Two months ago at the GSMA World Congress, Samsung unveiled the SGH-G810. We weren't able to handle it then, but here at CTIA we finally got to play touch and feel.
A 5-megapixel camera phone and an upgrade to the Samsung SGH-G800, the SGH-810 is a bulky slider phone in shiny silver. As expected, it's heavy on the camera features with an autofocus, a 3x optical zoom, and a xenon flash and it looks like a standalone shooter when viewed from behind. The large, full-color screen is lovely, and the controls and keypad buttons were pretty easy to use. Other features include GPS navigation, Bluetooth, TV output, USB 2.0, a 3.5mm headset jack, Geotagging for photos, Google search and Gmail, multiformat audio and video support, and Wi-Fi.
Samsung SGH-G810
(Credit: Samsung)
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Samsung SGH-G810
(Credit: Samsung)As is its usual custom, Samsung has made quite a killing at the GSMA World Congress. Though its announcements aren't quite as exciting as those from Nokia or Sony Ericsson, it certainly made a respectable showing. Besides its new Soul, the company also unveiled the G810 and the P960.
Samsung SGH-G810: The G810 offers a slider design similar to the Samsung SGH-G800. Its feature set is also similar and includes a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus, a 3x optical zoom, a xenon flash, GPS navigation, Bluetooth, TV out, USB 2.0, a 3.5mm headset jack, Geo-tagging for photos, Google search and Gmail, multiformat audio and video support, and Wi-Fi. There's a 2.6-inch color display and it all runs on a Symbian S60, third edition operating system. The SGH-G810 is part of Samsung's new "Infotainment" category, though we're not really sure what that means.
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Samsung SGH-P960
(Credit: Samsung)Samsung SGH-P960: The P960 has a 3-megapixel camera, an FM radio, a document viewer, Bluetooth, USB 2.0 and a full Internet browser. Like many Samsung phones, it has a silver slider design. Both the G810 and P960 are triband (GSM 900/1800/1900) and support European 3G bands.
The Samsung Soul is eye-catching
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)You'd be forgiven if you thought for a moment that the new Samsung Soul was the only cell phone on display at GSMA in Barcelona. Indeed, Samsung Electronics has peppered the city with countless signs promoting its slick new handset. And in its press release, Samsung called the Soul its "flagship product" for 2008.
As my CNET UK colleague Andrew Lim said on Friday, the Soul (aka the SGH-U900) is the newest edition to Samsung's Ultra Edition line. Sporting an all-metal silver casing and measuring just half an inch thick, the Soul has a decidedly sleek slider design. Though its overall shape isn't terribly different from comparable Samsung handsets like the SGH-G800, it's quite attractive and it has a solid and comfortable feel in the hand.
When the camera is active, the touchpad shows only the relevant controls.
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)Yet the Soul's most remarkable feature is its navigation touchpad. Sitting just below the display is a black square with a series of lit icons that give you one-touch access to various functions. In standby mode, the icon in the center of the toggle opens the main menu while the other icons act as shortcuts to the messaging menu, the recent calls list, the music player, and the Soul's Google-related functions. I gave the touchpad a test-drive and I was pleased with my overall experience. Though you have to press each icon a bit longer than I'd prefer, the touchpad provides vibrating feedback. That's a big plus on any touch screen in my opinion; I like knowing when I actually press something.
Yet there is much more to the touchpad. As you move between different applications, the icons on the touchpad change to perform different functions. For example, when you're inside the main menu, arrows appear on the touchpad to help you find your desired function. When you're in camera mode, you see camera controls, and when you're using the music player, only music controls are visible. The concept is similar to the Motorola Rokr E8, which we saw at CES last month, except that the Soul's numeric keypad never goes away._270x359.jpg)
The Samsung Soul shows its numeric keypad
(Credit: Samsung)The Soul's display is bright and colorful, and it rendered pictures and graphics well. The keypad buttons were mostly flat with the surface of the phone but raised ridges between the individual rows made dialing by feel not too difficult. The other controls were decent as well. The two soft keys and Talk and End buttons surrounding the toggle were easy to use, and the side-mounted volume rocker was fine. I wasn't pleased, however, that the Soul uses a proprietary headset jack.
Other features on the Soul include a 5-megapixel camera, a music player, Bluetooth, a speakerphone, 100MB of internal memory with room for a 6GB memory card, messaging and e-mail, and various personal organizer functions. Though the Soul is quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900), it's optimized for European 3G bands only. As such, I wouldn't expect it in North America anytime soon.
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