We have trialled the Nokia 7710 (which is the Nokia phone with the biggest screen resolution, at least until the launch of the N770 tablet in 3rd quarter  ). Personally, i would not recommend that device, as we do not believe it has been optimized enough for high resolution video playback, and is more for web browsing/email and normal smartphone functions. It is also quite expensive. If you are happy with a small screen (but still good resolution considering, playing QCIF: 176x144) then the Sony Ericsson K750i has very nice, non-jerky, playback, and it is also a great all-round multimedia phone, and only 99g in weight. Expect 15 fps, and up to 130kbps or so bandwith of MP4 file. Another small mobile with good video resolution playback is the Nokia 6230i (res. of 208x208, but playback only at QCIF too). Apple QuickTime Pro is recommended for encoding your video to .3GP (MP4) format for playback on both these phones. The Orange SPV C500 / iMate SP3i / T-Mobile SDA (windows mobile phones) also offer nice video playback in a small form factor phone. Slightly bigger more powerful phones include the Nokia 6630, Nokia 6680, and the more venerable Nokia 7610, Nokia 6600, and Siemens SX1. They all have good video playback in QCIF resolution(176 x 208), with the recent Nokia 6630/6680 offering the more powerful processors for better, smoother playback. Also, bigger symbian PDA phones like Sony Ericsson P910 / Motorola A1000 are possible choices (with bigger screens: 300 x 208 i think), though not specifically optimised for video playback in terms of CPU power, hence 15 fps again. Other options to look at are the bigger Windows Mobiles PDA phones, mainly manufacturered by HTC (iMate).. These come in the guise of the O2 XDA IIs, Orange SPV M2000, and MDA Compact. They can do nice 320x240 playback, though you will compromise a little on fps and bandwith (compared to the native original quality). For better fps and resolution, another option for you include high-end 640x480 PDAs, like the Fujitsu Siemens Loox 720, HP hx4700, or Dell Axim x50v. This might be worth considering, especially if you have no need for widescreen video playback. Check this link for some screenshots of The Matrix trailer on our Loox 720: "The Matrix" movile trailer shown on the Fujitsu Siemens Loox 720 with Kingmax Platinum 1GB SD memory card . Those with a 624mhz Intel processor are now able to handle hi-def 30fps video playback. For both the Windows and Symbian phones, a firm called LonelyCatGames do a nice product "SmartMovie" that tries to make the most of the available screen resolution on the device and the amount of grunt processing power. Available from this link: SmartMovie software for mobile phone Playback, and Conversion Also, look at Mobiclip for alternative encoding/playback software for windows mobile/symbian smartphones. Now for another possibility which we believe will give you amazing mobile impact with your customer/clients right now.... and that is the Sony PSP (Playstation Portable)... I can safely say that this is far and away the best optimized device for mobile MP4 video playback available, with a beautiful 16:9 widescreen high-resolution screen and a dedicated GPU (Graphics processing Unit) which makes a world of difference for better frame rates (fps - frames per second), and it can handle MP4 bandwidths up to 1500kbps.. way beyond that possible with processors in smartphones.. (normally 128kbps or 192kbps is max possible there). There is only one word to describe watching your first video on a PSP, and that is "AWESOME"  (esp. off the UMD video disks produced by Sony). Only one downside is that Sony has prevented the PSP from allowing playback from memory stick media at the full native resolution. Maximum possible is 320x240/30fps/1500kbps (Stereo/128kbps), and widescreen: 368x208/30fps/1500kbps (Stereo/128kbps). The native resolution of the PSP is 480x272 but Sony wants to ensure they shift lots of their UMD Video disks, and for the time being, they have not released a UMD disk burner.. Not sure if they ever will. Still, in our opinion, the 368x208 option off memory stick is VERY impressive, and the excellent 30 frames per second and smooth playback gives a high-quality feel. The other big benefit is that Sony is encouraging lots of sales (due to the business model being driven by games and UMD video disk sales) and so in US, the device-only can be picked up from $250... a bargain for such a powerful machine. If you are UK based, i