Camera Phones Plaza

It seems like Samsung is still rebranding and repositioning every phone in their portfolio. It's not just the camera phone orientated, or multimedia phones, or even the business phones that are getting a rebranding over the limit. It's quite clear that Samsung is mostly trying to put on the market some brand new lines. And yes, some of these lines do contain products with the same overview but different feature approach and distinctive price tag.
<-300x250 Medium Rectangle - center->
On a previous occasion I wrote about the Samsung entry level audio orientated phone, which delivered under average and average performances for a small price tag. There were two sliders and one clamshell. These three phones were announced in June this summer, and released two months later in August. However, Samsung didn't release the "M" line for cheap music orientated phones.

The first of its kind was released this year in February and by know it still the proud owner of an excellent design. The Samsung M7603 or Samsung M7600 Beat DJ also known as Samsung Platine includes an excellent design. Although, it clear that packs the same strange colors found on the three cheaper models, the M7600 Beat DJ looks more attractive and successfully integrates several designs, because at a first glance you can't really understand that this is a phone. It might look like jewelry, or a mobile game platform, but M7600 Beat DJ is at its core a mobile phone.

Beside the unique design, the Samsung Platine also sports other key features such as the WQVGA AMOLED touch screen display, 3.2 megapixel digital camera, 8 GB memory card included in the retail package, GPS receiver, 3.5 mm audio jack, Office document viewing, and excellent music player. Even so, this Samsung model also includes several main disadvantages, such as the slightly slow interface, and no full keyboard either mechanical or digital on screen.

With the new M7600 Beat DJ Samsung is trying to improve its music line, and this phone might just be a strong competitor for that matter of fact. Samsung M7600 Beat DJ can easily fight Sony Ericsson Walkman phone models and Nokia Xpress Music phone models. Even so, it is impossible for the Platine to be compared with the iPhone (especially the 3GS model), or the new X6 from Nokia which is certainly a new instance in this game. Even if, the M7600 Beat DJ sports an excellent design, the materials used in the build are all plastic. These plastics are painted in three different colors (the M line colors). However, Samsung included in this design nice finishes like the metallic frame and the glossy surface that surrounds the touch screen display. So, the metallic frame with black glossy cover and dark grey with vibrant violet might be something that only a few users are looking phone.



Again, Samsung is not conservative at all and included in the market a strange looking with strange colors phone. I am just going to say it. It frustrating not to know which the bottom side is and which is the top side of this phone. You probably have to look on the back cover to see where the camera lens is to understand how you should hold this phone. Even so, above the display you get the small earpiece and the ambient light sensor. Beside these two elements, Samsung also included a second digital camera for enabling the video calls. Below the display you will find a dark grey looking line. Believe it or not that line actually contains both the call key, the end call key, and centered between them the back key.

Unfortunately a point in minus is the fact that these keys are not visible at all. Even more frustrating is that between this keys line and the display you get the virtual keys for controlling the music. Not even these keys are noticeable. Better read the user manual before starting to use the M7600 Beat DJ. On the left side of the phone you get the volume controls, the lock display switch and the micro USB port which is covered by a purple plastic (what else). On the other side you can easily find the memory card slot (micro SD), and the special camera key. On the top, Samsung added the 3.5 mm audio jack, also covered by a purple plastic cap, while on the bottom you get the stereo speakers. Everything with this phone is symmetrical.

If you enjoy geometric figures and element like median and other special features then this phone might just surprise you day by day with something new. On the upper center of the M7600 Beat DJ you get the 3.2 megapixel digital camera lenses with a dual LED flash. Overall, if we let the design apart, this phone is extremely well built, and it proudly caries on the Samsung quality build. Samsung M7600 Beat DJ runs in 2 G network - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 and in the 3G networks UMTS 900 / 2100. Because of its dimensions, this phone doesn't sport a 3 inches display. With a height of 112 mm, wide of 51 mm, deep of 13.9 mm, the M7600 Beat DJ weight about 99.7 grams.

