Yesterday, Sunday 1st of February 2009 witnessed the premier of two of Anabel Mobile’s Windows Mobile powered smartphones.
The event was held at PC Outlet, The Palms, Victoria Island, and the MobiNaija team was there to see things for ourselves.
Anabel is marketing the PS100 as a “media and entertainment device”, and the PS185Y is touted as a “mobile internet device”. But there is very little to differentiate the two.
Both devices bear similar specs – actually there is no difference between the two devices except for their processors and displays. The PS100 is powered by Samsung ARM9 300MHz Skyworks Pegasus Q, while the PS185Y is powered by Samsung 2442 300MHz Infineon ULC2 processor.
The PS100 has a 2.4inch 240×320 65,000-colour TFT-LCD display, while the PS185Y sports a 2.4inch QVGA TFT display.
Beyond processor and display differences (and both processors are evenly clocked too), virtually everything else on the two phones are the same: camera, memory, audio, battery, and connectivity.
The two devices are compact and very handy (the PS185Y is slightly thinner than the PS100). I had a Windows mobile Samsung i900 “Omnia” with me, and was able to compare it with the PS185Y. The Omnia is longer and wider but thinner. Still, the PS185Y felt good in the hand. One needs to hold it to comprehend.
We played a bit with the interface on the PS185Y, and its good old boring Windows Mobile. The screen wasn’t as responsive as we would have loved, but hey we know many WinMo devices (including my Omnia) whose touchscreen displays are not as responsive as we would love them to be.
With so little differentiation in terms of functionality and features, the idea of a “mobile internet device” versus a “media and entertainment device” is sort of a non-starter.
Finally, both devices are GSM/GPRS. There’s no 3G – and not even EDGE. Come on, guys, this is 2009. How are busy top executives (the target segment of these devices) supposed to check and send emails with attachments, synchronise online and share data via VPN on creepy-crawly GPRS?
The PS100 is being offered for N49,900, while her sister, the PS185Y is going for N64,000 only.
Pictures from the event:
The PS185Y close-up
Tosin and Dayo
Anabel PS185Y side-by-side Samsung i900
Sasha and Tosin at the launch. Tosin says Sasha is her favourite musician
And lastly, here I am beside a shot of the yet-to-be-released PS200 QWERTY device
This post was written by
Mister Mobility – who has written 922 posts on Mobility blog.
Founder, Mobility blog, serial lifestyle entrepreneur, speaker, & writer. Charming, passionate, tenacious & non-conformist. Will dance! Follow him on Twitter @Mister_Mobility.
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February 12th, 2009 at 11:59 am Browsing with
this devices are overpriced!
no 3G? no Edge? no WiFi? 300MHz processor? QVGA Screen?
Honestly, i dont think the devices are worth the review. seriously.
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February 12th, 2009 at 12:41 pm Browsing with
@naijafan,
I agree with you on almost all the points you raised, but that the devices aren’t worth a review?
The purpose of a review is to give would-be mobile phone buyers an idea of what they are putting down their money for. As such any phone is worth reviewing.And this isn’t somuch a review as it is a report on an event anyway.
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August 31st, 2009 at 12:01 pm Browsing with
I heard of anabel sometimes ago and I needed a phone that will be good enough for my needs. I thought of this phone and decided to check it out. I’m disappointed I must say. In 2009 a phone that wants to compete with blackberry has no edge, no wif, no 3gi. Come on step guys…
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November 1st, 2009 at 9:58 pm Browsing with
hi.all,
This is one thing that Nigerian don’t always appreciate,we should learn to appreciate ourself, rather than buy foreign made products,for instance, an India man come to our country can clearly see that they do not use any other car than KIA,so i think this is just a stepping stone for anabel mobile,so let give them kodus for the job well done,
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November 1st, 2009 at 10:13 pm Browsing with
Bamidele,
Thanks for your comment.
A few points:
1. I have no problems with made-in-Nigeria goods. But I won’t be caught dead with a smartphone that runs on GPRS only in 2009 – at least not unless I do not have a choice.
2. What phone do you use? If it is not a Nigerian brand, why did you opt for it?
3. If you have a car, what brand is it? If it is not a Nigerian brand, what informed your choice?
Kia, by the way, is NOT an Indian brand. I am positive that it is Korean.
Cheers.
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