Samsung's naming conventions tend to get very confusing and the new Samsung OmniaPRO B7610 (formerly rumored as the Samsung Louvre) suffers from the same. Like its namesake (the OmniaPRO B7320), the latest business-ready handset also comes with a QWERTY keyboard. Unlike the former's candybar form-factor, however, this one's a side-slider with a full touchscreen in the front panel.
Physically, the B7610 looks like a standard Samsung touchscreen phone, with the side-popping QWERTY actually proving to be a surprise. Oddly enough, the back panel (not seen in the photo) is more visually unique, decked with red, light-reflecting elements. It's largely built of plastic and feels like it, although the construction does feel sturdy with a good sliding mechanism.
It sports a 3.5-inch AMOLED screen, which delivers gorgeous displays. The QWERTY keyboard offers ample size and decent travel, but the sensitivity needs some getting used to. Early in our use, many of our keypresses just weren't registering.
As a phone, the Omnia PRO B7610 makes for decent call quality. You can have conversations clearly, but not without the occasional interference and muffled sound. The speakerphone, however, is barely usable with very low volume. Battery is rated for over six hours of talk time and it lasted us a good 1.5 days of very heavy use.
The phone runs Windows Mobile 6.5 and brings an 800MHz processor to make sure it handles the OS capably. Unfortunately, TouchWiz 2.0 (which covers the entire phone) remains sluggish at times. It's not terrible, but the lags are tough to swallow when you see guys like HTC doing Windows Mobile with acceptable speeds.
It comes with all the usual Windows Mobile features, from solid messaging support to a bevy of onboard apps. Samsung's updates to the default WinMo PIM tools are very much welcome (large buttons, bigger menus), along with the inclusion of an onscreen keyboard. As a business phone, it gets the job done handily.
For web access, the handset comes with both Wi-Fi and 3G, along with Opera Mobile 9.5. It's as good an experience as you can expect from a Windows Mobile device, although the aforementioned sluggishness does rear its ugly head occasionally. Media playback (both audio and video) is excellent, with native support for DivX, Xvid and H.264. Other notables include a fast GPS and an average-performing 5.0 megapixel camera.
Overall, the Samsung OmniaPRO B7610 is a solid contender if you're in the market for a business phone with both a touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard, If Windows Mobile is indispensable to your daily work, then your high-end choice will likely have to be either this phone or the HTC Touch Pro2. I tend to fall in favor of the latter, although this is a quality performer all the same.
Samsung OmniaPRO B7610 Brings Excellent Business Phone Hardware, Mixed Performance Resultsunratednoel2010-01-11 11:39:09
Phone ReviewsSamsung OmniaPRO B7610 Brings Excellent Business Phone Hardware, Mixed Performance Results
The Samsung Intrepid ships with Windows Mobile 6.5 and comes with a Blackberry-like full QWERTY keyboard on the front panel. Designed for business users, it's a world phone too, a capability which tops off the wide range of features Samsung threw into the travel-friendly device.
Physically, it's not as striking as many current phones. In fact, the design is more industrial and utilitarian than anything else. It sports boxy corners, slim 0.51-inch lines and a width that's just enough to fit into your pants' front pocket.
A 2.5-inch 320 x 240 pixel touchscreen sits in the front, which is a bit bigger than what other phones with similar form factors usually bring. Windows Mobile 6.5 looks good on the display and is a great fit for the touchscreen panel. The keyboard and navigation array offers a very positive user experience.
As a phone, the Intrepid manages very good call quality, with rich and clear voices, along with very little background noise. Speakerphone wasn't as consistent, though, but it was decent. Overall device performance is good, with minimal sluggishness - an excellent change of pace for a Windows Mobile smartphone. Battery life is rated at a talk time of up to six hours, an excellent number for a phone that you'll likely be traveling with.
The handset comes with 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, making for rather fast data speeds. Large websites load in mobile IE along the same pace as most modern smartphones on Sprint's network, along with smooth streaming video playback. As a world phone, it automatically switches between CDMA and GSM networks, depending on which country you land.