Samsung included in this phone an 2.8 inches AMOLED capacitive touch screen with a maximum resolution of 16 million colors and a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels and an included accelerometer sensor for a better usability.  The display is great, offers vibrant colors, and it delivers good brightness even in direct sun contact. Samsung included in this phone about 50 MB onboard (small unit for a music oriented phone). Therefore, the memory card was necessary to be part of the retail box. The Platine is compatible with micro SD memory cards (Trans Flash memory cards) up to 16 GB. The connectivity is ensured by the BPRS Class 10 with 4+1 / 3+2 with a various speed starting from 32 Kb per second to 48 Kb per second, HSCSD, Class 10 EDGE with a maximum speed of 236.8 Kb per second, version 2.0 micro USB connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, and HSDPA.

However, this phone lacks Wi-Fi. Therefore, it lacks a full connectivity package. The digital camera included has a value of 3.15 megapixels and can take pictures with a maximum resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. It sports auto focus, LED flash, face and smile detection and Geo tagging. Although this camera is not state of the art, these features with the quality pictures taken provide excellent user experience. You can also use this camera to record some videos in VGA mode with 15 frames per second.

The Touch Wiz interface is good. The phone works not extremely fast, but it does the job in optimal time. This interface it is fully customizable. Also the operating system includes excellent features such as the media player, the Office document reader, the organizer, calendar, phone book and many others. Samsung included in this phone a rather small battery for a touch screen device, a Lithium Ion with 960 mAh, which should provide about 400 hours of standby time in 2G networks and 300 hours of standby time in 3G networks.

Also, the talk time vary from 7 hours in the 2G network to 4 hours and 30 minutes in the 3G network. For an average user these values mean about 3 days of battery autonomy. In the retail box, Samsung added beside the phone and battery, the charger, the 3.5 mm headset with remote, the CD software, the USB cable, and the 8 GB memory card. Overall, the M7600 Beat DJ is a solid phone with a nice retail box. Probably the decision factor over to buy it or not will remain the "love it or hate it" design, which is found on every phone in the "M" line from Samsung.

It is no surprise that manufacturers are continuously trying to improve all the phone ranges, in order for their portfolio to be up to date. Unfortunately, this is not always good for some of the mobile phone manufacturers. To understand the bigger picture, let's take two manufacturers, Nokia and Samsung. As you might have noticed by now, Nokia is more conservative when it comes to entry level models. It never really released a true entry level range. However, Nokia does include in its portfolio several entry level models, which provide (depending on their price tag) different features for all the potential customers.
<-300x250 Medium Rectangle - center->
Most of this Nokia phones carry the logo "classic" end are labeled as being part of "2xxx". Samsung, on the other side, is trying desperately to improve its leadership positioning by adding on the entry level phone range not only middle range features but also a complete line with different form factors phones. One of this new lines, released by Samsung this summer, is the M2x10. It contains three models, M2310 a clamshell mobile phone, M2510 slider phone, and M2710 also a slider. The Samsung M2310 can be considered the entry level in this new line.

Its design respects the line's pattern providing a nice silver finish (plastic) with purple on the outside, while once opened the M2310 sports a matte black plastic with a purple keyboard. The design is either lovable or hate able. Basically, it is up to you if it worth even looking at it. The dimensions and weight makes the M2310 ultraportable and easy to slide into any pocket. This phone has a height of 93 mm, wide of 45 mm, deep of 17.6 mm; the M2310 weights about 84.7 grams. The build quality is good, not exceptional, due to too much plastic used, but good. All the keys offer a nice feedback, but they feel kind of cheap when you touch them.

Samsung enabled only GSM calls within this device, with the 2G network GSM 850 / 900/ 1800 /1900. The external 1.1 inches display is too small with only 96 x 96 pixels resolution. Compared with the lid's height a 1.1 inches display is way too small for a 2009 phone. The internal display sports a 2 inches diagonal screen with TFT technology rendering up to 256000 colors on a 176 x 220 pixels resolution. Nice features are the dedicated music keys, the integrated 3.5 mm audio jack, and not only the MP3 - WMA - eAAC player but also the MP4 and 3GP player. However, the small internal memory (9 MB) won't be enough not even for your pictures. Therefore, Samsung added in the spec list a memory card slot, compatible with micro SD memory card and Trans Flash memory cards up to 8 GB.


