Download - Your Samsung Omnia User Manual

Download Here

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Tips - Writing Mandarin in Omnia

Writing Mandarin in Omnia




To write in Mandarin for Omnia, you can use commercial software like Monster Chinese or Chinese CE Star.

But I personally have downloaded the sunglobe font and use zta4 keyboard for reading and writing Chinese.

Other than ZTA4 you can also try cootek's TouchPal 3.5 Chinese Edition. It has a hybrid mode, so you can write in English and Chinese, both with predictive text.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/t-332554.html

http://www.cootek.com/cnbbs/

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Review - Hands-on Samsung Omnia i900

Hands-on Samsung Omnia i900

iPhone hype be damned. Samsung isn’t about to sit back and watch Apple and HTC steal the stage this year with the iPhone 3G and HTC Touch Diamond. South Korea’s handset.

manufacturing giant is preparing their Samsung Omnia i900 to go head-to-head with the big-guns from Apple and HTC. And, with features like:

• 3.2-inch touchscreen
• Divx certification (with H.263, H.264 support)
• 5 megapixel camera with face-detection and geo-tagging
• Quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) radio
• HSDPA (7.2Mbps)
• GPS
• WiFi
• Bluetooth 2.0
• 8GB or 16GB of onboard storage
• microSDHC for up to 16GB of additional storage
• FM radio (with RDS), the Samsung

The 12.5mm thick Samsung Omnia is surely going to give Apple a run for its iPhone 3G-money. AT&T is rumored to be picking up this handsome handset in Q3 2008, and Germany is slated to take shipment of the Omnia in August.

So, with the Samsung Omnia i900 spec’ed-out in production-trim, the::unwired has posted a hands-on review of the Samsung Omnia with the finalized software on board. Samsung’s Windows Mobile overlay tries its best to bring the aging Windows Mobile platform up to date on the touchscreen tip, but falls short. Otherwise, the Omnia’s feature-set is definitely not something to brush aside - this thing is a powerhouse.

In the end, the::unwired came away impressed with the handset’s powerful feature-set and sleek styling. But, the custom Windows Mobile touch-UI from Samsung isn’t quite up to snuff among competitors like HTC’s TouchFLO 3D UI that we’ve seen on the HTC Touch Diamond.

Head on over to the::unwired for the full review. There’s also a video of the Omnia’s UI in action here.

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Application - GyPSii for your Samsung Omnia

Mobile social network GyPSii delivers lifestyle application

Geo-mobility social networking platform GeoSentric Oyj (GyPSii) has announced an agreement whereby it will be providing technology, products, worldwide data centre infrastructure, and GyPSii branding rights on a worldwide non-exclusive basis for a number of hand-held devices manufactured by international technology giant Samsung.

The agreement stipulates that GyPSii’s mobility digital lifestyle application will come pre-installed on Samsung’s Omnia (SGH-i900) and SGH-i780 models as an embedded application, enabling their owners to immediately access the platform’s location-based social networking features of the GyPSii suite. They will also be able to create and share user generated content (UGC) with GyPSii’s global user community, as well as interoperable social networks such as Facebook. In addition, GyPSii’s PlaceRank™ technology will be used to present users with relevant user generated content, location-based points of interest and advertising.

GyPSii chief executive officer Dan Harple calls attention to the mutual benefit in the endeavour, stressing that, “This distribution and partnership agreement brings GyPSii to millions of new users, enabling us to penetrate new markets, expand our global footprint and leverage the strength of the Samsung brand to drive marketing, distribution and new revenue streams.”

Samsung’s share of the global market for handsets does indeed provide GyPSii with a wide base of popular supporting hardware through which to showcase its products and services. In accordance with the worldwide scope of the agreement, the application will be distributed to users in a wide variety of local languages. Business models designed by GyPSii will be used for purposes of revenue sharing between GyPSii and Samsung.

GyPSii is currently supported by Symbian, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry devices, as well as browser-based Internet connected devices and the Apple iPhone.

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Themes - Changing themes on the Samsung Soul U900

Changing Themes on the Samsung Soul U900

It's quick and easy to bring a fresh look to the Samsung Soul simply by adding a new theme. We show you how to change themes in just a few button presses

It's quick and easy to transform the look and feel of your Samsung Soul simply by changing its theme.

The software inside the Soul enables you to swiftly change the phone's background wallpaper, menu appearance, icon colours and so on, all in one go with just a few simple button presses. Samsung has pre-loaded the Soul with a selection of themes to choose from, and you can swap between them as much as you like.