Wide range of features include GPS, stereo Bluetooth, microSDHC expansion (up to 32GB), an AV remote, personal area networking and plenty more. There's also the usual stretch of goodies that come with Windows Mobile handsets, including Office Mobile and extensive messaging support. A tight, little addition is Microsoft's impressive Tellme service, which lets you perform a whole lot of tasks using just your voice.
If you buy it from the US, you get built-in compatibility with Sprint's wide range of entertainment services, along with a dedicated YouTube app and support for a large variety of media formats. The 3.2 megapixel camera module offers a hefty set of editing options, with above average picture quality.
Overall, the Samsung Intrepid is one of the most feature-rich smartphones available for business travelers today. It's also not locked to Sprint, allowing you to switch up to a foreign SIM card during your trips to avoid expensive roaming rates. While much has been made of the Blackberry Tour, I think Samsung brought a capable competitor here - one that I actually find to be a better purchase.
Samsung Intrepid Boasts Rich Features, Excellent Performance For Business Travelersunratednoel2009-11-01 10:32:48
Phone ReviewsSamsung Intrepid Boasts Rich Features, Excellent Performance For Business Travelers
Don't expect the latest in technological gadgetry from the Samsung C6625 - you won't find it. What it does bring to the table, though, is a decent business smartphone with an attractive price point. Running Windows Mobile and sporting a front-mounted full QWERTY keyboard, the handset is probably among the most affordable in its category.
Physically, it sports blocky lines and an undeniably plastic appearance. To say it's a few years late in terms of design is a fair assessment. Build feels sturdy, though. With a well-made navigation array and excellent keyboard, the overall device isn't too shabby. The 2.6-inch screen with 320 x 240 resolution is a reasonable size for most professional uses. In fact, it offers good color and doesn't perform too badly under sunlight.
As a phone, the C6625 manages very good voice calls. Volume can feel a little lacking, but sounds go through clearly. HSDPA performance isn't the speediest, but pages load fast enough. The smaller display can feel a little too cramped for complex pages, though. Battery life should be good for at least three days (two days if you're heavy on the data services).
Windows Mobile 6.1 performs with average speed on the phone. Unlike their touchscreen offerings, though, Samsung used no overlay UI for this particular model, so you're stuck with the less-than-ideal default screens. It comes with all the basic features you can expect from a Windows Mobile smartphone, including complete messaging options, stereo Bluetooth and a good bundle of default apps.
For more specialized features, it boasts an onboard GPS (with Google apps), a pretty good music player (with dedicated buttons at the bottom row of the keyboard) and a 2.0 megapixel camera (average quality shots only). There are no extra apps here beyond the usual set that Windows Mobile 6.1 comes with, so you'll have to install your own if you have particular preferences.
At a price of around $330 unlocked from some retailers, the Samsung C6625 offers a viable choice for a Windows Mobile smartphone. With an excellent keyboard, good display, 3G connectivity and decent hardware performance, it's actually a qualified alternative for many business users. It would have made more of an impact, though, if Samsung tacked on some specialty apps, given the amount of competition in the space.
Samsung C6625 Offers Decent Business Smartphone, Unexciting Looksunratednoel2009-10-18 19:57:26
Phone ReviewsSamsung C6625 Offers Decent Business Smartphone, Unexciting Looks
Released by Verizon Wireless in the US, the HTC Imagio is the company's first Windows Mobile 6.5 device. While designed as a business-friendly smartphone, it also comes with a slew of multimedia capabilities, including support for the carrier's range of streaming V Cast services.
Armed with a range of productivity tools (including Office Mobile, Adobe Reader LE and more) and a very good onscreen keyboard, the Imagio is an incredibly robust business device. If that wasn't enough, users also get the benefits of Microsoft's Direct Push technology for your email, calendar, tasks and contacts, along with POP3 and IMAP support.
For multimedia, it comes with both Verizon's music player as well as WMP 10 Mobile. It plays a nice range of files, including AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, MPEG-4, and WMV. There's a YouTube app for streaming video, V Cast Mobile TV and the rest of Verizon's streaming lineup, all of which worked gorgeously.
