Samsung U900 Soul: Great touchpad and minimalist chic design!

• Author: Moby
• Filed under: Samsung
• Date: Feb 22,2008

Unlike most of Samsung’s phones which just contain the model number and are devoid of a name the Samsung U900 Soul is markedly different. Samsung has not just named this phone but has also gone ahead with a major marketing drive. So is this hype warranted?

Design aspects

In terms of design the Samsung U900 Soul is slim and trendy looking and has the slider mechanism as found in most of their phones. The uncanny resemblance to the LG KF600 cannot be ignored. The sliding mechanism is pretty high end what with slick movement and ease of use. In addition the phone’s design is nothing to rave about although it does have an intuitive Touchscreen interface. Encased in a complete metallic body the phone presents the image of minimalist design with an ultra chic element to it.

Feature rich phone

The Samsung U900 Soul comes with an inbuilt camera with a capacity of 5 megapixels which is much better than most of the phones today. However the camera is devoid of the zoom feature. The phone comes with HSPDA 3G connectivity of around 7.2 Mbps. This again is much above average as compared to several other Touchscreen phones of today. The built in FM radio player also has RDS support. The highlight of the Samsung U900 Soul seems to lie in its interesting and easy to use touchpad. The contextual touchscreen is an added advantage in the phone and it is extremely easy to browse through playbacks, menus and navigate through the various controls on the touchscreen.

Performance aspects

The Samsung U900 Soul has several high end aspects such as the 5 Megapixel camera and fast networking of 7.2 Mpbs HSPDA. These features make for a phone that has above average performance. While browsing through controls and navigation is easy there is still a certain level of innovation left to be desired in the phone. The improved touchpad mechanism is a definite plus in the Samsung U900 Soul which again offers enhanced user friendliness. The phone lacks WiFi but this can be ignored once you consider the superior camera performance and fast connectivity speeds. While the phone does look chic enough when compared to other phones in the market it lags a little behind. Battery life can be expected to be much above average as all Samsung phones are known to have superior battery quality. The great thing about the Samsung U900 Soul though is that when you consider the various features it has and the price of the phone it works out to be a very good deal. Maybe that is the reason why people are so eager to purchase the phone already!

Overall outlook

Going by the looks of it the Samsung U900 Soul seems set to conquer the market. Its relatively good features coupled with the low price it comes at makes for a large consumer base. Besides this the innovative and improved touchpad aids in the navigability factor. On the whole the Samsung U900 Soul can be great to have if you are part of the fashion market!

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tagged: LG, Touchscreen, 3G, Touch, PDA, Samsung, 5 megapixel, KF600, Soul, U900, HSDPA, Autofocus

The Nokia N95 8GB: The N95 Now Made Way Even Better

• Author: Moby
• Filed under: Nokia
• Date: Feb 22,2008

The phones Nokia has been coming up with in the recent years are very impressive - and they have done it yet again with the N95 8GB. It is one of the most technically advanced of all smart phones that we have seen.

The N95 by Nokia features amazing network connectivity (read: GPS, Wi-Fi, 3G and HSDPA) plus a 5-megapixel autofocus all wrapper in an unbelievably sleek and minute package. The N95 8GB features all these as well as it is its updated version. Though the N95 8GB proves to be a little chunkier than its older brother, it makes up for the additional weight quite well.

The 8GB version is packed with a larger screen for a more exciting viewing experience. The navigation keys at the bottom have been made smaller, yet easier to press. We also noticed how response time is quicker for this unit, and boot-up time is quicker by many notches. Very notable is its black casing, which made this phone sexier and more classy. Another thing we found interesting though is its two-way sliding mechanism which allows hiding of playback keys when the phone is not in use. The two plates of the slider are not prone to shifting, which we found very annoying with the N95 predecessor.

The omission of the expansion card slot in the 8GB version is noteworthy. Though it already has a huge onboard flash memory, we still find it unfortunate that this phone has stripped us of the freedom to expand memory and to switch memory cards. Nonetheless, being a multimedia mammoth, it allows you to install as many applications as you can.

If you think the N95’s camera cover is a good feature, you will be disappointed to know that the 8GB version has done away with that. On the other hand, this can actually be great as it avoids the chances of accidentally activating the camera on your pocket which can happen very often with the N95.

Nokia has tried to come up with a solution to the complaints of many N95 users when it comes to battery life. The N95 8GB comes with a larger capacity 1200mAh BL-6F battery which does make a difference, although only to a slight extent.

We have always found upgraded versions of old mobile phone models disappointing. However, the N95 8GB is surprisingly not disappointing at all. Needless to say, Nokia did a satisfactory job in addressing most of the issues that came with the original N95, and the N95 8GB is definitely a good successor. The bigger screen, fashionable black shade, increased RAM, and more compact built are among the few things to like about this handset. However, if you currently own an N95, we won’t find it practical to upgrade to an 8GB and spend $100.

For what it’s worth, the N05 8GB is still one of the most feature-filled handsets to ever enter the market. In fact, it has been difficult for us to compare it with another phone at par with its features.

The Nokia N95 is available for $679.89 at ElephantCellular

tagged: 5-megapixel, 3G, HSDPA, GPS, PDA, Wi-Fi, Nokia, 8GB N95, Symbian, Smartphone