In addition, Samsung has included a neat function on the Soul that enables you to create your own themes. There are numerous options to choose from, giving you the chance to be ultra-creative in producing your own exclusive Soul look.

Samsung has made creating new themes hassle free. On a basic level, you can use images stored in the phone as the basis of a theme. This can be a photo taken with the camera, a downloaded image or one copied to the phone; pre-installed patterns can also be used as for your new theme.

If you want something unique but simple to put together, there's an 'easy' option - you can choose an image and colours you prefer, and the phone's software will suggest combinations for themes you can choose from.

But if you fancy the challenge of putting together more complex themes, there's an 'expert' option, with many more levels of adjustments and customisation you can make to colours, fonts, icons, backgrounds, and so on.

As well as altering themes on the main screen, you can also easily change the colours used on the Soul's Magical Touch touchpad, using an onscreeen 'colour chart'.

How to change themes on your Samsung Soul

• Press the Menu button in the centre of the touchpad, or alternatively press the Menu softkey (Figure 1).
• In the main menu, highlight the Settings icon (it looks like a cog and spanner). Press the OK button on the touchpad or Select softkey (Figure 2).
• Scroll down to highlight Display & light settings. Press Select or OK, or alternatively press number 3 on the numberpad (Figure 3).
• Highlight Display. Press Select or OK, or press number 1 on the numberpad (Figure 4).
• Highlight My theme. Press Select or OK, or press number 1 (Figure 5).
• Highlight Select theme. Press Select or OK, or press number 1 (Figure 6).

You are now presented with a gallery of themes. If you create your own or download others, they will be added to this gallery.

• Using the touchpad controls, scroll through the themes until you select the one you wish to install (Figure 7).
• To preview the theme full screen, press OK on the touchpad (Figure 8). Press Back to get to the gallery of themes again.
• When you've found the theme you want to install, press Save. You will be asked: 'Apply this theme for your phone now?' Press Yes or OK (Figure 9).
• A message will appear informing you that theme has been saved, and you will be returned to the theme gallery. Press Back to scroll back through the menus to see how the new theme has been applied (Figure 10), or press the Call end key to return to your new-look standby page (Figure 11).

How to change the theme on your Samsung Soul's touch panel

• Press the Menu button in the centre of the touchpad, or alternatively press the Menu softkey (Figure 1).
• In the main menu, highlight the Settings icon. Press the OK button on the touchpad or Select softkey (Figure 2).
• Scroll down to highlight Display & light settings. Press Select or OK, or alternatively press number 3 on the numberpad (Figure 3)
• Highlight Touch panel. Press Select or OK, or press number 2 on the numberpad (Figure 12).
• Use the touchpad controls to move along the colour chart line, to select the Icon colour you prefer. By moving between the top and bottom lines you can adjust the tone (Figure 13). You can see the colour of the touchpad icons change as you move the onscreen cursor along the colour lines.
• Once you've selected your colour, press Next or OK.
• You can now choose the Effect colour - the colour of the animated ring around the icons that appears when you press a touchpad button (Figure 14). You can select colours in the same way as for icons, and view changing tones on the touch panel.
• When you are satisfied with your icon and effects colours, press OK on the touchpad. You will be asked: 'Apply this theme for your phone now?' Press Yes or OK (Figure 9).
• A message will appear informing you that this has been saved, and you will be returned to the Display & light settings menu. The new colours for your touchpad icons and effects colours have now been set

Figure 1
Press the Menu button in the centre of the touchpad, or alternatively press the Menu softkey">

• Figure 1
  Press the Menu button in the centre of the touchpad, or alternatively press the Menu softkey

  

  Figure 2
  Highlight the Settings icon. Press the OK button on the touchpad or Select softkey

  

  Figure 3
  Scroll down to highlight Display & light settings. Press Select or OK, or alternatively press number 3 on the numberpad

  

  Figure 4
  Highlight Display. Press Select or OK, or press number 1 on the numberpad

  

  Figure 5
  Highlight My theme. Press Select or OK, or press number 1

  

  Figure 6
  Highlight Select theme. Press Select or OK, or press number 1

  

  Figure 7
  Scroll through the themes until you select the one you wish to install

  

  Figure 8
  Press OK on the touchpad to preview the new theme. Press Back to get back to the gallery of themes again

