Chip Chick » blue

Limited Edition Beats Studio by Dr. Dre Get Their Colors On

Ali Heriyanto — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 01:09:37 +0000

Sometimes you just can’t redesign a classic, but if you just add a new coat of color to it, it makes a classic piece of headphone gear look spanking new. That is exactly what Beats by Dr. Dre and Monster have unveiled today with five new colors for the Limited Edition Beats Studio Over-Ear Headphones. The new available colors include pink, blue, red, white, orange, purple, and silver.

Not much has changed overall in regards to specs, but apparently the need to have different colored Studio’s was very important to consumers. Companies like Colorware have been customizing Beats by Dr. Dre headphones for awhile now and have been successful at it. So why not just make it that way out of the box, with a warranty to back it up?

If you thought you didn’t see enough of thee Beats by Dr. Dre headphones walking around the streets… get ready to see a lot more… just louder and more bolder than ever.

The Limited Edition Beats Studio Over-Ear Headphones will retail for ~~$349.95~~ $299, and they go on sale October 16th.

Update 10/12/2011:

Here are more specs from the press release:

Chic Colors
Switch up your style with multiple colors to match any occasion.
Extreme Comfort
Plush ear cushions covered with ultra-soft breathable materials keep you cool, even during marathon listening
sessions.
Superior Sound Isolation
Active, powered noise cancellation to deliver pure audio performance.
Scratch-Resistant Gloss Finish
Advanced materials make Studios stand out from the crowd and the hard, scratch-resistant finish keeps them
looking good, even with heavy use.
Ready for iPhone®, Blackberry®, and Music Phones
Studios come with an additional Monster iSoniTalk™ headphone cable with built-in call answer button and
microphone so you can easily stop the rock and start the talk.
Folding Design and Touring Case
Studios’ three-way folding design makes packing a breeze and the touring case features rugged construction
for enhanced protection of your headphones.

© 2012 Chip Chick

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New 13.3″ Sony VAIO S Series Laptop Looks Good in Pink

Helena Stone — Wed, 25 May 2011 13:56:43 +0000

Sony has revamped their VAIO S Series, and the already sexy S series is now looking more enticing than ever. For starters, the new S Series is available in burnished brown, jet black, platinum silver, as well as pink or blue – with magnesium and aluminum materials. This laptop really is a beauty to behold in person. This is the first time that the S series has offered so many cool options, and we know that plenty of you will be digging the pink one. But don’t let the pink color fool you, this is a powerful ultraportable. The laptop manages to pack in a 13.3″ display with a 1600×900 resolution, yet it measures just 0.95″ thin, and weighs just 3.6lbs. Speaking of the display, Sony has decided to deviate from their traditional glossy displays by going with a matte display this time around. Sony is also promising a battery life of up-to 15 hours if you choose to get the optional sheet battery. However, the sheet battery will up the total weight to about 5 lbs.

The S Series will come running on the second generation Core i7 Processor and it can be configured with a dual solid state drive in a Raid configuration! The system can also be configured with a powerful AMD Radeon HD 6630 1GB graphics card, a Blu-Ray drive and Intel Wireless display 2.0 technology. Other standard features include a built-in web cam with face tracking technology and an Exmor sensor which works well even in low light, and an LED backlit keyboard. This laptop can definitely go toe to toe with the likes of the HP Envy and MacBook Pro.

The VAIO S series is available for presale today, starting at $1370, with the optional sheet battery retailing for $150.

Sony Bloggie 8GB Now Available in Pink and Blue

Ali Heriyanto — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 05:09:12 +0000

Well if you haven’t gotten the Sony Bloggie digital camcorder yet, you may be in luck because they have just rolled out two new colors which are available for pre-order – a pink and blue Bloggie that is just in time for the holiday season. However these new snazzy colors are only available for the 8GB model, so those looking to get these colors on the 4GB capacity model are out of luck. Pricing is set for the Pink and Blue Sony Bloggie at the same $199.99, as with all the other Sony 8G Bloggies.

