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Need a music phone with a price that's music to your ears? Try the Samsung Trill, a stylish, well-built handset sporting a music player with Bang & Olufsen technology.
Physically, it features slim lines and a curvaceous design. We don't know if you'll love the look (you can judge for yourself in the pic), though I find it a bit too cheap-looking for my tastes. Do note we're talking about the one with the gray and blue color scheme, though - the black version actually looks much better. Overall aesthetic is very similar to the Samsung Trance.
It comes with a 2.1-inch screen, with a 176 x 229 resolution. While small, the display is great with gorgeous-looking color. The slider keypad is a little flat to the touch, but it's well-spaced and comfortable.
As a phone, the Trill manages impressive call quality, with clear calls that are completely void of static. Speakerphone was decent, although voices didn't sound very natural. On the other end, callers reported a slight distortion, but generally good quality. Battery life lasts for around 4 hours of non-stop calls.
Highly-deserving of being called a music phone, it leverages Bang & Olufsen's ICEPower technology to produce exceptional audio quality. With a strong bass and stellar surround sound, it's a worthy replacement for a dedicated MP3 player. The music player is a notch above what you can find in regular handsets, with handy controls, equalizer options, 3D sound and an attractive appearance.
The rest of the feature set is mostly low- to mid-range. There's a 1,000-entry phonebook, basic messaging (SMS and MMS; no email), stereo Bluetooth and GPS. It also comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera module that produces average shots.
Overall, the Samsung Trill is an excellent music phone. If you're looking for a replacement to a dedicated MP3 player and don't mind working with mostly basic features, it can prove to be a great value. US Cellular has it for only $19.99 on contract.
Samsung Trill Pairs Stellar Audio Quality With Basic Phone Features3.5625noel2010-03-07 11:49:18
Phone ReviewsSamsung Trill Pairs Stellar Audio Quality With Basic Phone Features
Fashion phones usually come with a premium. Not the "catwalk-ready" Samsung S7070 Diva, a female-friendly, style-centric touchscreen device that has just been announced for the UK market.
While it fancies itself a "fashion mobile," the phone's general design actually doesn't veer far from Samsung's normal touch candybar aesthetic. In fact, the shape and layout are pretty much identifiable with the company's roster, with only the pearl white front panel, jewel-like center button and the 3D quilted back setting it apart.
Details of the Samsung Diva include a 2.8-inch resistive touchscreen (with 320 x 240 resolution), a 3.2 megapixel camera (with a couple of arty effects, such as beauty shot and lomo), stereo Bluetooth, built-in DNSe, quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity (no 3G or WiFi) and microSD card expansion up to 8GB. It runs the standard TouchWiz UI, features social networking integration (Facebook, Twitter and MySpace) and comes with an HTML browser.
Carphone Warehouse will be distributing the handset in the UK and are bundling a limited amount of gift bags for early customers. Each bonus bundle will come with various cosmetic products from Benefit, including portable concealer kits and cream-to-powder finish foundations.
The Samsung S7070 Diva will be available for free from both T-Mobile and Orange, provided you agree to a two-year service contract. You can also get it for only £130 with no contract.
[Carphone Warehouse]
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One of the freshest-looking phones to come out of late, the Samsung B3310 (aka the Corby Mate) is a definite attention-getter. If nothing else, people are bound to fawn over the unusual positioning for the T9-style keypad, which sees its keys lined up along one side.
Physically, it's a good-looking compact phone, with a youthful design. The decision to place the number keys on the left hand side makes it possible to use them when you pull down the side-sliding QWERTY keyboard. It sounds like a functional and novel idea, but the actual implementation isn't very comfortable. In fact, it made typing numbers a bit cumbersome unless you've got the phone on landscape mode (and even then, it's not the best). Build is entirely plastic, although construction feels solid. The screen is a little too small at only 2 inches, but it does offer good resolution (320 x 240) and bright colors.
As a phone, the Corby Mate manages excellent calls, making for clear conversations and natural-sounding voices. Those on the other end reported a similar pleasantly performance. Speakerphone sounded a bit too tinny, but it could have been a problem on the unit. Battery life is rated for five hours of talk time, which should be good for two or three days of normal use on a non-3G handset.