  

  Figure 9
  Highlight the theme you want to install. Press Save. You will be asked: 'Apply this theme for your phone now?' Press Yes or OK

  

  Figure 10
  Press Back to scroll back through the menus to see how the new theme has been applied

  

  Figure 11
  Press the Call end key to return to your new-look standby page

  

  Figure 12
  Highlight Touch panel. Press Select or OK, or press number 2 on the numberpad

  

  Figure 13
  To select the Icon colour you prefer use the touchpad controls to move along the colour chart line. By moving between the top and bottom lines you can adjust the tone

  

  Figure 14
  Choose the Effect colour - the colour of the animated ring around the icons that appears - in the same way as for icons. When you are satisfied with your icon and effects colours, press OK

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News - Samsung INNOV8 (i8510)

Samsung INNOV8 (i8510) 

It looks like the resolution race is far from over and 8 megapixels will be the next upper echelon for camera-phones. To that, Samsung has never been the one to disappoint as it even had a 10-megapixel model back in 2006. So to be honest, we aren't really surprised here, at least not in terms of camera resolution. What's interesting to note is the success that the Korean chaebol has had with its Omnia, which could possibly set the stage in the right direction for its next multimedia powerhouse--the INNOV8. 

Like the Omnia, the INNOV8 (also known as the i8510) comes in 8GB and 16GB flavors with the onboard memory maxing out at 32GB with a microSDHC flash media. The biggest difference is that the INNOV8 runs on the S60 3rd Edition with Feature Pack 2. So obviously you'll be missing a touchscreen display here. From the pictures, it looks like the slider will also have a widget interface, though we're not sure how closely it will be modeled after the interface on the current Omnia or the F480. 

Looking though the technical specifications, we can't help but feel that Samsung practically threw every possible camera feature presently available in the market into the INNOV8. The only thing it's possibly lacking is an onboard Xenon flash. To Samsung's credit, the 8-megapixel autofocus camera module is paired with a dual-power LED flash, so it may not lose the game entirely. 

Other imaging features include auto-panorama, smile, blink and face detection and wide dynamic range capturing abilities. But what's equally important is the camera's performance. We've seen how Motorola managed to reduce shutter lag to a mere 0.15 second on its ZINE ZN5, so if the INNOV8 can match or come close to that kind of performance, we think Samsung might have a winner. 

The INNOV8 is not just pitting itself against the Motorola ZINE ZN5. With the option to record 120fps QVGA (30fps in VGA) videos and support for DivX format, it is LG's Viewty and Secret competitor as well. It wasn't mentioned how the built-in accelerometer will be used on the INNOV8, although if Samsung were to position this phone as a multimedia workhorse, it should likely implement this in its multimedia features. 

Wireless features are aplenty in this quad-band slider that supports HSDPA in the 900 and 1,200 bands, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth stereo, FM radio and A-GPS. The optical mouse that was first spotted on the SGH-i780 can also be found on the INNOV8. The icing on the cake? It comes with a 3.5mm audio jack. 

The INNOV8 will ship with a 1,200mAh battery that has a rated talktime of 8.5 hours and just under 13 days on standby. It is expected to be launched in Europe next month and will be available in other markets in September.

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Theme - HTC Touch Diamond Theme for your Samung Omnia

Theme - HTC Touch Diamond Theme for your Samung Omnia

The long awaiting HTC Touch Diamond is already launched in Malaysia few weeks ago. To those who can’t afford to purchase this new PDA phone, or maybe you want to test out how the interface really looks like, you can try installing this theme to your PDA phone. Frankly speaking, this theme can actually amaze the people around you! :lol:

Let me present to you, the copycat version of HTC Touch Diamond TouchFlo 3D theme~ This is how it looks like on your PDA phone.

Of course, this theme is not as perfect as the original TouchFlo 3D on the Touch Diamond. There’s only 5 tabs available for the bottom bar and the 3D animations is not exactly the same as the original ones. Still, it looks really cool on your phone. Mind you that the time on the first screen won’t flip as the original ones :lol:

How to install this theme?

1. Download and install SPB Mobile Shell 2.1 into your PDA.
2. Download and install the HTC Touch Diamond theme.
3. Soft reset your phone and enjoy!

Make sure you watch the video on how SPB Mobile Shell works in SPB website as there are a lot of functions that you can use with this theme. For example, if you move your stylus or finger on the screen, the screen will actually flips to another screen with different views.