Overkill Chicboom Keychain Speaker is Covered in Leopard, Hearts & Crystals

Chip Chick — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 05:13:56 +0000

Chicboom Keychain Speaker by chicBuds are adorable little speakers that are way too girly for our own good. These little cube shaped speakers are covered in leopard print on their sides and outlined by sparkling crystals in the shape of a heart. Each speaker packs in 2 amplified watts and has a 4 hour rechargeable battery. Chicboom is available in pink or blue for $24.99. But if the leopard print is too gaudy for your taste, you might want to check out their more delicate Pink Flower chicboom keychain speaker ball.

Happy Owl Studio’s the Clutch for iPad is Mary Poppins Approved

Helena Stone — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:58:04 +0000

Happy Owl Studio’s the Cluch, isn’t just another relater iPad case – it’s a clutch / purse/ carry bag. Available in light blue, red or black leather, no one will ever suspect all the goodies that lie inside of it are gadgets – and an iPad! The Clutch has a sleeve to protect the iPad, along with pockets for storing cash, change, credit cards, pens, a stylus, and your mobile phone, while the larger pockets are perfect for storing a Bluetooth keyboard, MiFi, keys, lip gloss, and more! On top of that, its design will also work as a stand so that it can be used for movie-watching, and it also folds over at a low angle so that it can be propped up at just the right angle to use the on-screen keyboard comfortably. The Clutch retails for $89.00.

Doctor Who’s Daleks, Now Available in Several Different Colors (Spoilers)

Chip Chick — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:05:21 +0000

Over in the U.K., Doctor Who is as ingrained in pop culture as Batman is here. And for Doctor Who, his mortal enemy equivalent of the Joker are the Daleks. These droids might seem like cousins to R2-D2 at first glance, but don’t get them confused with the friendly fella – these robots have been giving nightmares to British children for over 40 years now. In this week’s episode, a new generation of the Daleks were created. But what made us chuckle, were their spiffy new colors – red, orange, white, blue, and green. What no, pink Dalek!? Really though, is this supposed to be some inside joke/commentary on the state of gadgets nowadays? The new colors make the Daleks seem even less imposing than ever. Now it’s just a matter of time before the after market Dalek accessory case industry begins firing up.

iHome’s iH22PV iPod Alarm Clock is Cheap and Retro Chic

Chip Chick — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 04:01:38 +0000

It has been a while since we’ve come across a “cute” iPod alarm clock, and the iHome iH22PV certainly fits the bill. The iH22PV is a relatively minimalist alarm clock with a rounded cube design that has a retro feel going for it. Feature wise, it comes with the standard fair of specs – a dual alarm for separate wake times and alarm sources, a line-in jack for connecting to other audio sources, and it has a convenient battery backup that maintains the clock and alarm settings in case of power failure. You can pick up the iH22PV Alarm Clock Speaker System in purple, blue or silver for $49.99.

Hands on with Puppy Tweets, Mattel’s Twitter Dog Collar

Chip Chick — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:43:52 +0000

Puppy Tweets a new “toy” from Mattel that is about to transform Twitter as we know it. The device attaches to your dog’s collar and monitor’s his physical activity throughout the day. Each time it detects new activity, or on the otherhand – it detects laziness, the device will send out a tweet from your dog’s Twitter account about what the pup is up to at that moment. This is a super fun way for owners to keep on top of what their dog is doing during the day.

Available in pink or blue, Puppy Tweets works by attaching the device to your dog’s collar. The device runs on a wi-fi internet connection, and a USB receiver needs to be plugged in, and your computer turned on in order for the device to send out tweets. You can also specify at what intervals you want your dog to send out tweets, so that his/her’s twitter followers don’t become overwhelmed. Currently, the system comes with over 500 different tweets, and more tweets will be available to download.

With over 73 million dog in the U.S., and 43 million dog owners, Puppy Tweets looks like it’s about to take twitter by storm, and we foresee more #Fail wails happening in the future as a result. Will all of these new tweets be considered Puppy Spam? Time will tell. But either way, our puppy can’t wait to try out this device. You can follow her at @littlebuttons. It will just be a bit embarrassing when she ends up having more Twitter followers than us.