The connectivity is ensured by GPRS Class 10 with 4 + 1 / 3 + 2 slots, 32 Kb per second to 48 Kb per second, HSCSD, Class 10 EDGE (up to 236.8 Kb per second), version 2.0 micro USB connection, and Bluetooth version 2.1 with A2DP. Both 3G and WLAN lack from this phone. Samsung included in the M2310 an 800 mAh Lithium Ion battery which should provide about 350 hours of standby time and 7 hours and 30 minutes of talk time. For an average user these values mean about 2 and half days of autonomy. Another feature of the M2310 is the built in VGA camera which can take pictures at a maximum resolution of 640 x 480 pixels (video recording is also available in QCIF with 15 frames per second). Overall if you like the design Samsung M2310 is an entry level music oriented phone.

The second phone model available in this line, M2510 provides a different form factor design, but keeps the same colors and curve lines. Therefore the phone is made out of black plastic (on the front cover and keyboard, this plastic will be a little slippery, but by far glossy) with several purple finishes. Just like the M2310, the M2510's design sports the "love it or hate it" motto. The build quality is the same as the one found in the M2310. The M2510 runs only in 2G network, GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900. With a height of 99.5 mm, wide of 46.5 mm, deep of 15.7 mm, the M2510 weights about 90.5 grams, making it, just like the M2310, very portable and easy to handle.


You basically get the same resolution of the M2310 (176 x 220 pixels) on a 2.2 inches display found on the M2510. The display has the TFT technology sporting about 256000 colors. Also present on this phone, are the 3.5 mm audio jack and the dedicated music keys. The onboard memory is in the M2510 about 15 MB; expandable using the micro SD memory cards (Trans Flash memory cards) up to 8 GB. The connectivity is ensured by the Class 10 GPRS  (4+1 / 3+2 slots) with a various speed from 32 Kb per second to 48 Kb per second, HSCSD, Class 10 EDGE with a speed up to 236.8 Kb per second, micro USB connectivity and 2.0 Bluetooth with A2DP.

The 1.3 megapixel digital camera included in the M2510 provides even with the maximum resolution of 1280 x 1024 pixels mediocre pictures. Samsung included in the M2510 the same battery as in the M2310, the Lithium Ion with 800 mAh, offering about 360 hours of standby time and 8 hours of talk time. Overall, the M2510 doesn't bring many changes that M2310. The main difference is the form factor. The last phone in this line, M2710 sports a clearly better design. You get nice plastic materials, that don't feel cheap. The black really works with the blue, and the keyboard has a nice metallic finish.


The build quality was improved, and the functionality was raised with the improved feedback of all the keys, either navigational or alphanumerical. Unfortunately, M2710 lacks 3G, and runs only in 2G in GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900. With a height of 96 mm, wide of 46 mm, deep of 16 mm, the M2710 weights about 95 grams, keeping a small profile. Samsung included in the M2710 a 2.1 inches TFT display with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels capable of rendering about 256000 colors, and featuring an accelerometer sensor. This phone also includes the dedicated music keys and the 3.5 mm audio jack. However, the built in memory (of only 20 MB) has to be expanded using micro SC memory cards, Trans Flash memory cards with the highest accepted value of 16 GB.

The connectivity is basically the same, sporting the Class 10 GPRS with 32 Kb per second to 48 Kb per second, Class 6 GPRS with 177.6 Kb per second, HSCSD, Bluetooth version 2.0 with A2DP and micro USB connectivity. The same Lithium Ion battery is included in the M2710. Overall, Samsung created an interesting cheap music orientated phone line. However, it lacks conservationism, trying too hard to look attractive (while in fact for some M2310 and M2510 might look horrible). For now, Nokia still offers better entry level phones with its "2xxx classic" phones.