The theme comes in black by default. You need to download the color theme here. Follow the instructions given and you’ll be able to change the color to the ones you like!

Enjoy!

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News - Samsung OMNIA coming to Italy on 22 July

Samsung OMNIA coming to Italy on 22 July

Last month Samsung announced the OMNIA Windows Mobile device that looks like a direct competitor to the Apple iPhone. I was bit surprised, and yet pleased, to see that Samsung announced it will be available on 22 July starting in Italy. It seems these devices are usually announced and then appear several months later, but this release is being made just one month after the official announcement.

The Samsung OMNIA (means “everything” in Latin and “wish” in Arabic) looks to take Windows Mobile to the next level, similar to the HTC Touch Diamond. Actually, you can check out a very detailed head-to-head between these two devices below.

The OMNIA has a 3.2 inch WQVGA LCD display, 5 megapixel camera, 8 or 16 GB internal flash drive with microSD slot, integrated GPS receiver, FM radio with RDS, 1440 mAh battery and more. I hope to see this device released in the U.S. or at least made available with a U.S. HSDPA variant.

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Review - Samsung Tocco F480

Samsung F480 Review

Phone rating:

In a nutshell: The Samsung F480 Tocco is a high-spec touchscreen phone that offers fantastic features in a sexy ultraslim package. The features include a 5 megapixel camera, music player, FM radio, ultra-fast 3G web browsing and just about the most memory we've seen in a mobile phone! If the screen had been a bit larger we'd have given it 5 stars.
Best buy: *Free* with half-price line rental from Dialaphone.

Samsung are on a roll with touchscreen phones in 2008. First the Armani, then the F490 Nerva, now the F480 Tocco (Tocco comes from the Italian word for "touch".) Now the Armani was a bit of a flop, but the F480 is a great phone, and so the question is, what's the difference between the F480 and the F490 and which is better? (OK, so that was two questions.)

On the face of it, these are two very similar phones. They both have a touchscreen user interface using the "award-winning" Croix UI, with haptics (vibration) for tactile feedback. Both are good looking phones - the F480 has a brushed metal finish and is supplied with a leather case to help protect it from scratches. The F480 has a conventional QVGA resolution screen instead of the extra long screen used by the F490. Losing screen resolution is bad news for touchscreen phones, and the Tocco's screen is just 2.8 inches (the F490 has a 3.2 inch screen.) Both are ultraslim phones, with the F480 being a tiny bit thinner at an incredible 11.6mm.

The touchscreen interface works well in both phones. Most people seem to have no problems using the phones, although fast texting can be a bit of a mission. Both have great cameras. The camera on the F480 is very similar to the one on the F490 - 5 megapixels with autofocus, digital zoom and LED flash. The F480 introduces a new gee-whiz feature called "Smile Shot". According to Samsung, "Smile Shot is able to identify when the subject is smiling and automatically takes a picture." Reading that made us smile, but we're probably being too cynical. Seriously though, we actually believe that the more "stuff" that camera phones introduce, the harder it is for people to use them effectively. Still, the Tocco can take good pictures, but as with all camera phones don't expect to become David Bailey with this thing.

The Tocco has a good music player (as you'd expect) that can play most file formats and has the advantage over the F490 of having an FM radio included. We're also delighted to see the huge amount of memory supplied: 240 Mbytes of internal memory, plus the option to add up to 8 Gbytes of microSD memory. That's enough to store thousands of songs. We like it. On the music front, the Tocco also introduces a feature called Shazam (no, seriously) that acts like Sony Ericsson's TrackID™ service and can identify a song that you're listening to.

Another benefit that the Tocco has over the F490 is a souped-up 3G connection. The 3G implementation uses HSDPA at 7.2 Mbps, enabling download speeds faster than most home broadband connections. In fact the Tocco is a brilliant platform for the mobile internet, with its big touchscreen and dedicated Google application.