UPDATE October 5th, 2010: Check out our Puppy Tweets Review

HARApad Reduces Your Laptop’s Radiation Levels

Chip Chick — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 09:02:10 +0000

Chances are you’ve heard of, or seen those little stickers that supposedly reduce the electromagnetic radiation on your cell phone. But the HARApad is the first time we’ve seen something be developed to reduce the amount of radiation on your laptops. Actually, it does make a lot of sense – if you believe that the radiation coming from your cell phone is hazardous to your health, than the radiation from your laptop isn’t much different. After all ,besides its regular components, your laptop has Wi-fi, and maybe even 3G data on it. According to HARApad, Laptop computers emit Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) up to 100 times the safe amount and this EMR may be linked to serious health issues including cancer and infertility, or cause less-serious symptoms of electromagnetic radiation sickness. The HARAPad counteracts the radiation by providing protections, and dissipating heat away from your body. It also provides your laptop with a sturdy working surface, it’s able to fit into most laptop case for easy carrying, it even doubles as a dry erase board – and last but not least, it even comes in several color including white, black, red, green and blue. There are two kinds of HARAPads, The Original HARAPad for $49.99 claims to block up to 80% of the EMR, and the HARApad Elite claims to block nearly 100% of EMR and costs $74.99.

CES 2010: New HP Mini 210 and HP Mini 2102 Netbooks

Chip Chick — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 05:01:06 +0000

The HP Mini 210 and HP Mini 2102 are not major overhauls of HP’s previous Mini series of notebooks, but this round of updates sport some nice refinements. Both systems weigh 2.69lbs, are less than one inch thin with unto 10 hours of battery life, they sport a 10.1″ LED screen, a 93 percent full size island style keyboard, and optional 3G broadband and GPS. The Mini 210 is geared towards consumers and is available in several colors including Black Crystal, Silver Crystal, Pacific Blue or Sonoma Red HP Imprint. The Mini 2102 is practically identical but it’s geared towards business users and only comes in black. Both systems come with some cool new software from HP including QuickSync, QuickWeb, CloudDrive and MediaStream. The Mini 210 is available on Jan. 7, starting at $299.99, while the Mini 2102 starts at $329.

HP QuickWeb is an innovative software solution that sits outside your computer’s operating system, enabling you to access the web without having to boot into Windows. With a single touch of a button, you can enjoy a fast connection to the internet in under 20 seconds from a power-off state.

Just push the HP QuickLook button on your HP business notebook. HP QuickLook 3 springs to life in about ten seconds. You then have immediate access to information from your Microsoft Office Outlook® program. HP QuickLook 3 enables this fast access by proactively capturing information and storing it outside your computer’s operating system. You can specify the frequency at which data is captured, the type of data that is captured (e-mail, calendar, contacts and tasks), and the range of data that is captured. For example, you can capture and cache up to 1,000 messages from your inbox for ready access via HP QuickLook 3.
Work Fast with HP QuickLook 3:
• find information in seconds when your computer is off.1
• view e-mail, calendar, contact and task information with
the push of a button.
• create and edit calendar, contact and task information,
and then see your changes incorporated into outlook the
next time you open it.
• respond to e-mail messages and store them in your outbox until
the next time you open outlook.
• cache data from office outlook 2003 and 2007
automatically.

MicroChip Pendants is the Perfect Jewelry for Chip Chicks

Chip Chick — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:12:42 +0000

These aren’t the first microchip inspired jewelry sets that we’ve come across, and we’re sure that it wont be the last of them either. AeroGem has come out with MicroChip pendants for both him and her. There is a black onyx with sterling silver pendant that comes with a blue or red chip. Each one retails for $19.95. They also have another design that is priced the same but it is all silver with a large integrated blue or red chip. Unfortunately, unlike some other jewelry we’ve seen before, these pendants don’t look like they’re made out of old spare computer parts.

Jelly Belly Stereo Earphones Look Sweet on Your Ears

Chip Chick — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:01:57 +0000

Jelly Belly’s are indisputably the world’s best jelly beans, and now they’re ready to make the big jump to headphones. These Jelly Belly shaped and branded headphones are available in pink and green or white and blue. Yes, that is right, the pairs are not matching – which is definitely a first for the earbuds we’ve seen! The in-earphones also come in a bean shape pouch for carrying. You can pick the Jelly Belly Stereo Earphones up for $33.20.