will be able to recommend a reliable legitimate importer for you, and if bought without games, the device would be from about £180 inc VAT in value pack. ps. watch out for some screenshots we will be posting up on the Sony PSP very soon.. For converting your high-resolution video into PSP compatible MP4 video, then try this conversion software: http://www.pspvideo9.com/ ( FREEWARE too) Aside from the device you actually choose, the rest of the mobile video kit which are essential for you will include: 1. A big memory card (or 2) to carry a selection of MP4 video files. I would suggest a 1 GB capacity or bigger, if you want to keep a folder structure and multiple demo videos etc.. For Nokia 6630/6680 -- our 512MB MMCMobile card is the ideal choice, currently ATP chip memory. Very high-speed and brand new format giving good future-proofing to work with (Nokia) mobiles of the future. For Sony Ericsson K750i / Sony PSP --> 1GB Memory Stick PRO DUO for K750i would be ideal. We have new stock of these arriving Monday. For smaller Windows mobile (Orange C500/T-Mobile SDA), then our high-grade fast (SLC-chip) 1GB mini-SD memory card is ideal. For PDA/larger Windows mobile (O2 XDA IIs, Orange SPV M2000, Dell Axim x50v, Loox 720 etc), then the Kingmax 1GB SD memory card is a great card, and we offer 2GB SanDisk (standard and soon new Ulta II high-speed format from Monday ) USB2 Memory Card Reader We offer single card readers for each memory card type ( SD/MMC Reader, MS PRO DUO Reader, mini-SD Reader etc..) If you need compatibility with more than one memory card type then the USB2 23-in-1 card reader would be a great option. With a card reader, you are able to create your MP4 (.mp4 or .3gp) video file using your video file conversion software (depending on target device) on your PC hard drive, and then through Windows Explorer you can copy and paste the video files straight to your memory card, which will be recognized as a [Removable Drive] with its own drive letter.. Depending on the type of memory card (and using our USB2 readers with a USB2 desktop/laptop PC), then transfer speeds of 5mb p/s and above are possible.. This is much faster than other means of transferring video to your mobile memory, such as manufacturers USB cable, or bluetooth. Then you insert the memory card back in your device, and you are up and running. My final Recommendation: If you werre looking for my "IDEAL" choice, with money as no object it would be a combination buy: Sony PSP + Sony Ericsson K750i + 1GB Memory Stick PRO DUO (or 2, supplied by us ) + our USB2 Memory stick PRO DUO card reader (or our USB2 23-in-1 card reader for multi-format compatibility) This would give you a great mobile phone, which is capable of playing the same memory card/s (so you share the cost on those accessories) as the Sony PSP, which would really give your corporate movies a powerful impact with clients, and so you can have best of both worlds i suppose. Of course, if you have kids, you might struggle to keep hold of the PSP for long !! Also, the PSP is a subsidized device, and so is great value, and the K750i is now coming out on free upgrades with most UK standard tariff operators. Would recommend Carphone Warehouse on this as they have good stocks on K750i (or they did last time i checked). Another thing that might sway you was that if you wanted/need a GPS device as well, then a high-end PDA like the Dell Axim X50v or Loox 720 is worth looking at (they work great with our 1GB Kingmax SD, and 2GB SanDisk SD cards). Then you can get a GPS kit from likes of Tom Tom for GPS in your card. Same argument works for Orange SPV M2000 / O2 XDA IIs, although you will have a little less video playback power in these (based on intel 400mhz chip) For smartphones, i would go with Nokia 6630/6680. Very smooth video playback, powerful phone, and currently the best 3G reception strength we have found in the UK (our model is on Three network but much much better on reception strength than other Three mobiles we have). For small multimedia phone with video playback, then probably i would go for the Sony Ericsson K750i... though Nokia 6230i is very close behind (for traditional phone functions like battery life, reception, call quality etc... then the Nokia is still the winner on these ). Lots of choices... and of course, not everyone will agree with me  Please lets hear some other opinions and real-life experiences/problems .. on the best mobile video device out there.. Cheers |