Look around you. What do you see, a wall, a bed, a window? Look out the window, what do you see? Maybe you can see a building, or traffic, or pollution. Take a closer look now. Try to see the trees, the sky, the nature, and all the manufacturers that are trying to take advantage over the last environmental problem. Yes it is true; you can't escape all the noise and pollution, unless you are able to make yoga mind exercises. It is not all about, the cars and laptops, and other devices. The environmental problem started to spread among the mobile phone manufacturers. That is how Samsung S7550 Blue Earth was born. Yes, Samsung imagines an eco friendly phone as being blue, not green, but just blue.
<-300x250 Medium Rectangle - center->
However, Samsung did quite hire the smartest advertisers out there, because Earth will always be blue, no matter the pollution, but green symbolizes nature, which is starting to disappear. Therefore, Samsung you whole nature eco friendly phone started its carrier with an inappropriate name. Even so, the action is good as a statement.

The whole direction of the human kind, should be more eco friendly, and friendly overall; because this nature friendly campaign is another way for the rich industrial people to influence the society in a new direction; which is bad, because society shouldn't be influenced, but is good because we are advised to accept a more peaceful state of being. Focusing our attention to Samsung S7550 Blue Earth, the first thing I can notice is the excellent design. It looks much better than any other Samsung devices; as a matter of fact it even looks better than any other touch screen phone on the market.

The main eco feature in the Samsung S7550 Blue Earth is the solar panels on its back cover. Also the phone is made out of recycled bottle water and the retail box is made out of recycled paper. Therefore, Samsung released the first solar powered touch screen phone on the market. the main disadvantages are quite obvious (however keep in mind that this phone is the first in its range) the S7550 is not that thin at all, the grip is not that good especially because of the solar panel on the back (you have to be really careful with this phone), and just a 3 megapixel digital camera with no auto focus. After a first look at the Samsung S7550 Blue Earth you firstly see a similar resemblance with the Samsung Corby (S3650).  At a better look you are probably going to notice some differences.


The phone brings nice curve shapes, and the dark to light coloring really makes this phone more attractive than it is. The build quality is remarkable, especially when you take into consideration that it was made out of bottles of water. On the front cover, above the display you can find the earpiece and the second digital camera for enabling the video calls. Under the display you can find three keys, the call key, the end call key, and the back key positioned in the center point between the calling keys. The top of the S7550 Blue Earth doesn't sport any ports or buttons.

The bottom of the S7550 Blue Earth includes the microphone pin hole. On the right side you will find the hold key and the shutter key, and also the connectivity port (which is covered). On the opposite side you can find only the volume control key. On the back side, the Samsung S7550 Blue Earth sports in the upper center the 3 megapixel digital camera lenses.

The loud speaker and Samsung logo are placed on the bottom of the back cover. Between the logo and the camera, Samsung included the solar panel. Under the back cover you can find the battery, the SIM card slot, and the micro SD memory card slot. The building quality is great, no flex and no weird noises. The phone looks somewhat stylish. With a height of 108 mm, wide of 53 mm, deep of 14 mm, S7550 Blue Earth weight about 118.9 grams. The only disadvantage of this phone's design, is the somewhat fingerprint magnet found on the back cover where the solar panel is located.

Therefore, for some people this phone will seem slippery. Samsung S7550 Blue Earth runs in 2G networks - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 and in 3G networks - HSDPA 900 / 2100. Samsung included in S7550 Blue Earth a 3 inches TFT capacitive touch screen with a WQVGA resolution (240 x 400 pixels).


This display can sport up to 16 million colors. As features you get an accelerometer sensor and smart unlock. Everything is quite great until the touch screen hits the sunlight. When this happens the visibility is affected pretty badly. And this is somewhat strange, since this phone includes solar panels. Therefore, why didn't Samsung thought that people will keep their phone under the sunlight. The phone comes with the latest user interface, Touch Wiz II. This interface is not only great to look at but also fully customizable. Basically if you are familiar with Samsung Jet, you will know who everything works in the S7550 Blue Earth. You should install a weather widget, since you need to know when the sun will not be in the clouds.

