Review Full marks to Samsung’s marketing folk for the Galaxy Fit’s go-getting name, but it’s actually a fairly low-end Android smart phone with an outdated OS, low resolution screen and less than speedy processor. That said, it has a few good points too, including a surprisingly good 5Mp Camera.
Exercise equipment? Samsung’s Galaxy Fit
Bearing a passing resemblance to the recently released Galaxy Mini (aren’t there an awful lot of Galaxys recently?) the Fit has a similar glossy black fascia surrounded by chrome-look trim on its gently curved edges. What looks like a D-pad beneath the screen is actually the Android home button, flanked by touch sensitive menu and back buttons (there’s no search). Read the rest of this entry »
Review Sometimes the Mark II versions of phones feel like they’ve had little more than a light skim with the update brush. Yet with the Samsung Galaxy S II, this is certainly not the case. While, the original Galaxy S was a fine handset, this latest refit includes dual core processor, stunning AMOLED screen, a fine 8Mp Camera, over-air syncing and more, all packed within one of the slimmest enclosures you’re likely to come across.
Second coming: Samsung Galaxy S II
The handset measures 125 x 66 x 8.5mm, which almost makes it feel more like a stretched out playing card than a top-of-the-range Android smartphone. Not only is it very slim, at 115g it’s very light too, though part of that can be attributed to the rather flimsy plastic back panel. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Samsung’s original Omnia created a bit of a stir amid its accompanying hype when it first appeared a year or so ago. While the general consensus was that it was clever and different, it didn’t quite have the X-factor to take on the very best of the touch screen smartphone brigade, which still has the iPhone as its enduring Joe McElderry.
Great view: Samsung’s Omnia II
Undaunted, Samsung has pushed ahead with the Omnia II, which has an improved screen, Windows Mobile 6.5 and a host of other new features. The screen size has been bumped by a full half inch to 3.7in, which takes it just over the iPhone mark, though you’d be hard pressed to tell without a ruler. More importantly though, the original Omnia’s LCD has been replaced with brighter, more efficient OLED technology.
Beneath the screen are call start and stop buttons flanking a hexagonal button which takes you to the configurable menu, which you can view as a list of icons or as the Samsung TouchWiz UI’s spinning cube. A long press also opens the task manager. Around the sides are a volume rocker, plus screen lock, return and Camera shutter buttons. The micro USB power/sync slot and 3.5mm headphone jack are on top. Read the rest of this entry »
Review HTC may have done it first, but now the Androids are starting to come thick and fast. Motorola got in early with the Dext, and all the major manufacturers are planning their own entry into Android land.
Samsung’s Galaxy: Android for the mainstream?
The Samsung Galaxy is the Korean giant’s first attempt and turns out to be a well specced, slimline, glossy black number similar on the surface to its earlier Jet. It boasts an OLED touchscreen, 5Mp Camera, HSDPA 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS and an impressive 8GB of onboard memory.
One of the great things about Android – which, lest we forget, is still in its early stages – is that it should be endlessly configurable. It’s fully open for developers to tweak, adjust and improve wherever they feel it to be necessary. HTC has given us a taste of the possibilities with the Sense UI in the Hero, and Motorola took social networking a stage further with Motoblur.
But despite charming us with its TouchWiz interface in the past, Samsung appears to have done very little with the basic Android UI. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Windows Mobile smartphones with miniature Qwerty keyboards are rarely extremely exciting to look at, and the Samsung GT-C6625 is a case in point. Blocky hardware and a somewhat old-fashioned design, makes it look a couple of years out of sync with the latest smartphone trends.
Samsung’s GT-C6625: no Wi-Fi, but HSDPA 3.6Mbps connectivity
But put that aside and what you have here is a serviceable smartphone for text creators, be that mobile email, writing documents or simply plentiful SMS work. Our review sample came from Vodafone, where it is free on business tariffs. You can also get it SIM free for prices around £130.
There is no point coming to this handset with expectations of the very latest geekery because you won’t find it. For a start, with Windows Mobile 6.5 just arrived its 6.1 Standard credentials might mean you decide to hang on for a successor with the updated operating system beating at its heart. Read the rest of this entry »