Bionic Commando XBox 360 Review

Joseph Damanti — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 04:00:27 +0000

Based on the original Bionic Commando from Nintendo, Capcom decided to bring it back and give it a whirl with updated graphics and game play. Well they should have left it alone. The story starts with Nathan Spencer, the Bionic Commando being brought back into action by the same force that imprisoned him after he led the bionic commandos to victory 10 years earlier. The game is pretty mediocre at best. The pace of the game is pretty steady and fast. The best part was the awesome one liners when you killed someone such as “Kick A$$ or “I Would hate to be that guy”, very amusing for a horrible game. The worst is the extra long tutorial they put in which is helpful but very drawn out.

The controls are OK, some maneuvers need a little bit to get used to. To get around, it is easily all controlled by the D-Pad with a jump action and your right thumb stick to move your view. You can also get around by swinging with a built in hook from your bionic arm, which is rather difficult. First you must aim and make sure the surface is able to be hooked, then you line up and fire your hook, from here you can either pull yourself right to the structure or grapple your way to a roof. You can also use it to swing from a light post to a monorail, the possibilities are limitless but when you have 5 or 6 guys hunting you down and shooting at you, trying to fiddle with this when you only have mere seconds to move can be challenging to say the least.

The weapons are pretty good, anything from your classic 9mm to a shot gun, You can only carry 48 rounds at a time on most weapons so if you are a trigger happy shooter type, I would seek out a cheat code for unlimited ammo and weapons. To aim you will see your circle target light up red when you are on target otherwise it will be white. You can zoom in by pressing your right thumb stick in. This would be a great feature for some other shooter games to put into play.

The graphics are decent during the game, similar to looks of the recent Capcom game, Resident Evil. One thing that I did not find to be helpful is in areas of radiation, lighting seemed to be an issue. Areas affected by radiation are defined by a glowing blue color, these are areas you should not venture into, you will die within a few seconds. However due to the lighting, it is hard to actually tell which is a contaminated area, from above it is much easier to tell, but that does not help you when you are on the move on the ground.To get around there is no map, just your immediate target area is highlighted in the corner of the screen. You need to keep following your relays to stay on path. This was ok, but I still would prefer a full map feature. It is difficult when you are completely lost and cannot figure out how to get around buildings and radiation.

Sometimes classic games shouldn’t be messed with and even though it lacked the fancy schmancy graphics of this latest version. I still enjoyed the retro Bionic Commando much more. For those who are to young to remember the classic version, probably will enjoy this even with the frustrating movements of the bionic arm, those who remember the good ole’ days will probably not appreciate the remake. Bionic Commando retails for $39.79.

Good: As always Capcom doesn’t let us down with awesome graphics and a decent storyline.

Bad: Controls could be frustrating. Bionic arm was more of a pain than it was worth trying to get it to work, before getting killed.

Toshiba’s NB205 Pink Netbook Promises a 9 Hour Battery Life

Chip Chick — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:58:28 +0000

While the netbook space is getting really, really crowded, there still aren’t all that many many pink ones. Ok, so HP and LG have one, but that isn’t that many. Toshiba’s mini NB205-N310 is the latest netbook to get its pink on, metallic pink to be specific – with a textured finish and a chrome hinge. Other available colors include sable brown, frost white, and indigo blue. But for those of you who aren’t so colorful, there is the black NB205-N210. The netbook’s list of specs are pretty standard – you get a 10″ screen, Windows XP Home, a 1.66 Atom processor, 1GB of ram, and 160GB hard drive in a package weighing 2.9lbs. The NB205 also boasts a battery life of up to 9 hours, which sounds like a lot of bragging. But if it can pull that battery life off – it’d be a netbook to beat. Read on further for the full press release.

Toshiba Announces US Availability of the Toshiba mini NB205: A Mini Notebook to Envy

Sleek and Stylish Mini Notebook Perfectly Designed for Comfort with Extra-long Battery Life, Full-Size Keyboard and Touchpad, Choice of Colors and More

IRVINE, Calif. –(Business Wire)– Jun 02, 2009 Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the Toshiba mini NB205, a compact, lightweight companion PC that makes it easy to stay connected, productive and informed while on the go. With a design hallmarked by a comfort-driven, full-sized keyboard and large touchpad, nine hours of battery life¹ and a highly-stylized Texture Finish offered in a choice of colors, the mini NB205 marks the company’s first entry into the U.S. mini notebook market.