The menu is well structured and doesn't create any problems at all. Feel free to create any shortcuts you might need and move them on the first page of the menu. If your concern is regarding the basic functions of this phone then rest assured that everything works just fine.


The call function is great, organizer and calendar are business quality applications, and the phonebook provides sufficient details for every entry.

You even get good audio quality playback. Basically this eco friendly mobile phone is extremely well built in the inside and on the outside, with a few minor drawbacks, but then again what regular phone doesn't include beside great features some drawbacks also. The connectivity is ensured by the Class 12 GPRS (4 + 1 / 3 + 2 / 2 + 3 / 1 + 4 slots) with 32 Kb per second to 45 Kb per second, EDGE Class 12, HSCSD, HSDPA with 3.6 MB per second, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, USB version 2.0 connectivity, and Bluetooth version 2.1 with A2DP profile.

Samsung ships the S7550 Blue Earth with an internal memory of 180 MB, expandable by using micro SD memory card slots or Trans Flash memory card slots up to 16 GB. This phone is definitely not camera orientated, because it only sports a 3.15 megapixel digital camera, with a maximum resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels, fixed focus and featuring a smile detection program. It can also record videos in QVGA mode with 30 frames per second. The camera performs well, average for these times. Samsung included in S7550 Blue Earth a 1080 mAh Lithium Ion battery. A certain time of standby or talk time is impossible to determine hence the solar panel, recharges the battery continuously. One hour of solar charging means about 2 hours of standby time, 15 minutes of talk time in 2G network and 10 minutes of talk time in 3G networks.

Just like the watch mobile phones, the solar power mobile phones, have still some major improvement to suffer. However, for the time being Samsung S7550 Blue Earth can be considered a milestone in the mobile phone history, because other manufacturers already announced similar products on their way. Therefore, green all the way or maybe in Samsung style, blue all the way, for a non polluted environment.

By now you probably already know that Samsung's response to iPhone was the Omnia. Samsung Omnia is a remarkable phone, with excellent features and a great specs list. Unfortunately for Omnia, it was created by Samsung, which is known for having products with a short life time. If you are wondering what else can Samsung do to improve the Omnia, then you are going to be happy to know that the upgraded Omnia is on its way. Samsung is re marketing the Omnia 2.0 to leave behind the competition with the Apple devices (iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS), and to step in another level of competition. Omnia was branded as a nice multimedia phone, with an excellent digital camera, good touch screen, and large internal memory.
<-300x250 Medium Rectangle - center->
The next Omnia, simply named Omnia II (or if you enjoy value names Omnia 2.0), is grabbing a bite out of the business range. This shouldn't surprise you if you are watching the ongoing evolution of Samsung mobile phones lines. Samsung provides for the 2009 line up, PIXON for the camera phones, Jet for the middle to high end touch screen multimedia phones, Corby for the entry level touch screen mobile phones, and Omnia for the multimedia meets business touch screen phones. The first competitor for the Omnia II is HTC Touch Diamond 2.

Unfortunately for the HTC model, Omnia II will win in a direct competition because of all the excellent features it packs. Don't hurry, I will present step by step this excellent features, but before we get going with all the praises let's see the main disadvantages found onboard the Samsung Omni II. Not many at number, but enough to make you think if you want to buy the Omnia II. First of all the camera lacks xenon flash (this was expected since the Omnia II is not a camera phone orientated); the digital camera found on Omnia II also lacks lens cover.

The display sports only 65000 colors (small value for its 3.7 inches diagonal), relatively bad browser which lacks flash support, and the micro SD card slot embedded under the battery cover. The Omnia II is in matter of size close to iPhone, and a lot smaller than Omnia HD. Omnia II is still a Samsung product. Therefore, expect excellent quality build and design. Ssmsung included the Omnia II in the stylish phone lines, thanks to the design bored from Samsung S8000 Jet.

