Ericsson have been making mobile phones for about as long as the industry has been around, but it wasn’t until the Sony-Ericsson brand was developed that they started to see real success in what has become an incredibly competitive market. Their partnership with the Japanese electronics company has developed a range of popular phones, for users who wanted a phone that was also a great camera and music player. But with the demand for smarter phones, how does the new Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 fair?

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10’s large 4 inch screen is one of the things that makes the phone stand out from the others on the market. The clear, bright display makes normal phone functions clear and easy to see, but you’ll appreciate it most when you’re browsing the internet, watching movies and taking pictures with the excellent camera.

Sony Ericsson have built a reputation on providing phones with great camera technology, and the Xperia X10 is no different. With 8 megapixels, the camera can be used to take photos as well as capture video. The LED flash and simple but effective settings interface mean that whatever it is you want to capture, the Xperia X10 will give you the kind of impressive results you won’t get from other mobiles, and even some digital cameras.

The Xperia X10 is powered by Google’s Android, although there is a Sony Ericsson influence that may not be to everyone’s taste - but you can edit and customize the phone, so even the most demanding user is sure to get the look and feel they want. The X10 flexes its smartphone muscles with a full range of features similar to the other top mobiles, such as GPS and WiFi, but the excellent Sony Ericsson music interface will leave others lacking.

The sleek looks of the Xperia X10 are not spoilt by the necessary buttons, which are tucked out of the way but easily found when needed, and simple enough to use. Sony Ericsson have spent a lot of time and effort looking at how they can make their phones more ergonomic, and the overall shape of the X10 is a product of this research. This makes the phone comfortable to hold, and gives it the looks to compete the other smartphones you can buy.

With great looks and packed full of the kind of features that leave some competitors embarrassed, it looks like Sony Ericsson may have come up with a smartphone worth considering alongside the Apples, HTCs and Blackberrys of this world. But with its impressive screen, powerful camera and quality music capability, some mobile users will find it may have more to offer them.

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HTC has been manufacturing smartphones for a number of years now, but it wasn’t until they switched to building them based on the Android operating system, that they started to see the success that has made them one of the big names in the market. Having created the Legend and Google’s Nexus One, HTC have now launched the HTC Desire. But what makes it better than the Legend, and as good as the Nexus One?

On the face of it, there doesn’t appear to be much difference between the Nexus One and the Desire. The Desire has a quality feel to it, even it it doesn’t benefit from the same unibody construction as the Nexus One. The touchscreen is a decent size and looks good, especially when you notice that it has both the traditional clickable buttons, as well as the additional ones located on the touchscreen. The optical trackball adds an air of sophistication without looking too delicate.

The Desire is pretty impressive on the inside too. Underneath the 3.7 inch AMOLED screen there’s a fast Snapdragon processor to make dealing with all the different apps and functions a fast and painless experience. HTC have also increased the RAM to 512MB just to make sure there’s enough memory to match the processing power.

The HTC Desire has excellent still and video capture capabilities, thanks to the 5 megapixel camera that comes with autofocus and an LED flash. Video recording might not be in full 720p hi definition, but it is a higher resolution than the Legend and the Nexus One. The Desire also captures photographs in the wider 5:3 format, which means you get a lot more out of your camera phone photography than you do with a lot of other smartphones.

Since abandoning Windows Mobile on most of its smartphones, HTC has forged ahead with Android, and the Desire demonstrates even further development with HTC’s Sense user interface. Overlaying the Android platform Sense works well and lets users easily and smoothly navigate around the phone. Recent additions to the Sense user interface have included the social network aggregator Friendstream, as well as the home screen manager Leap, and these only help to strengthen the case for the HTC Desire being a smartphone that people love to use.

From an almost standing start a few years ago, HTC has already proved they can manufacture the kind of smartphones that users want to buy. With high spec technology and impressive software, the HTC Desire simply reinforces this idea.

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The new iPhone 4 is already being hailed as the king of the smartphones, and it seems it’s getting harder for the other manufacturers to keep pace with Apple’s developments, and actually produce a smartphone that can put up a decent challenge. Well, Samsung has risen to that challenge with their latest offering, the Samsung Galaxy S - the best smartphone they have ever made. But is it a serious contender?