So to answer the question: what's the difference between the F480 and the F490? The F480 has better features (FM radio, faster 3G, more memory) but the F490 has a bigger screen. Which is better? That's tricky to answer and it's really frustrating that Samsung just didn't release one phone with a big screen and all the features. Let's answer the question this way: the LG Viewty (but only just!)eatures of the Samsung F480 include:

• 5 megapixel camera with face detection autofocus, image stabiliser, 4x digital zoom and LED flash
• Video recorder & 3G video calling
• Display: TFT, 240 x 320 pixels (2.8 inches), 262,144 colours
• Music player (MP3/WMA/AAC+/AAC+(e)/Real formats) plus FM radio
• Music Recognition (Shazam)
• 72-voice polyphonic ringtones / MP3 ringtones
• Speakerphone
• Voice memo recorder
• Messaging: SMS, MMS, email
• Document viewer
• Java games
• Memory: 240 Mbytes plus microSD memory card slot (up to 8 Gbytes)
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0
• Internet: WAP 2.0, web browser with Google search, GPRS, Edge, 3G (HSDPA 7.2 Mbps)
• Triband (900/1800/1900 MHz) plus 3G (UMTS 2.1GHz)
• Offline mode
• Size: 98 x 55 x 11.6 mm
• Weight: 106g
• Talktime: 3 hours
• Battery standby: 250 hours
  

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Review - Samsung Tocco F480

REVIEW - The Samsung Tocco F480 - The newest Kid in Town.

Samsung's Tocco is yet another handset with a full frontal touchscreen. I am immediately reminded of the F490, the F700, LG's KF600, and of course the iPhone in both its original and 3G flavours.

Well, here we go again with the Samsung Tocco, which is available from all the major network operators from free depending on your contract choice. My review sample came from Orange.

This time around, just to help differentiate the Tocco from the crowd, Samsung has come up with what it calls a unique user interface that lets you personalise how you use the phone. I'll get to that in a moment. But first let's talk design.

This is a mobile phone that shouldn't trouble most pockets. At 98.4mm tall, 55mm wide and 11.6mm thick it is on the small side. It is a pity that Samsung couldn't break 100g, but its 106g weight is really no hardship to carry around. It is extremely comfortable to hold the phone in one hand and tap at the screen with the thumb.

Just to add a little something extra to proceedings, the phone comes with a second battery cover that has a screen protector attached to it. Once fitted, the screen protector flips up from the bottom of the handset, shielding the screen from scratches without adding the significant extra bulk of a case.

The front fascia of the phone is shiny black apart from the screen, and there's a flash of silver surrounding the speaker, and another that forms a strip beneath the screen. That strip offers three buttons: Call and End, with End doubling as the on/off switch, and a longer lozenge which drops you into the shortcut menu. There is a selection of five applications on the shortcut menu: Music Player, Messages, Internet, Call and main menu.

Around the edges are a rocker for volume control; a hold button that disables the touchscreen; a camera key; and a jack for Samsung's extremely annoying proprietary multifunction socket that charges the phone, accommodates the provided stereo headset and connects the Tocco to a PC via USB.

The front screen measures 2.8 inches diagonally, putting it on a par with the screens of the more portable Windows Mobile devices. It delivers 320 x 240 pixels and 262 thousand colours. I found it clear and sharp to read and easy to use.

So, what about that personalisation I alluded to earlier? Well, it comes in the shape of a ‘drag and drop' system which you can use to put ‘widgets' onto the main screen. The process is simple enough.

In the main screen there is a sidebar hidden away off the left tall edge of the screen. You can open this by tapping an arrow that pulls it out. This offers all available widgets. You just drag what you want across to the main screen.

The selection isn't vast but does include games, photo album, today's date, digital and analogue clocks, calendar, music player and FM radio. If you don't want a widget you can drag it off the main screen and onto the sidebar. And you can drag the operator logo off too, which is rather nifty.

Other than that, using the Samsung Tocco is quite familiar. You can drag left and right to scroll though horizontal lists, and drag up and down to scroll through vertical lists. When music is playing you can drag along the progress bar to get to a set point in a tune and there is a draggable volume bar. When viewing photos you can drag up and down to scroll through images or call up a ribbon that displays image thumbnails or an image manager. When on the Web you can drag to move up and down or left and right in a webpage.

Entering text is a matter of tapping an onscreen keypad, and you get a little haptic response for screen presses. It works well enough, though I found dragging vertically through menus that don't take up the whole screen a bit hit and miss. It was easy to drag beyond the menu box itself, and thus cancel out of the selection process. Also, the whole interface simply doesn't have the pizzazz of the iPhone. The web browser, for example, lacks zooming capability and feels under-featured.

This is a pity because the Tocco is a 3G handset with HSDPA to 7.2MBps if you can find a connection, so web browsing is quite quick, and the large screen means the browser interface could have been a much more pleasant experience.