Actually the only difference between this two models (with a similarity even in their names, S8000 Jet and i8000 Omnia), is the value of the dimensions. On the front cover, you get a nice black glass (with the purpose of framing the display). Under the display you get the call key, and the end call key, and in the middle of those two keys you can find the "diamond" key (or "cube" key, as some prefer to call it). All these buttons are framed within a metallic look like material, in order to improve the overall quality design. The front cover is dominated by the 3.7 inches touch screen, with the same features like the touch screen found on the S8000.

Above the giant screen you het the second camera for video calls, the earpiece, and both ambient light and proximity sensors. On the bottom of the i8000 Omnia II you can only find the microphone. On the left side of the phone you will get the volume controls, while on the right side you can find the back key, shutter button, and the switch off key for the display. On the top of the Omnia II you het the two important ports on a multimedia & business phone, the 3.5 mm audio jack for the multimedia part of the Omnia II, and the micro USB port for the business part of the Omnia II. Because the Samsung model charges using the micro USB port, there is no need for a special charger port. The back cover of the Omnia II sports a matte plastic look, on the upper left corner on the Omnia II back you can find the 5 megapixel camera lens with a LED flash, while the loudspeaker is found on the bottom left corner.

By placing the loudspeaker on the back cover, Samsung accepts the possibility of you missing some phone calls (especially if the phone stands with the back on your desk or a table). Then again if you place your Omnia II with the display down, you might just get some annoying scratches on that great touch screen provided. A bad feature is the memory card slot, included not only under the back cover, but also under the battery itself. Therefore, you need to switch off your phone every time you need access to the memory card.

The Samsung phone has a height of 118 mm, wide of 59.6 mm, deep of 11.9 mm, Omnia II weight about 129 g. therefore, Omnia II is not the lightest phone out there, and is not going to fit any pocket, but then again you have to compromise somewhere if you want a large touch screen. Overall, Omnia II sports an excellent design, very Samsung of it, and the built quality is remarkable. Omnia II not only feels solid, but it is as solid as a touch screen phone can get. Samsung included in the Omnia II an AMOLED resistive touch screen, with a 3.7 inches diagonal, and a WVGA resolution - 480 x 800 pixels. The display sports only 65000 colors, which do not offer the best user experience. However, thanks to the light sensor, the screen performs quite well in broad daylight, making the overall touch screen experience good enough.

The 3.7 inches Omnia II display also sports an accelerometer sensor for auto rotate (this is a must feature not only for the touch screen devices but also for the modern phones, in order to provide the ultimate user experience in maneuverability)., and the handwriting recognition which is really nice to use on such a large display. If you are an amateur Samsung fan, then the Omnia II operating system might just fool you. The Omnia II is shipped with the latest version of the Windows Mobile operating system (the latest one is 6.5; however on the market you can find some Omnia II phones running the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system).

Even with the Windows Mobile 6.5 on your Omnia II, the user interface looks exactly like the Touch Wiz 2.0 Samsung branded operating system. This is by far a bad feature. Basically you get an extraordinary mobile operating system with the excellent design of the Touch Wiz operating system. By know, you already guessed that the menu (and overall function of the Omnia II) is fully customizable, to make itself liked by all the users. And yes, you still get all the widgets you would like to have on your mobile phone. Since Apple changed the perspective of how a multimedia phone menu should look like, Samsung tried to create its own multimedia menu. Partially, it succeeded by introducing the new 3D media gate with its own keys. This sub menu if it can be called so, is quite good looking, and works well on the Omnia II (because of the high end hardware specifications Samsung included). Beside the Touch Wiz menu, and the multimedia menu, you also get the improved Windows Mobile menu (which is rather dull compared with the other two).

Omnia II provides with solid business features, such as excellent organizer, good email client, customizable phone book, and other. Samsung Omnia II runs in the 2G network (GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900) and in the 3G network (HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100).  Omnia II runs the latest Microsoft mobile operating system with the help of the Samsung S3 C6410 800 MHz processor, and a dedicated graphic accelerator. Also the phone comes with 256 MB random access memory. The internal storage divides the Omnia II in three categories: the 2 GB Omnia II, 8 GB Omnia II, and the 16 GB Omnia II. As mentioned before, the Omnia II internal memory can be expanded using the micro SD cards with 32 GB.