Ideal for digitally-active consumers who need a compact companion PC that’s easy to carry, the Toshiba mini NB205 series incorporates key usability, durability and style features that have yet to be seen in other mini notebooks at a competitive price point.

“We’re raising the bar in the mini notebook category with a premium brand that truly delivers on the portability promise these companion PCs were originally designed for,” said Jeff Barney, vice president and general manager of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. “The addition of the mini NB205 expands our product line to meet the ever-increasing demands of consumers and exemplifies Toshiba’s reputation for quality that they expect and reflects the company’s long history of building mobility platforms.”

“U.S. consumers are rapidly realizing the benefits of mini notebooks. They are figuring out that this evolving category of PCs fits well into their lives, their budgets and their backpacks –the record growth in retail volume is a testament to that,” said Bob O’Donnell, vice president of Clients and Displays research at IDC.

Comfort without Compromise

The super-compact mini NB205 features a bright and vivid 10.1-inch diagonal widescreen LED backlit display, a full-size QWERTY raised-tile keyboard and a generous laptop-sized touchpad, making typing and navigating the Web easy and comfortable. The mini notebook also runs Windows^® XP, a familiar operating system with broad application compatibility.

Common-sense Portability

The mini NB205 is packed with common-sense usability features that address real-world consumer portability demands. It comes equipped with a Hard Drive Impact Sensor that guards data from the daily bumps of mobile life and a USB port with Sleep-and-Charge that enables users to charge various consumer electronics devices even when the unit is turned off.

The mini NB205 delivers peace of mind around the world – it is one of the few mini notebooks available that comes standard with a one-year international limited warranty, giving Toshiba customers access to over 271 service providers worldwide.

A Stylish and Eco-chic Companion

There are two available configurations of the Toshiba mini NB205 series.

The mini NB205-N310 features a unique and stylish textured finish, an accenting chrome hinge and will be available in four metallic color finishes – Sable Brown, Frost White, Indigo Blue and Posh Pink – to fit the most discerning consumer’s style and fashion needs.

The mini NB205-N210 features a Fusion Finish in Black Onyx cover and a sleek, flat keyboard with Black Matte finish.

In addition, continuing Toshiba’s commitment to help consumers and businesses reduce their carbon footprint, the mini NB205 is power efficient and meets the rigorous requirements of the upcoming EnergyStar^® 5.0 standard, is RoHS compatible and achieved industry-leading Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Gold status.

Features available on the Toshiba mini NB205 include:

10.1-inch diagonal widescreen TruBrite™ backlit LED display (WSVGA)

Windows^® XP Home operating system

Intel Atom N280 processor² (1.66GHz)

1GB DDR2 800MHz RAM³, upgradeable to 2GB

Spacious storage with a 160GB HDD⁴

802.11b/g wireless⁵ and 10/100 Ethernet

Bluetooth V2.1 + EDR (only available in mini NB205-N310)

TOSHIBA Hard Drive Impact Sensor

Lightweight and very portable at only 2.9 lbs.

Long-life 6-cell battery delivering up to 9 hours of productivity¹

One USB port with Sleep-and-Charge and two USB 2.0 ports

Built-in Webcam, speaker and microphone

Toshiba PC Health Monitor

RGB port for connecting to external displays

Memory Card Reader Slot

Security Lock Slot

One-year international limited warranty and award-winning Toshiba service and support

Accessories Available

The company will offer several Toshiba-branded accessories for the mini NB205 series, including a Portable DVD SuperMulti Drive, available today at an MSRP⁶ of $99.99, a USB Mini Retractable Mouse available later this month at an MSRP⁶ of $14.99 as well as 12-inch Envoy Fabric or Leather Carrying Cases available today. A 10-inch Dual Function Hardside Case and a 10.1-inch Neoprene Sleeve will also be available this month direct from Toshiba on toshibadirect.com.