Music playback is here and there is 220MB of built in memory and a side mounted microSD card slot for expansion. Battery life was stunning, providing an impressive ten and three quarter hours of music from a full battery charge before deciding not to play any more. Even after that it stayed alive for ages giving a total of 15 hours 42 minutes of life.

There is a front facing camera for two-way video calling, and the main camera shoots stills at 5-megapixels. It has a flash, and features face detection technology and an image stabiliser. Oh, and smile mode. This, bizarrely enough, only shoots a photo if it detects that your subject is smiling. Even more bizarrely, it worked. You just hold the shutter button down and wait for the victim to smile. The camera software does the rest.

There is no specific macro mode but on test the camera did well with close ups. The pink flowers were shot at close range and definition is good. They are a slightly deeper hue than the photo suggests, but the image is pretty good.

The cat photo is quite clear and sharp too. But it does show up one problem with this phone - a slight shutter lag. She was actually looking up in the air when I clicked the shutter button.

Indoors with the phone set on auto mode, and under normal household lighting, the camera fared less well. The coloured dish photo is good, but not outstanding. Its background should be white and its colours aren't quite as vibrant as they could be. The outdoor chair photo is, not surprisingly given what has gone before, very acceptable. Detail is good, and the camera didn't have too much trouble dealing with the parts of the subject that were in shade or bright sun.

There is no Wi-Fi which is a real pity on such a sophisticated handset. Samsung would do well to look at including this on its higher end mobiles in the future.

Verdict

The Tocco is easy to use, the Widgets feel gimmicky but actually work quite well, and the camera, apart from its shutter lag problem, is good for a mobile phone. As I've come to expect from Samsung, battery life is impressive too. This is Samsung's best touchscreen effort to date, but the company needs to refine the web browser - why no full screen view or widescreen mode? - and add in a touch-QWERTY keyboard to accompany the T9 effort.

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News - Samsung F480: A Dream Phone For A Fashion Blogger

Ignorance is bliss. This is true. A couple of weeks ago I received the Samsung F480 to review and now I must confess that I can’t look at a phone in the same way again. Launched this month, the F480 or the Tocco as its also known is the latest addition to the Samsung family and in short I loved it! It’s everything I want in a phone:

1. The menu is so simple to use its practically childproof and although the touch screen is admittedly fiddly at first, it didn’t take long for me to get used to it.

2. I loved the fact that I could customize and personalize the interface. My only complaint – you can’t actually add a shortcut to the applications that you use frequently so you have to choose to opt in or out from a number of applications already selected, e.g ; the clock, profile settings, the radio etc..

3. The 5 mega-pixel camera is amazing! I can take high-quality pictures of anything and everything that inspires me without worrying about the quality or even worse having to rummage through my bag for my half dead camera.

4. Browsing the internet on the F480 is a dream, the screen is a perfect size and I can receive all my emails and check my RSS feeds anytime.

5. Finally I love the way it looks. Sleek, minimal and stylish!

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News - Samsung i900 Omnia Just Launched, photos & Specifications: Is the an iPhone 3G killer

Rumours are great of they are true and this time the Samsung i900 Omnia / Instinct  has finally been revealed by Samsung themselves. The Samsung i900 Omnia is a Windows Mobile Pocket PC and apparently seems a great competitor of the Apple 3G iPhone which we doubt very much but hey we have to go on what a lot of people are saying, but an iPhone 3G killer cannot be true surely?

It does however put it up against the HTC Touch Diamond but then again the HTC device has the HTC TouchFLO 3D which in our eyes seems a little stronger than that of the Samsung i900. Anyway we will give you the details of this new mobile phone, the Samsung i900 Omnia will be first displayed at the CommunicAsia expo which is in Singapore from June 17th to June 20th even though all the details and specs have been announced.

It is based on Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro and the specs include a 3.2-inch Wide QVGA display (240 x 400 pixels) plus an optical mouse, it offers a 5 megapixel auto focus camera with face and smile detection plus auto-panorama shot, built-in GPS receiver and Geo-tagging, the Samsung i900 Omnia is only 12mm thin with a stunning brushed metal casing that does look hot, the i900 is the same as the iPhone when it comes to storage seeing as it will come in either 8GB and a 16GB versions and will be available with microSD.

