and setting up iPhone ringtones is easy, free and fun.

If you load up the iTunes store and search for iPhone games you will find a large list of all the available titles. Apple is careful about quality control. Even though they have third party developers working on games for the iPhone they still maintain a high standard and every game available at the iTunes store has been approved by Apple. This doesn’t necessarily mean they are all great fun.

If you search for iPhone games on the iTunes store you will see a list at the bottom and if you filter it by popularity you can get a quick look at what the most popular games are. This is a fairly good indication of what is worth buying.

For example the top two titles are Sonic the Hedgehog and Flight Control. The Sonic game is a port of the old Sega title and it is just as much fun today as it ever was. Flight Control is an addictive strategy game that challenges you to land planes. They are both a great deal of fun.

Another game which is highly recommended if you want a bit of dogfight action is iFighter. It offers a top down view on the action and you pilot a fighter plane during WWII and have to destroy a wide range of enemies. The graphics is quite attractive and features good gameplay.

If you prefer classic games, puzzles and brain workouts then there are loads of options. The classic board game Scrabble appears on iPhone and is a very popular download. There is also the classic Tetris and a number of similar themed clones which feature geometric shape puzzles. You can even get a version of Trivial Pursuit on the iPhone. You will also find iPhone games for classic pursuits like pool, chess and poker.

The old classic arcade games are also well represented. Whether you are yearning for a retro blast of Space Invaders or hungry for some dots with Pac-Man you’ll be able to satisfy the urge. There is also a version of the fantastic adventure Myst one of the most popular games ever released.

There are plenty of developers working on new titles for the iPhone as well. Although the list may be dominated by retro games you can find some new names in there too. There is a Need for Speed title, a Tiger Woods golf game and a version of the addictive Championship Manager 2009. There are a lot of football related titles and other sports are covered too with a track and field title and a hockey game.

Terminator: Salvation looks like an interesting release on the iPhone although movie tie-ins are rarely brilliant. It is a good looking, challenging shooter with some vehicle action and hacking mini games but like most titles on the iPhone it doesn’t last for very long. There are also Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil titles that should satisfy experienced gamers.

Some of the best iPhone games are the ones that use the technology to the fullest. With Super Monkey Ball you can control the game by tilting the device and it definitely adds to the fun. It is a simple title but it takes advantage of the iPhone’s capabilities.

The worst games are lazy ports or cheap cash-ins. When you are shopping for a new game for your iPhone always check out the reviews first and try to select titles that have been specially developed for the device.

Selecting new wallpaper on your iPhone is very easy so you don’t need to worry about it too much. Whatever you choose can be changed whenever you like and many people update their wallpaper regularly for a bit of variety. If you don’t want to use a photo of your own there are some fantastic free websites where you can find the ideal iPhone wallpaper for you.

There are so many free wallpaper options on the Internet that you should never have to pay for one. Try Sciphone for a wide selection of wallpapers. They have some great artwork related to movies, game and characters and they also stock a wide selection of sexy wallpapers. There are over 7,000 to choose from in total and you can download them for free. You can also register at the site and upload your own wallpapers for other people to use. They have a powerful search function with a huge list of keywords and filters so you can find specific wallpapers easily.

The website iPhone Wallpapers is another option for people seeking free downloads. Their wallpapers have a five star rating and are divided into categories. You can also check out what the most popular downloads are and see the newest wallpapers they have to offer. There are loads to choose from on this site.

If celebrity pictures and movie posters aren’t really to your taste and you want something that shows real artistic merit then try out this fantastic feature at Smashing Magazine. They have compiled a list of 100 beautiful wallpapers and there really are some gorgeous artworks and photographs on offer.

Another place where you can find some alternative options for unusual wallpaper is Flickr. The website allows people to upload all sorts of photographs but the link will take you to a special iPhone wallpaper group with thousands of members and pages of wallpapers to choose from. The group hosts an eclectic mixture of arty designs, great photographs and lots of sexy wallpapers.

You can add new wallpapers onto your iPhone through syncing with iTunes. If you have an existing picture or photograph that you would like to use then you could resize it yourself. Alternatively you could check out iPhones Talk where you’ll find a simple converter tool which will do it for you. Not only will it ensure the wallpaper has the correct proportions but you can also add a variety of simple effects to the image. The website also includes a very simple guide to show you how to download and install wallpapers on your iPhone.

The final website that is recommended for people seeking really nice wallpapers is iPhone Toolbox. They have a range of wallpapers divided into sections with ratings for each entry and a mock up graphic of how it will look on your iPhone. There are some really interesting options on offer and all of them are completely free to download.