Pricing and Availability

The Toshiba mini NB205-N310 ($399.00 MSRP⁶) and mini NB205-N210 ($349.00 MSRP⁶) will both be available in late June at major retailers, e-tailers and direct from Toshiba on toshibadirect.com. Additionally, the mini NB205-N210 can be purchased through select Toshiba Preferred Partner Program resellers.

More information about the Toshiba mini NB205 can be found at laptops.toshiba.com/nb200.

iLuv Cases Add Color to the New 3rd Gen iPod Shuffle

Chip Chick — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:10:21 +0000

Bored by the new iPod Shuffle’s lack of color? iLuv has new cases to add some flair to your new toy while providing it with protection from scratches and bumps. The iCC12 is a 4-in-1 pack that comes with 4 color silicon cases including a black, white, blue and pink case. They also have another pack, the iCC14 which comes with both a transparent case and a tinted black case. Each of these packs will retail for $12.99 and all of the cases provide easy access to the Shuffle’s ports and switches.

New Canon PowerShot SX200 IS – is a Super Zoomy Compact

Chip Chick — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 05:00:36 +0000

The new Canon PowerShot SX200 IS packs in a lot of features considering that it’s still just a compact camera. For starters it’s got a 12x optical zoom to compliment its 12.1 megapixels. It’s also capable of going up to IS0 3200, it has got a 3.0″ LCD screen, an optical image stabilizer, and for those who dig HD – you can record HD video with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels. The SX200 IS also has HDMI output so you can connect it directly to your TV. Design wise, it’s got a somewhat traditional and boxy looking design which might not appeal to everyone, but it does come in the color choices of black, red, or blue. The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS is available now for $349.99. Overall, this is definitely more of a prosumer compact, and we expect it to make great shots like most of the PowerShot line.

Solar Powered Ventilated Cap Keeps You Cool in the Beating Sun

Ali Heriyanto — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:53:44 +0000

You won’t be making a fashion statement with this hat, that is for sure. But it will display how committed you are to producing green energy. The Solar Powered Ventilated Cap will help you avoid the sun and keep you cool at the same time as it transforms the solar energy to operate a working fan on the bill of your hat. The hat itself is your typical adjustable baseball hat and there is no need for any extra batteries as the hat charges itself. It’s available only in blue and at Computer Geeks.com

iLuv Releases Affordable iEP505 Premium Earphones with Volume Control

Chip Chick — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:02:50 +0000

You might recognize iLuv for their awesome iPod speaker systems, but now they’ve got a pair of affordable premium earbuds to show off as well. The new iEP505 Premium Earphones sport an in-line volume-control, an ergonomic exterior, and they feature drivers that promise a balance between low and high frequencies – while still being light and comfortable and able to provide sound isolation. The earphones are available for $49.99 starting in April and they’ll be available in the colors white, blue, pink and red. 3G shuffle users will be happy to know that in Q2 the EP505 will be available with an iPod Shuffle Remote control as well.

GearGripper Posable Foam Gadget Holder Keeps All Your Toys Neat

Chip Chick — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 05:02:11 +0000

We all can relate to this problem – so many gadgets lying around, but how do we keep them organized and neat? Here is one way to keep your iPod, digital camera, cell phone, GPS, and whatever else all tidy. The GearGripper is made of a soft tactile foam which can be formed to suit your needs. That means you can shape and bend the GearGripper to your will, while at the same time forming a place to keep all your gadgets cozy. The GearGripper is available in black, pink and blue and retails for $5.75.

Pantech C820 Matrix Pro Review

Chip Chick — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 05:08:52 +0000

The new Pantech C820 Matrix Pro is an update to Pantech’s Matrix Duo, a Windows Mobile smartphone that sports both a numeric and QWERTY keypad. For those looking for a Windows Mobile device that packs in just about everything – the Pantech Matrix Pro C820 runs on AT&T’s speedy 3G network, it sports GPS, a 2 megapixel camera, and a solid feature set overall. Before I delve in to the device itself, here is a little background about my personal experience with Windows Mobile Smartphones. I’ve been using Windows on a handheld since way back – when there were no such things as smartphones at all, but instead there was just Windows CE and monochrome displays. I was extremely proud of my Compaq Aero at a time when Palm pilots were all the rage. Over the years I’ve owned a crazy assortment of Windows based smartphones, my most recent one being the Treo 750V. After that, the iPhone came out and I betrayed my longtime love of Windows Mobile. However, there will always be a part of me that still is a Windows Mobile girl at heart.