The Samsung i900 has quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support plus HSDPA 7.2Mbps and like the iPhone it also has the built-in accelerometer and Wi-Fi support, other specs include FM radio with RDS, stereo Bluetooth (A2DP), USB port and TouchWiz user interface. The Samsung i900 Omnia will go on sale from June 2008 and in Europe July 2008, you know around about the same time as the Apple 3G iPhone, wonder who will win.

Now check out the photos: -

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News - Samsung Instinct A Likely Competitor to Apple iPhone

Following Apple's release of the iPhone last year at an initial price of $599, major phone manufacturers scrambled to utilize innovative ideas and new technology to keep up with the competition.



Popular competitors like Samsung, the second most successful handset-maker in the world, have jumped in the market to compete efficiently with Apple, releasing phones similar to the iPhone this year.

Apple's recent upgraded version of the iPhone, the iPhone 3G, is expected to be released July 11. It encompasses more features and technical attributes including 8GB of memory and a GPS system, as well as familiar programs found on the Apple computers. Its biggest upgrade is the rapid speeds of Web-surfing, which allows users to browse desktop versions of the Internet rather than mobile versions.

The phone is also more than half the price of its predecessor.

According to research firm iSuppli Corp., this version of the iPhone's manufacturing costs totaled $173 per phone, and the phone will be sold for $199 when it hits shelves. Perhaps the most expensive parts of the device include the touch screen and underlying display, costing $20 per phone.

"I really wouldn't upgrade my [iPhone]," senior computer engineering major Derrick Rumbolt said. "I would try to manipulate it like it's a 3G phone and upgrade it myself. The only difference is the faster Internet, but the applications are pretty much the same. So if I didn't know how to [upgrade the phone myself], I still wouldn't shell out more money for the new phone."

Despite the publicity surrounding the debut of the iPhone, Sprint's Samsung Instinct may provide worthy competition to Apple. With some of the features the iPhone has faltered in delivering, Samsung's replica of the smartphone includes that and then some. Its mobile radio and live TV services sets it apart from the iPhone, as well as its expandable memory and video-recording capabilities. Sprint distributes spare batteries to its customers as well.



Though its browser is not yet advanced for optimal Web-surfing, the Instinct brings together an abundance of features and a slim design on sale for $129.99 with a two-year contract.

Its wallet-friendlier price has been a common factor in customers purchasing the Instinct, which has become the fastest-selling Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) handset in Sprint history. The award-winning phone was sold out temporarily this week at various locations.

"We had high expectations going into the launch so our initial order to Samsung was the largest for any Sprint EV-DO handset to date," John Garcia, President of Sprint's Wireless Division said in Market Watch, a Wall Street Journal publication.

"The strong early response tells us that wireless customers recognize Instinct…In the first few days of availability, many Instinct devices were purchased by existing customers upgrading their wireless device," Garcia told Mobile Magazine.

The Korean-based company recently debuted a similar device in Europe, the Samsung OMNIA, a more advanced device than the Instinct. The OMNIA may be released later this year in the United States, giving Samsung an edge over their competition.

Winning the "Best in Show" award at the latest Emerging Technology (E-Tech) award competition and being named "First Place" in the Mobile CE- Phones/Smartphone category has solidified Samsung's position in the market with the Instinct.

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Codes - Samsung Secret Codes *Updated*

(WARNING: SOME OF THESE CODES HAVE NOT BEEN TESTED ON EVERY SAMSUNG PHONE, ALTHOUGH THEY MAY NOT BE HARMFUL)

Samsung Secret Codes

#646# then press the Call button: T-Mobile Customers only, shows minute usage.
*#06# : Show IMEI
*#9999# : Show Software Version
*#0837# : Show Software Version (instructions)
*#0001# : Show Serial Parameters
*#9125# : Activates the smiley when charging.

*#9998*228# : Battery status (capacity, voltage, temperature)
*#9998*246# : Program status
*#9998*289# : Change Alarm Buzzer Frequency
*#9998*324# : Debug screens
*#9998*364# : Watchdog
*#9998*377# : EEPROM Error Stack - Use side keys to select values. Cancel and ok.
*#9998*427# : Trace Watchdog
*#9998*523# : Change LCD contrast - Only with version G60RL01W
*#9998*544# : Jig detect
*#9998*636# : Memory status
*#9998*746# : SIM File Size
*#9998*778# : SIM Service Table
*#9998*785# : RTK (Run Time Kernel) errors - if ok then phn is reset, info is put in memory error.
*#9998*786# : Run, Last UP, Last DOWN
*#9998*837# : Software Version
*#9998*842# : Test Vibrator - Flash the screenligth during 10 seconds and vibration activated.
*#9998*862# : Vocoder Reg - Normal, Earphone or carkit can be selected
*#9998*872# : Diag
*#9998*947# : Reset On Fatal Error
*#9998*999# : Last/Chk