Physically, the Imagio isn't as flashy as other smartphones (most likely, because it's being marketed for its business features), with its industrial appearance and hefty feel. Regardless, there's no way you can ignore the gorgeous 3.6-inch WVGA touchscreen display, along with the smooth edges and dimpled bezel.
As a phone, it managed excellent and clear voice calls, with natural sounding conversations. Same with the speakerphone, which offered plenty of volume and clarity. Overall phone speed, which uses HTC's TouchFlo 3D UI, was very good, almost surprising for a Windows Mobile machine. Battery is rated at five hours.
Intended as a world phone, the Imagio supports both CDMA and GSM networks, allowing you to get both voice and 3G coverage in most places internationally. Both Opera and IE (with Flash Lite) are preinstalled on the unit, managing excellent full HTML renderings on the large display. It comes with the usual set of modern smartphone features, including standard messaging, GPS and stereo Bluetooth.
The 5.0 megapixel camera module takes above average quality pictures, with a huge lot of editing options and very sharp shots in lighted scenes. It includes an easy-to-use touch focus mode and a video recording mode (with better-than-average movie quality). There's very little default storage, though, so you'll have to use a microSDHC card to maximize the use of the phone.
Overall, the HTC Imagio continues the company's tradition of putting out the best Windows Mobile handsets around. The roaming capabilities, coupled with the business functions and multimedia talents, make it an excellent all-around smartphone.
HTC Imagio Brings Excellent Business And Multimedia Features Together In One Handsetunratednoel2009-10-09 08:54:41
Phone ReviewsHTC Imagio Brings Excellent Business And Multimedia Features Together In One Handset
Billed as the world's thinnest smartphone at 9.9mm, the Nokia E55 is a sexy-looking number with a good set of business talents to boot. It's similar, in many ways, to the Nokia E52, save for a SureType-style keypad, in place of the standard T9 keys.
Like the E52, it's packs a powerful package within the small candybar chassis. A 600Mhz processor runs at the core, ensuring excellent performance for the Symbian S60 3.2 OS it comes with. Business features are topnotch - excellent messaging (with full corporate email support), office VoIP integration, an elaborate organizer package and plenty of business apps pre-loaded. Suffice to say, business users will find it to be a particularly outstanding unit.
Voice calls are wonderful, facilitated by the phone's active noise reduction. The tech causes a bit of echo at the other end, but not too much to be any hassle. Volume is sufficient, as well, although the speakerphone could be just a tad louder. It posts great battery life and should easily last a good three days between charging (with a claimed eight hours of talk time).
It comes with a very solid build, although the backplate is a little flimsy. Navigation array and the SureType keys both work well. It could have used a little more variance in feel, however, along with a little more travel. You get used to it, though, so it should be easy after a while.
For connectivity, the E55 packs a full HTML browser with both Wi-Fi and 3G support. Pages load fast and layout is great, but the 2.4-inch screen (320x240 resolution) is a tad too small for comfortable browsing. Everyone should be able to appreciate the premium browser features, which include a page overview function, pop-up blocking, visual history, zoom, a toolbar and full Flash video.
The handset comes with a 3.2 megapixel camera module that manages average-quality pictures and surprisingly decent video capture. There's no autofocus, bit it offers 180-degree panorama and 6x multi-shot modes. Music playback is clear and beautiful, with a fair amount of detail (you'll need to slot in better headphones, though). Playing videos turn out acceptable quality, but the screen, again, is too small to offer all that much enjoyment. Other extra talents include aGPS (with Ovi Maps), an FM tuner and a microSDHC slot (up to 16GB).
Overall, the Nokia E55 is a powerful phone, with all the capabilities you expect from a top-end business handset. Camera and video playback take a bit of a hit, but the rest of the package, including the SureType keys, are excellent. Retail price is between $450 to $500, though some online sources have it for as low as $350.
Nokia E55 Offers SureType Keys, Plenty Of Power And Great Business Featuresunratednoel2009-09-28 22:48:14
Phone ReviewsNokia E55 Offers SureType Keys, Plenty Of Power And Great Business Features