Hardware:
The Pantech Matrix Pro’s hardware is solid and feels sturdy. The Matrix Pro sports a metallic finish and curvy top and bottom. Unfortunately the Matrix Pro’s screen tends to attract fingerprints and smudges, so you might want to keep a wipe handy. Overall, it is not the most attractive phone in the world, but definitely pleasant looking, especially considering that many phones which manage to fit in two keypads end up being pretty fuggly.

The Pantech Matrix Pro is on the small size for a smart phone, width and height wise (4.17 x 2.0 x 0.85 inches) – so it will fit in your pocket easily. However, it will also bulge out of your pocket a bit because the inclusion of two keypads end up making it pretty thick. Though the Matrix Pro weighs 5.3 ounces, which isn’t all that much, for some reason the handset also feels a bit hefty in your hand. It’s also got a 2.4” screen with a 240×320 resolution. The screen is clear and pretty bright, and is pretty much on par with other similar Windows Mobile smartphones.

The keyboard on the Matrix Pro feels good to type on and key presses feel slightly stiff but comfortable. The keyboard surface area is smaller though then lets say the T-mobile G1, and is made up of just 3 rows, and as a result it is a bit more cramped. However I still found it comfortable to use. The numeric dial pad is made up of totally flat keys, sort of RAZR style, but they are also comfortable to dial with. The sides of the phone sport dedicated volume controls, a camera button and a record button. Its front face holds dial and end keys as well as a circular navigation key that looks like it’s ready to be a scroll wheel, but it’s unfortunately not one.

In the box you get a sync cable, software CD, charger, 3.5mm headphone adapter, a case and a manual.

Interface / Home screen:
One of the strongest aspects of Windows Mobile 6.1 over its predecessors are the slick updates to the home screen layout which includes a new slide panel layout that now lets you easily access things like recent calls, get access to your voicemail, text messages, mms, email, appointments, AT&T services (xpress mail, instant messenger, media net, media mail) and settings (profile wireless manager, ringtones, background image and task manager) without leaving the home screen. You can now also scroll through, and play music from your Windows Media playlist. The slide panel home screen can even show off the album art associated with the track you’re playing. While this new home screen option is very welcome, the rest of the Windows Mobile 6.1 interface is starting to look old.

Overall, navigating through the OS didn’t feel sluggish and overall the phone had good pep, though there were pretty minor delays, like a second or so delay when switching between landscape / QWERTY and portrait views. The handset comes ships with just 256MB of ROM and 128 megs of RAM, but it sports an SDHC slot for up to 32GB expandable memory.

For those of you looking for a touch screen, the Matrix Pro does not have one, however between both keypads you don’t feel like you’re missing one. Also, the OS is designed well for phones without touchscreens. That said, we do wish that the circular navigation button on the front face doubled as a scroll wheel.

Call Quality:
Call Quality was very good on the Matrix Pro, testing in New York City, I could hear callers clearly and vice versa. I generally had full bars as well, but then again I only have gotten a chance to test in an area which is known to have good coverage. The speakerphone worked ok, but often callers on the other end said they had some difficulty hearing me when talking to them on speakerphone. Also the speakerphone does not get quite loud enough for noisier environments. Overall, the phone’s battery can manage to last a few days with light use and even over a day with moderate use. In contrast, most smartphone I’ve worked with tank out after a day of even moderate use.

Software:
The Matrix Pro comes with plenty of software including an instant messaging app that gives you access to AIM, Yahoo and MSN messenger, a weather app, a PDF program, a Java VM app for running other Java based apps, a mobile banking app as well as AT&T’s optional specialized services like Xpress Mail and MobiTV, and AT&T’s Navigator application which takes advantage of the built-in GPS. Office Mobile is also included which contains Excel, OneNote, Powerpoint and Word Mobile. Oddly, there are some apps, like the Mobile Banking app which have icons in the menu system but aren’t actually installed on the device yet until you manually download them. The handset also comes with a great selection of games, including Guitar Hero 3 Mobile, Brain Challenge, Bubble Breaker, Jewel Quest II, Midnight Pool, Ms. Pac Man, Scrabble, Solitaire, and Tetris. Unfortunately many of these like Ms. Pac-man and Guitar Hero 3 are just demos, which is a bummer.