*#9998*9266# : Yann debug screen (=Debug Screens?)
*#9998*9999# : Software version

If the up Codes doesn't work, you should change *#9998* to *#0. i.e. *#9998*523# change to *#0523#. An other thing that will help is to remove your SIM card. *0001*s*f*t# : Changes serial parameters (s=?, f=0,1, t=0,1) (incomplete)
*0002*?# : unknown
*0003*?# : unknown

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Review - Samsung F480

Samsung F480 review: Touchdown!

To pick up where we left, prepare to meet the next bestseller by Samsung. If you think Samsung F480 is not up to such a challenge you might want to think again. The compact touch-operated handset has every chance of becoming the next best thing since sliced bread. It is extremely pocket-friendly but its own pocket is bulging - so to say - the little fella has it all. Plus, the looks are fantastic, so only one important question remains - is the performance on par with the marvelous specs. Luckily we are just about to answer that question, so sit back and enjoy.

Key features

• Ample 2.8" 262K touchscreen color display of QVGA resolution
  
• Touch-operated flash UI
  
• 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash
  
• Camera comes with face detection and wide dynamic range
  
• 3G with HSDPA
  
• Great design and high quality construction
  
• 228MB of internal memory
  
• microSD card slot
  
• Widgets
  
• Excellent haptics
  
• FM radio with RDS
  
• Great camera interface
  
• EDGE, Bluetooth and USB connectivity
  
• Great web browser

Main disadvantages

• Tri-band only
  
• Display legibility suffers under direct sunlight
  
• No landscape mode and no virtual QWERTY keyboard
  
• Fingerprint magnet
  
• Inadequate flash for the camera
  
• Video recording capabilities max out at QVGA resolution

The Armani phone is probably one of the bitterest rivals of Samsung F480. As we see it, the … well… designer handset has very little chance against the F480. The device we are currently reviewing is far more capable and its interface is well above the Armani. The difference in specs is also important. So much so that, if it wasn't for the haute couture engraving, the Armani phone would have been nothing more than the goofy sibling.

Samsung F490 is also taking part in this race but despite that its name suggests higher class than the F480, its functionality is not speaking of anything like that. The Croix interface may be an award winner, but is not nearly as nice to use as the flash UI of Samsung F480. Besides, the F480 definitely looks better and is more compact.

The LG KU990 Viewty is another similar handset in terms of functionality but of a significantly larger size. Still, it may seem as a good alternative for those who insist on good camera and video recording capabilities in their handsets.

So, crowded as it is in the touchscreen non-smartphone market, Samsung F480 seems to have good chances of success.

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News - AT&T to Launch Samsung Omnia in Q3 2008

AT&T is not only focusing on the inevitable release of the 3G iPhone, but they are setting their sights on both the 3G iPhone and one of its possible competitor, the Samsung Omnia / Instinct  (SGH-i900). Word came out that AT&T is also preparing the new Samsung Omnia for later this year. Earlier in June, news of the Omnia came out and its features are quite impressive.

The SGH-i900 features a 3.2-inch touchscreen, Divx certification (with H.263, H.264 support), 5 megapixel camera with face-detection and geo-tagging, quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) radio, HSDPA (7.2Mbps), GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, and FM radio (with RDS). Looking at the picture, one might also say that it could give the iPhone a bit of a fight. But until it is released, we’ll never know.

You could probably call this device an iPhone clone with its TouchWiz user interface and its 8GB and 16GB variants, but some people are already giving the device such high praises - let’s just hope they won’t get disappointed.

AT&T will probably fit the Omnia with their AT&T Music, Video, Navigation, and Mobile TV service. The Samsung OMNIA was unveiled at CommunicAsia, Singapore and was commercially launched in the Southeast Asian market that same week. The phone was targeted to be available in the European market starting July.

Samsung Omnia Features:

* 3.2-inch touchscreen,
* DivX certification with H.263, H.264 support,
* 5 megapixel camera with face-detection and geo tagging,
* quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900Mhz),
* HSDPA (7.2Mbps),
* GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0,
* FM radio with RDS,
* 8GB and 16GB versions,
* Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional.

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