As you can see there are plenty of resources to explore in your search for new wallpapers. You will find several websites offering wallpapers for download but many of them stock the same examples. Hopefully this article has given you a few ideas about where to find some more interesting backgrounds and if you can’t find something you like then create your own.

One of the best websites for technology product reviews is cnet because they provide really detailed coverage of each device. Their review of the iPhone is extremely in depth with plenty of pictures. They have discussed all of the features, looked at the design and usability and given an easy to read breakdown of the good and bad. There is also a video showing off the iPhone in all its glory. In addition you will find hundreds of user reviews, a full list of technical specifications, a comparison chart with other cell phones and a list of accessories.

The link above is for the first generation but they have also reviewed the iPhone 3G. Both are rated as excellent but far from perfect and you will find a balanced consideration of the pros and cons which should help you to decide whether the iPhone is worth buying.

If you prefer your reviews to be a bit more laidback then you should check the excellent review at EndGadget. It is covering the original iPhone release but it is a really nicely written review which makes for an entertaining read. It also does a great job of laying out the advantages of the device and its shortcomings. This is one of the best iPhone reviews you’ll find.

The iPhone is a beautiful device and much of the excitement is based on the visual look of it. For that reason to really get a flavour of how attractive the iPhone is you might want to check out a video review. You’ll find a good video review of the iPhone 3G from Tim Techs. If it doesn’t satisfy then you can check out the related videos on the right hand side to find more video demonstrations and reviews of the device. It is definitely nice to be able to see the various features in use and get an idea of the size and performance of the iPhone.

Another website that always crafts really in depth reviews is Trusted Reviews. Their coverage of the iPhone 3G is excellent with pages and pages of discussion and lots of large photos to show off the device from every conceivable angle. They also provide a very detailed breakdown of the ratings which gives a score for design, features, performance, usability, value and finally an overall score. There is also a video review if you prefer and this website definitely covers all the bases.

Sometimes it can be good to find out what other consumers have to say about a device. If you want to find some consumer views then you could always check out Review Centre. They provide ratings and a wide variety of consumer reviews submitted by people who have bought an iPhone. You also have the option to ask specific questions about the device which is handy if you are wondering about something. They also provide a breakdown of where you can buy the iPhone for a reasonable price and how to get a free handset with a contract deal.

If you are wondering why the iPhone is so popular then you need to take a closer look at the features on offer. It is a slim, sleek and attractive looking device but the sales are about much more than the visual style.

Apple has built a reputation for solid design and they are good at creating desirable technology. The iPhone measures 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.48 inches and it weighs in at 4.7 ounces. There have been many attempts to clone the iPhone and cheap knock offs proliferate but none of them have managed to achieve the same slim design.

The clever appeal to tactile satisfaction is extended to the touch screen. Of all the iPhone features the touch screen technology has to be the single biggest selling point. You can navigate through menus and browse the web with a flick of your finger. The interface is perfectly weighted and very satisfying to use. While this technology has been emulated in other devices no-one has gotten the same satisfaction into the operation of their touch screen.

The screen is a 3.5 inch widescreen display and it can be operated with a stylus as well as your fingers. It features a high resolution of 480 x 320 pixels which is way beyond virtually all other mobile phones.

The iPhone also contains three sensors, an accelerometer, a proximity sensor and an ambient light sensor. The combination allows for extremely efficient operation and the sensors can also be utilised by applications to create interesting options.

The attractive iPhone features keep coming and the device also supports audio and video files in various qualities. At the high end it is capable of playing music and video which is far superior in terms of quality than the vast majority of content which can be handled on other cell phones.

The latest iPhone features 3G compatibility which allows fast downloads and streaming content from the Internet. It is has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capability and can be used on virtually any network.

The iPhone can be connected up to a PC or Mac via USB and using the iTunes software downloading new content onto the device is quick and painless. There are thousands of applications available and the choice is way beyond the vast majority of competitors.

The device can recharge while it is connected to a computer and a fully charged battery will provide 5 hours of 3G talk time or 10 hours of 2G talk time. Alternatively a full charge will provide up to 300 hours of standby. These statistics are very respectable when compared to other cell phones.

The iPhone has more features than the vast majority of other cell phones. In fact one of the few features it lacks is the ability to record video footage and according to rumours this feature will be added into the next generation. The iPhone ships with a stereo headset and mic, a dock connector to USB cable, a USB power adaptor, a cleaning cloth and a sim eject tool.

It has also been designed with the environment in mind and the design does not use PVC, bromine or mercury. It is a tough device which can operate comfortably within the 0 to 35 degree centigrade temperature range.

All in all the iPhone is packed with terrific features and the only area where it struggles with competitors is price. However quality is always expensive and the iPhone still represents good value for money.