We get hands-on the Samsung Instinct S30, a couple AMOLED phones and the new Samsung Mondi Internet tablet. Check out our full impressions from CTIA 2009.
Samsung had a wide range of new mobile devices to show off at CTIA 2009 in Las Vegas. The company's TouchWiz interface has found its way onto a slew of new devices, including a new QWERTY slider from AT&T and the new flagship WiMAX tablet, the Samsung Mondi. The company is also making a big push for AMOLED screens. Active matrix OLED displays have a bright look with great color contrast for deep blacks and rich colors. Besides showing off the new AMOLED UltraTouch phone, Samsung also showed the technology on the consumer-focused Samsung Impression.
Samsung Mondi MID
 The star of the show might be the Samsung Mondi mobile Internet device (MID). The Samsung Mondi supports WiMAX only, so it isn't really a cellular phone at all, since it forgoes traditional cellular radios. With its large, 4.3-inch touchscreen, it isn't a device you'd want to hold up to your ear, anyway. The MID runs Windows Mobile 6.1, though it will possibly get the WinMo 6.5 upgrade due late this year. Atop Windows Mobile, Samsung is running a version of their TouchWIZ interface, complete with widget capabilities. When we first heard the idea, we were stoked. One problem we had with the TouchWIZ-capable Samsung Omnia was the small screen, too small to keep widgets organized, so using the same design on a much larger display made sense to us. In practice, the Samsung Mondi didn't look enough like its smaller TouchWIZ counterparts. The interface is nice and polished, and it looks like it was designed for a larger screen, instead of just blown up from a smaller size. Transitions looked great, and the device was plenty responsive to the touch. But we think the device would be more useful with a more traditional TouchWIZ look and feel, including the ubiquitous widgets bar and the useful icons that edge the screen on TouchWIZ phones (to see our comparison of Samsung's TouchWIZ phones, click here).
The keyboard on the Samsung Mondi could also use some work. Though the sliding form factor makes sense on a smaller phone, on this device the length of the screen means the keyboard is also a bit long. We couldn't get our thumbs from one side of the device to the other, so typing will be a two-fisted affair.
To test the WiMAX capabilities, Samsung set up a portable WiMAX node at the show in Las Vegas. We loaded up our own homepage, and while the device loaded our image-rich page quickly, it wasn't quite as fast as we were hoping for. We'd love to test the Samsung Mondi on a real world WiMAX network, currently only active in Baltimore and Portland, Oregon. Now that Nokia has backed their Nokia N810 Internet tablet out of the WiMAX scene, the door is wide open for Samsung to gain an early lead with this device. Clearwire promises to roll out network capacity in more than 80 markets by 2010, so let's hope they keep it.
Samsung Propel Pro, Samsung Impression and Samsung Magnet for AT&T
 Samsung also released a trio of messaging phones for AT&T, in professional, semi-pro and amateur flavors. The Samsung Propel Pro borrows its title and form factor from the consumer-oriented Samsung Propel, and we hope buyers aren't held back from considering this phone because of its unfortunate heritage. The Samsung Propel Pro was a tightly constructed, classy looking device, decked out in glossy gunmetal. We liked the style of this device very much, and it makes more sense to us than Samsung's higher-end business QWERTY phone on AT&T, the Samsung Epix. Besides the sliding form factor, we thought the Epix made poor use of its touchscreen and optical joystick, so we were happy to see those replaced on the Samsung Propel Pro. The phone uses Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard, the non-touch edition. The phone also gets a smooth joystick, instead of an optical mouse. Throw in Wi-Fi and a more reasonable price, and we can see the Samsung Propel Pro besting the Samsung Epix at the register in no time. It's worth noting that, like the Epix, the Propel Pro comes with a screen offering a resolution of 320 by 320 pixels, so your favorite Windows Mobile third-party app may not work properly. Price: $150 / $200. Release: April 14.
 For messaging fans who want a higher-end device, but don't need a full-fledged smartphone, the Samsung Impression offers some interesting options. The phone is a Samsung TouchWIZ phone, like the Samsung Eternity, though it doesn't get the AT&T Mobile TV service like the latter phone. That's too bad, because the Samsung Impression's key selling point seems to be its brilliant AMOLED display. The screen is bright and colorful, better than most other mobile screens we've seen here in Las Vegas. AMOLED technology is going to be a popular commodity very soon. The interface was responsive, but very simple. This is a basic carrier feature phone, and besides the TouchWIZ home screen, it lacks some of the visual panache that we're seeing on other carriers. Price: $200 / $250. Release: April 7.
 At the low end, the Samsung Magnet may lack features, but it should become available at a low launch price to entice simple messaging fans. The phone will use the basic AT&T setup (read: no Gmail allowed) for messaging, and will feature a simple WAP browser. This one will be a looker for the tween set.
Samsung Instinct S30 for Sprint
 As the successor to the popular Samsung Instinct on Sprint, the new Samsung Instinct S30 offers a few nice improvements over the original, but nothing too serious. The screen gets some improvement, and in our hands-on time with the phone we found it to be a hair more responsive than we remember the original Samsung Instinct. The UI has also seen a slight tweak, and the phone now ships with the Opera Mini 4.2 Web browser. Opera Mini is a good choice, a fast browser for Sprint's EV-DO network.
What's also interesting is the inclusion of Sprint's Mobile Email for Work application. With the Mobile Email app, users can access Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino server accounts. While it isn't true synchronization, as the e-mail, contacts and calendars for these accounts are compartmentalized into their own app, this still makes the phone more useful for business buyers than the average feature phone. With the new phone, Samsung also announced the availability of several APIs that will give developers deeper access to the phone's features, including the multimedia, productivity and camera features. Price: $130 / $230. Release: April 19.
Samsung S8300 UltraTouch, for the rest of the world
 Making its U.S. debut at CTIA 2009 is the Samsung 8300 UltraTouch. Samsung's flagship phone was announced earlier this year at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but this was our first chance to get our hands on the device. Unfortunately, we walked away less than impressed. Certainly, the large, 2.8-inch AMOLED screen was crisp and brilliant, the star of the show. But on this low-res screen, the TouchWIZ interface felt cramped. Samsung has added some intuitive new gestures, and we liked the 3D cube effect as we flicked between menu pages. We also liked the extensive video codec support, and DiVX movies looked great on the device.
Unfortunately for Samsung, we had just seen better. We'll have a full hands-on preview of LG's top new phones up shortly, but needless to say, Samsung has some catching up to do against its Korean rival. LG is sporting cooler-looking phones with equally impressive features, and much better interface design. Samsung seems committed to the TouchWIZ interface, so we hope that interface will evolve and become more useful. On the Samsung S8300 UltraTouch, it just didn't generate the lust it should have. Price: $450 (Import). Release: Out now.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Archive