Samsung ensures the connectivity in the Omnia II by embedding GPRS Class 10 (with the common by now 4+1 / 3+2 slots) 32 - 48 Kb per second, HSCSD, HSDPA with 7.2 MB per second, HSUPA with 5.76 MB per second, EDGE with Class 20 at 236.8 Kb per second, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g with DLNA, micro USB version 2.0, and Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP. Another excellent feature found onboard the Omnia II is the 5 megapixel digital camera with 2592 x 1944 pixels, auto focus, and a dual power LED flash. Some of the extra features provided in the camera sub menu are the geo tagging, mobile blogging, smile and face detection. Also, the 5 megapixel digital camera is able to video record in 720 x 480 pixels with 30 frames per second (really good video recording for a 5 megapixel camera). Samsung ships the Omnia II with a standard 1440 mAh Lithium Ion battery (on some models you might even find 1500 mAh), with a standby value in 2G network up to 430 hours, while in 3G network the standby value remains the same (430 hours).

The talk time in both 2G network and 3G networks is about 10 hours. Samsung ships in the containing box, beside the Omnia II and battery, a micro USB cable, a charger (which is quite strange, since it could have just included an extra adaptor for the USB cable), and a two piece wired headset with remote, instruction manual, CD software, and a case to keep the Omnia II safe. Overall, the Samsung Omnia II is an excellent phone, combining both multimedia features and business features with no problem whatsoever. If you are looking for a solid phone with a large touch screen then Samsung Omnia II is just what you are looking for.

Samsung's plans are clear. The manufacturer is at the middle of the 2008 - 2010 time frames, in which it will continue to launch touch screen phones for all the ranges. In 2008, Samsung revised its high tech range and releasing all sorts of models in different series (camera phones, music phones or just all in ode phone with excellent features). In the beginning of 2009, Samsung started to re-invent the entry level and middle level range of phones. And until now Samsung succeeded not only with its devices launch but also in terms of sales, product placement, and marketing efficiency.
<-300x250 Medium Rectangle - center->
When you think which manufacturer has the most good featured touch screen phones on the market, you don't think Nokia, Apple, HTC, not at all, you think Samsung. One of these great devices, with youth being the main target, is the S3650 Corby. The S3650 has all what it takes to become a best seller (youth as a target audience, small list price, and excellent features). This touch screen phone was developed for active social people, and for potential clients who seek full customizable features in their phones. The specs list includes normal features from the middle range.

The Samsung S3650 can also be considered a good phone for first time touch screen users. At first look, you will be able to position identify correctly what S3650 is all about, normal spec list, distinctive design, and customizable features, all offered at an affordable price. A great feature offered is the integration of several social networking web pages, such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. The main disadvantages you can find on this phone are rather frustrating. You don't get 3G network, the micro SD memory card slot is placed under the battery, no smart dialing, no universal connectivity port, no auto focus, no flash, no inbuilt sensor accelerometer, and no QWERTY keyboard layout on display.

The Samsung S3650 comes, well, in all sorts of back cover colors. Basically, the front cover sports a glossy black plastic, while the rear back cover is customizable (in the shipping box you get three back covers, black, dark blue, yellow). In terms of build construction, the S3650 looks solid, but only looks. It actually doesn't match the other Samsung quality build.

The Samsung S3650 has a height of 103 mm, wide of 56.5 mm, deep of 12 mm, the S3650 weights about 92 g. this are great values, especially the weight value of under 100 g, making the S3650 one of the lightest touch screen phone. On the front side, above the display you will only find the earpiece. No point in looking for a ambient light sensor because you are not going to find one on the S3650. At the other end, you get (like any other touch screen phone, from any other manufacturer portfolio - with only one exception - iPhone) three buttons. In the middle you get the four directional pads with the center ok / function key. On the right side of the D - pad you have the end call key, while on the other side you get the call key. Also in front but almost impossible to see is the microphone piece. On the left side the S3650 sports the volume control keys, and the multifunctional proprietary connectivity port (you have to use the same port for charging the phone, or to connect a data cable, and even a headset).