When you first see the Galaxy S, you notice how good looking it is, and even though there has been a fairly liberal use of plastic to keep the weight down, the chrome trim gives it a quality appearance and feel. The next thing you notice is the size of that screen, which comes in at a very impressive 4 inches, considerably larger than the iPhone 4.

The screen is even more impressive when it’s switched on. The high resolution Super AMOLED display makes everything come to life on the phone. Colors are bright and vibrant, and the superb contrast makes everything appear crisp and clear. The visual performance of the display is matched by its touchscreen capabilities, with a responsive touch that is easy and enjoyable to use.

The camera on the Galaxy S is more than adequate, if not quite as impressive as the display. At 5 megapixels, it compares well with the iPhone 4 and is only less than a couple of other smartphones, but it comes with a range of settings and options that mean you have more flexibility to get exactly the shot you want. There’s no flash, but night mode and full 720p HD video recording add some more value.

It’s when you are playing media on the Galaxy S that you start to think that this could actually be one of the best smartphone’s on the market. Samsung have worked hard to make the Samsung Galaxy S the best media player available, and if it isn’t, it’s pretty close - with the amazing screen for video, an impressive music player, and features like virtual surround sound. Plus there’s up to 48GB of storage, so you should have whatever you want to watch or listen, when you want it.

The Galaxy S has the latest version of the Android operating system, nicely overlaid with Samsung’s own Touchwiz interface. The hardware is of the quality you would expect from an iPhone challenger, with 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a powerful 1GHz processor and one of the largest batteries on the market, to keep everything moving.

With a range of apps available from Android as well as Samsung’s own offerings, and full integration for all your communication, from e-mail to text, and social networks to instant messaging, the Samsung Galaxy S will make sure you stay in touch, the way you want to.

The iPhone 4 is a tough act to beat, but the Samsung Galaxy S has all the credentials to put up a good fight. Will it win? It’s hard to say, as others have tried and failed. It will definitely give smartphone buyers a harder choice to make, and its impressive features will make sure enough of them come down on the side of the Samsung smartphone.

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For a name that’s as synonymous with mobile phones as Nokia, it’s sometimes hard to understand why they have never really been able to crack the smartphone market, at least not in the same way Apple and HTC have, and some of the other manufacturers are starting to. All this could be about to change however, as the Finnish mobile giant tries to make up for lost time and opportunities, with the launch of the N8. But does Nokia even know what it takes to make a competitive smartphone anymore, and if so, is the Nokia N8 it?

There’s no denying the Nokia N8 is a good looking phone, which is nothing new in today’s smartphone market, but is quite an achievement for Nokia. With attractive lines and good proportions it looks like Nokia has been taking design lessons. The shape and size are enhanced by the quality of the aluminum casing, which all works together to give the N8 the quality look and feel that offers a serious challenge to the current market leaders. The fact that there’s no way to remove the battery doesn’t just help make the phone look good, but also sends the message that Nokia have got the operating system right as well, and you won’t be fiddling around with the battery to try and reset your phone.

The 3.5 inch touchscreen display is a decent size without being anything outstanding, and is capable of providing clear and bright images on the N8. What is outstanding however, is the amazing 12 megapixel camera that Nokia has shoehorned into the N8. With claims that it is the best phone camera available anywhere, Nokia is obviously keen to demonstrate that it still has the ability to compete in the smartphone market. As well as the incredible still shots you would expect from such a hi-spec camera, you also get the ability to record video in 720p high definition. Plus, if the 3.5 inch screen on the N8 isn’t quite enough for you, the mini HDMI output that’s neatly tucked away, will let you hook it up to your HDTV and watch your videos in all their glory.

It will take more than an impressive camera for Nokia to get back in the game, and the inclusion of the new Symbian 3 operating system will certainly help. Although it’s an evolution of the previous versions, rather than a revolution, it’s a significant improvement. Combined with the powerful 1GHz processor, everything on the N8 moves smoothly, including the impressive music player - a prerequisite for any successful smartphone, that also benefits from the huge 16GB internal storage.