Internet:
The Matrix Pro does not have Wi-Fi abilities, instead you have to rely on only 3G for surfing the net speedily. The Matrix Pro comes preloaded with Internet Explorer, of course. Using DSLReports’ Mobile speed test, the Matrix Pro came up with a 120kbit/sec result. Surfing the net with AT&T’s 3G network in NYC felt pretty fast, even when using bloated Internet Explorer. However, I would highly recommend downloading the free Skyfire browser which is a lot faster than I.E. and also emulates the closest desktop surfing experience possible on a Windows Mobile smartphone. Skyfire also renders web pages better than Internet Explorer and overall takes better advantage of AT&T’s 3G network. In order to understand just how much faster Skyfire is, check out the loading time comparisons below.

Internet Explorer:
1:05 for ChipChick.com
8 Seconds for m.cnn.com

Skyfire:
23 Seconds for ChipChick.com
5 Seconds for m.cnn.com

E-mail:
Windows Mobile of course integrates with Microsoft Exchange beautifully and does a good job of playing nicely with imap and pop3 accounts. However, the Matrix Pro also comes with support for AT&T’s Xpress mail which is a $4.99 a month push email service that lets you get your mail as soon as the email server receives a new one. It’s compatible with most personal email accounts including Yahoo! Mail, AOL, Windows Live Hotmail (MSN, Hotmail and Live), Comcast, EarthLink, and others. Xpress Mail also saves the devices from running scheduled sync if there is no mail and it enables you to to sync contacts and schedules with your phone.

Multimedia:
A trial of MobiTV is included. MobiTV offers the ability to stream TV popular TV shows to your handset. I was able to watch streaming episodes of Lost without a hitch. Granted the screen isn’t big enough for watching video for serious lengths of time, but it was awesome being able to watch some TV while waiting for the train. Other notable preinstalled multimedia apps include Pandora for free music listening, a trial for XM radio Mobile and for MobiVJ which provides access to music videos, and there is also access to AT&T’s music shop.

As for audio and video playback, the device comes with the standard Windows Media Player which lets you access your music by artist, album, and genre. Album art and star ratings can also be viewed while listening to tracks. Unfortunately the Matrix Pro comes uses a proprietary headphone jack. The T-mobile G1 is guilty of the same offense. We can’t understand why companies would bother making a multimedia handset with anything but a 3.5mm jack. However, to their credit, at-least Pantech does ship the Matrix Pro with a 3.5mm adapter.

Camera:
The Matrix Pro sports a 2 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom. Both the camera and video recording/camcorder function give you a nice amount of options such different choices for white balance settings including Auto, daylight, cloudy, and fluorescent. You also have options for special effects: Normal, gray, sepia, and negative, and a self timer. The video recording is nothing to write home about with just a 176×144 resolution. But it’s a nice feature to have regardless. The camera photos also were just mediocre and like most other average camera phones, photos taken in the daylight came out much better. And unfortunately, the camera sorely lacks a flash.

Conclusion:
I have to be honest and admit that until now, I hadn’t paid all that much attention to Pantech’s handsets. But after spending time with the Pantech Matrix Pro, I have come away pleasantly surprised at what a solid phone it is overall. For those looking for the best of both worlds as far keypads, an affordable price tag, and a solid feature set for a business phone with decent multimedia capabilities, the Matrix Pro doesn’t disappoint. The Pantech Matrix Pro C820 retails for $179.99 with a 2 year contract from AT&T. Alternatively you can pick one up from Amazon for just $99 with a 2 year contract.

The Good:
Dual keypad form factor is very cool, great messaging and email abilities, good overall performance, fast internet browsing and multimedia streaming, good call quality, solid feature set.

Bad:
No Wi-Fi, lacks dedicated 3.5mm jack for audio, Windows Mobile isn’t the hot shot OS that it used to be, camera lacks flash and its photos are mediocre.