Suggestions for Mobile Burn's Reviews.

[commedecargons]

I do think that we can actually improve the reviews from Mobile Burn following certain guidelines, which makes the reviewing process more linear, easier for users to read and search for detail information, and allowing new users to understand certain terms used. I stumbled upon many gadget/product reviewing websites, and none can compare to what this site does. I do think this is the best approach in reviewing products. Take a look shall we?

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz30/

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasoniclx1/

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/sonydscr1/

As we can see, this site follows strict flows of its reviewing process. Information can be easily reached. Specifications stated in a more professional and understandable way. And the testings of every aspect of the products were clearly defined and followed through. Since i do think that Mobile Burn's greatest strenght were the reviews provided. Hope MB can improve, improve and improve.

[Michael]

I've been reading DPReview for years, and its format is superb. But they have the advantage of reviewing devices that all basically do the same thing. Phones, on the other hand, do not play by those same rules. I'd much rather review cameras for a living - believe me. I have been into photography since I was in kindgergarten.

But I review phones: and some phones have keyboards, some cameras, some GPS, some MP3 players. Cameras, on the other hand, have lenses, a sensor, a shutter button, and potentially a flash. Of course that is an over-simplification, and there are variances and UI issues and such, but 99% of digital cameras can be summed up on the same spec sheet in direct comparison with one another.

That is not true of phones, where new "standard" features are added every couple of months.

As to other aspects of their review, such as the drop-down menu for the various sections, I've long wanted to implement them. The problem is that I am not only the editor, but also the programmer. That system would require a major refactoring of the site's code - something I have started multiple times but had to abandon because - what do you know - there are piles of phones to review and report on, and people demand that they be done "on time".

As to the style of DPreview being more professional, that's true. But the thing I most consistently receive praise about on the site is the more personable style of our reviews. I make no excuses for the style, it is the one I prefer to write in.

There are still plenty of things that DPreview does that could be incorporated into MB and benefit us - but the same coding issues play. My resources are limited. Phil at DPReview, on the other hand, easily pulls in 5 to 10 times as much ad revenue as we do, and has a full time staff of 4. We have a full time staff of 1, plus a part-timer in Brad, and some contract reviewers like Jin (which don't save me all that much time, since editing such reviews and the photos still takes 6 or 7 hours of my time).

Don't take this as me coming down on you Comme, or that we are not open to suggestions - because we certainly are. But just keep in mind that I can't simply wave a magic wand and make things change. And sometimes, even if I could, I wouldn't want to.

[jayesh]

fairly stated michael... I have seen the way a portal or a website is run ( a tech one now defunct ) ...

Coding = entirely a full blown team needed for a site expansion... to personalize ... visualize new growth ... etc... full blown $$ needed that may not be so easily forthcoming.

Editors... - Yes getting an editior is easy... getting one that is good and has a quick turn around time and is able to observe the unwritten rules as laid down by a webmaster or site owner for content... difficult.

comme what you propose is good.... but it would take a lot more of time and patience not to mention $$ and a resources ... ad revenues are not that easily forthcoming on very specific sites like mobile sites.... it encompasses a narrow field of interest that is often difficult to sustain ...

I am with michael on this one... even if he could unless it was absolutely worth his time and amount of patience and $$ one has to spend on keep a narrow focus website running its not worth going off in directions u cant afford to go in

[commedecargons]

Well, at least. (Just a suggestion)

We can roughly divide phones into three categories
1. Phones
2. PDA Phones
3. Communicators

Alot of users might regard the OS implemented as the standard, and proper way of differentiating between these categories of phones. But as you have mentioned earlier michael, form factors impacts the most as most what 'smartphones' offer in terms of a higher degree of versatility being able to customize softwares (For extended functionalities) non-smartphones can cater with in-built, extensive support of functionalities as well. Hence we can just simply categorize a S60 device, as a phone because for users who don't purchase softwares, a 7610 is just the same as any other 6230i.

Then the PDA phones, Personal Digital Assistants, with in built Bluetooth, Infrared, maybe WiFi, and lastly we take them simply as PDAs that has in built GSM/CDMA Radio. They are just PDAs with extended wireless connectivity. Nothing special.

And communicators, those devices that are more data centric as oppose to voice centric, offering users extensive support for emailing. These devices might range from something like 9500, to 6800, P910. Nothing to do with their OS.

Well, thats roughly my (Sadly, IMO) categorization of phones. And from here, we can start build comparison tables for these three types, exactly the same as what Dpreview does with SLR, Compact, and SLR-Like cameras. And from here, i do think that it will be easier for us list out the specifications for devices. And hence while reviewing, as oppose to cameras, state on the extras that devices with higher values (and hence comes functionality) can offer. (Such as cameras with wide lense, tele zooms and so on so forth)

So where do the testing starts? Well, maybe with Phone book functionality, ease of use, then proceed to SMS functions, Bluetooth profiles so on so forth. And after that, maybe we can go to testing on the multimedia capabilities, camera picture quality, media player's play list functionality, video recording and sharing functionalities. And then we go into reviewing the various aspects of the design of the phones, ergonomics, usr friendliness, screen quality, battery life and signal strength.

Lastly, forgive me for being only capable of (commenting, talk without doing kinda crap) but i believe if we leave out on the emphasisis of form factors, simplify the categorization of devices, the reviews that Mobile Burn offers can be stunning. These are just my suggestions, not something i loathe MB for. :)
Hope that people with more effort and time can contribute more to Mobile Burn. Count me out, I'm bad at reviewing. Lastly (yes, truly lastly) the interface, design of MB was IMO, not quite that attractive. This is from feedbacks from friends (non-phonefreaks) who i introduce to MB. They asked "Why MB looked like that!?" LOL.

Lastly, (again) keep it up Michael, wanna see this site grow more popular than HOFO; which is real crap in reviewing. :)