It’s not often that you find yourself getting excited about the launch of a Nokia smartphone, but this time it looks like the Nokia N8 could actually be a serious contender. As long as the headline grabbing improvements that Nokia has included all work together, the N8 could at last give Nokia a seat at the smartphone top table.

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Apple recently launched its new iPhone 4, in its usual understated blaze of publicity. With the PR making excited claims that Apple customers finally had more of the features they had been asking for since the last iPhone, and the usual army of Apple fans desperate to be the first to get their hands on one, do all the new features and the new look live up to all the hype?

Whereas you’d be hard pushed to tell a 3G and a 3GS apart, the iPhone 4 has a completely new look. It’s flatter, thinner, and even die-hard 3GS fans would probably admit that it has a much more stylish, high-end look to it. But its looks are just the start, and the appearance of an extra camera on the front, and an LED flash for the main camera, give you an idea of the extra features that have been crammed into this smaller, better-looking iPhone.

Switch the iPhone 4 on and you can’t help but notice the impressive new screen. Thanks to twice as many pixels as before, icons, photos, email text and webpages appear much clearer. The improvement in the display isn’t just limited to still images either. High resolution videos look much better, and the screen easily copes with bright sunlight and being viewed form different angles.

Manufacturers like Sony Ericsson, LG and Samsung have won an army of fans by providing up to 12 megapixels in their camera phones, and this is traditionally an area that the iPhone has struggled with. The new iPhone 4 however, levels the playing field, and while it’s new 5 megapixel camera might not sound that impressive, the improved light sensing and image handling mean that those wanting high quality photos and video from their phone, won’t be disappointed. A flash for the main camera and video calling via the smaller second camera, complete the improvements.

The iPhone 4 also has a totally new operating system with some very nice features. You can now arrange all your homepage icons into folders, so you have all the similar ones in the same place, and can extend the number of icons you get onto your homescreens. Plus, genuine multitasking is now possible with the iPhone 4, letting you work in a number of different apps at the same time, easily choosing which one you want as the rest continue to run in the background.

Those who thought the 3GS was good will love the new look and greater functionality offered by the iPhone 4. Would be Apple converts who might still be on the fence should get down and join the queue to get one. Apple has improved what many thought was already the best smartphone in the world, and is sure to win over a lot of new fans with its great looks, class-leading display and usability.

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Unlike the many different Blackberrys before it, the Blackberry Curve isn’t meant to be the kind of smartphone you find at business meetings and conferences. After many years of building a reputation for providing sophisticated smartphones for the business user, the Blackberry Curve is part of the company’s plans to make their phones appealing to a much wider audience. The increase in demand for smartphones has presented Blackberry with an opportunity for its unique looking phones, but can the Curve make the most of it?

The Curve looks unmistakably Blackberry, with its wide body and the trademark full QWERTY keyboard laid out over dozens of keys. While this may be an acquired taste, it does mean that the Curve has a decent sized screen, and unusually for the majority of phones on the market, it’s landscape layout gives it quite a nice widescreen appearance. To help convince consumers that the Curve doesn’t take itself too seriously, it comes in a variety of different colors, although most will probably want to stick to the basic black.

Whether is was to differentiate it from the business versions, or simply to cut costs and make the Curve more accessible to the consumer market, Blackberry have made a couple of changes. There is a trackpad instead of the trackball on other models, and the shiny chrome finish has been replaced by a more practical rubber one. Apart from that, it still looks and feels like the kind of quality phone you’d expect from Blackberry.

Blackberry hopes that consumers will love the Curve for the same reasons that business users have loved the other Blackberrys, and that’s for keeping in touch. With more and more smartphones being used for email and social networking, the Curve’s software and QWERTY keyboard, plus it’s WiFi connectivity, mean it’s ideal for this purpose, even if it lacks the 3G and GPS features of it’s more expensive smartphone competitors.

The processor and Blackberry operating system work well together, which means the Curve can easily keep up with the demands placed on it. Additional apps are available from Blackberry’s App World, and the interface makes it easy to navigate around everything, including the music player, which is surprisingly good, if not iTunes standard.

With the smartphone market dominated by the three or four big names, it looks like Blackberry is going to make the most of its business experience and provide a cheaper alternative that gives users what they want, in a way that lets them be a little different to the rest of the Apple, Google and HTC crowd.

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