Considered a budget messaging phone, it does come with a small but tidy range of features. It has the basics covered well, with a 1,000-entry phone book, messaging (SMS, MMS and email - no IM) and standard PIM tools. There's also stereo Bluetooth, a web browser (strictly GPRS/EDGE, though) and an FM radio.
The music player (which you can load up with songs via SD card) is just average, but the big letdown is the lack of a 3.5mm jack. It can be a real issue with "cheaper" phones and this one is no exception - the bundled buds are quite unappetizing. The 2.0 megapixel camera manages decent-looking shots, however.
Overall, the Samsung B3310 is a slider with a very pronounced selling point - an unusual keypad configuration that you're likely to either love or hate. It comes in a bevy of very bright colors, so the young ones should find it affable. If you can get used to the slightly cramped keyboard (it's a compact phone, after all), it could be worth the $150 or so price (exact retail pricing depends on where you are).
Samsung B3310 (Corby Mate)3.6111111111111noel2010-03-01 12:40:04
Phone ReviewsSamsung B3310 (Corby Mate)
A new flip phone just went up on Samsung's South Korean website under the ever-growing Corby line. Called the Samsung CorbyF (the F stands for Folder), the handset bundles a fun, playful design, along with smooth, curvy lines.
Intended for mid-range to low-end markets, the device borrows the youthful style available from previous cellphones in the series, making it a bit more attractive than the form you usually find on flip-style phones. Otherwise, it seems like a conventional clamshell, with regular, non-touchscreen displays.
The 15.9mm-thick Samsung CorbyF features a 2.6-inch internal LCD (QVGA resolution), an external LED display (unspecified size), a 3.0 megapixel camera module, a video-calling front camera, DMB TV, SOS calling, subway maps and microSD card extension (up to 16GB). It supports HSDPA 3.6Mbps (for SK Telecom and KT, not sure for non-Korean versions).
From the looks of it, this will be running Samsung's default non-touch interface, which isn't really anything special, despite being quite easy to use. The device will come in Candy Pink, Lime Green and Blue Black colors.
There's no exact pricing nor availability date, but Samsung says the CorbyF should come to South Korea soon. Since it's coming out with the the usually-affordable Corby branding, expect it to be generally inexpensive.
[via Samsung Hub]
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A new day, a cheaper Corby. Yes, if you thought you couldn't find a cheaper touchscreen feature phone than the Samsung Corby, then you're wrong. The Samsung Corby Pop (aka C3510 Genoa) is an even more affordable version of the entry-level handset, sporting much of the same hardware but throwing in a less-capable camera.
Physically, it's identical to the original Corby, although the front design is slightly angled and it makes do without the replaceable back panels. Overall make and feel is similar to it too, which is cheap but sturdy. It comes with a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen with QVGA resolution. Despite the smaller size, the screen is great - very bright, good detail and quite responsive.
As a phone, the Corby Pop makes for above average calls, with natural-sounding voices and plenty of volume. It's not the best sound I've heard, but it sure's right up there. Speakerphone performed similarly, although it could have used a little more volume. Battery is rated for a whopping 10 hours of talk time and, from our short tests, did seem like it can handle that.
Three things you'll have to know before you buy this handset: there are no built-in social networking apps, no decent browser (just Netfront) and you're restricted to EDGE for data connectivity. If you can get past that, then you might have hope for this device yet. The messaging is good, though - it has automatic email setup, push notification and threaded viewing.
Camera is only a 1.3 megapixel module. There are very few options and quality is below average for similar hardware. The music player is good, but the lack of options for filtering (read: none) is a problem for those with larger, unorganized collections.
Honestly, if you're considering getting the Samsung Corby Pop, we recommend opting for the slightly more expensive Corby instead. The software omissions are glaring (browser and music player, in particular). Paying the extra $50 to $100 (depending on where you buy) is worth it.
Samsung Corby Pop (aka C3510 Genoa) Is The Poor Man's Corby3.1666666666667noel2010-02-19 18:44:21
App Reviews,iPhone AppsSamsung Corby Pop (aka C3510 Genoa) Is The Poor Man's Corby