It is less desirable to find that the S3650 lacks a 3.5 mm jack port for your favorite headset and the micro USB connectivity port. On the other side, the S3650 includes the shutter button, but also the key that you will use to lock or unlock the touch screen. You don't have to look for the memory card slot, because it is built under the battery cover. On top and on the bottom, the Samsung touch screen phone sports neither a port nor a key. On the changeable back cover you get the digital camera lens (upper center), while the loudspeaker can be found on left bottom of the case. You probably still can't imagine a Corby S3650 in your hands. Anyway keep in mind that this phone is quite small for a touch screen device. Therefore the included touch screen might seem bigger than it really is.

The S3650 is equipped with the same display found on Samsung F480, 2.8 inches TFT capacitive touch screen, with a 240 x 320 pixels resolution (QVGA), featuring up to 16 million colors (the F480 only sported up to 256.000 colors). The display accommodates up to eight text lines and three service lines. However, this is a variable number, because in other sub menus or applications the display can accommodate up to 16 text lines (for instance when you read a short text message). In terms of visibility, the S3650 performs poorly. Under broad daylight sun, the display will get washed. However, in darker environments (or at least not under sun light) the display will offer excellent quality of rendering, vibrant colors, and good contrast. Another nice feature is the built in sensor accelerometer. This feature works extremely fine and improves the overall quality inspired by the Samsung S3650.

Samsung ships the S3650 with a standard Lithium Ion battery with 1000 mAh. This is an average battery, but then again S3650 is oriented for the average user. You get about 250 hours in standby mode and 5 hours of talk time (these values are only for the 2G networks since the S3650 lacks 3G connectivity). For the average user, the values written above should mean 2 days of usage without charging the S3650. However, if you use the email function, or the web browser, or even both, you should be aware that the S3650 battery life will last only one day. It will only take about 2 hours to completely charge the S3650 battery. The connectivity department is ensured by the Class 10 (with the normal by now slots, 4+1/3+2) GPRS with speed between 32 - 48 kbps, HSCSD, EDGE Class 10 with speed up to 236.8 kbps, and Bluetooth version 2.1 with A2DP. You shouldn't expect to find great memory built in value in the S3650, about 90 MB, but can also be expanded with micro SD memory cards (or Trans Flash) up to 8 GB. However you might be surprised to find out that this Samsung phone can read up to 32 GB micro SD memory cards.

Samsung ships the S3650 with a 2 megapixel digital camera, with a maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels with only one feature (smile detection). The S3650 camera can also take shots at 1280 x 960 pixels resolution, and 640 x 480 pixels resolution. You get four shooting modes (single shot, multi shot, panorama shot and smile shot), five white balance presets (cloudy, fluorescent, incandescent, auto, daylight) and only four pre installed effects.

Basically it offers the same quality pictures offered by the built in iPhone 3G digital camera. The only difference between these two phones (regarding the camera department) is the enabled video recording of the S3650. Even so, the quality video recording is poor (QVGA - 320 x 240 -resolution at 15 frames per second). If you are interested in the user interface than you should know that the S3650 sports exactly the same Touch Wiz interface found on the Samsung S5600 or S8000 Jet. In terms of interface and menu, you get excellent quality from the S3650. Also the menu is fully customizable making it desirable for so many people. The phonebook, organizer and music player offer great performances for this range. Offered at a price list of 150 Euro, the Samsung S3650 offers excellent quality for a middle range phone. If you are looking for your first touch screen phone, but you want good quality for less money, then the S3650 is for you.

Later edit:

Looking to step up to a high quality digital camera? Check the best digital camera deals online such as a Fuji digital camera deal to save money, get quality reviews, and make a great purchase decision.