All these times I keep trying - and failing - to come back to Ciao properly...
All these times I keep trying - and failing - to come back to Ciao properly...
Member since:30.10.2002
Reviews:168
Members who trust:141
After 18 months of using a Samsung SGH E900 and still not quite managing to avoid accidentally pressing the touch-sensitive buttons, my friends were quite surprised that - when offered a free upgrade - I went for...yes, a Samsung phone with touch-sensitive buttons. So far it's only been two weeks, but I'm already convinced that it was a good move...
Now, I'm used to having to choose a phone that looks great but doesn't match up to my expectations specification-wise, or one that will do just about everything you could imagine but looks awful. Obviously it's all pretty subjective, but I think I may (finally!) have found one that suits me on both fronts!
AESTHETICS
12.9mm thick, an ultra-classy looking combination of brushed steel and black plastic, and with a decent-sized screen, this phone is...well...beautiful. And Samsung obviously want their customers to keep the phone this way: in order to avoid covering the screen in thumbprints when you slide it open, there's a little black plastic "lip" at the bottom to help you out. Genius.
Open
up the phone and you'll find the same brushed steel for the keypad. It's beautiful enough already...but what makes it even better is the "Magical Touch interface" just below the screen. This touch-sensitive navigation pad is inactive until the phone is opened, when you're confronted with icons which change depending on which feature you're using. The issues I'd had with previous touch-sensitive Samsungs (such as inadvertently pressing buttons and wiping out entire, carefully crafted, text messages, for example) have gone: this design means that I've not even managed to do this when drunk, which is pretty impressive...
FUNCTIONS
Well, it's a phone. It can send text messages, and it can make phone calls (and video calls, for that matter). However, if you're also looking for a phone with a decent camera, you could do much worse than this.
Its 5-megapixel camera (with 4x digital zoom) captures decent-quality pictures and videos, and the phone seems to have been designed with camera users in mind. With the ability to change picture size, shooting mode, effects, white balance and exposure - as well as setting a timer for photos and enabling face detection - it's pretty comprehensive.
This phone should also appeal to those who are looking for a mobile with a decent mp3 player. The U900 uses Bang & Olufsen technology to offer fantastic sound quality (at a decent volume, unlike some phones), and is compatible with a wide range of file types, including mp3, WMA, MIDI and XMF.
The U900 also includes a FM radio, and the ability to download tracks from the Internet. However, the most exciting music-related application (to me, anyway) is the music recognition software. Simply load up the software, hold your phone next to the source of the music you want to identify, and press "recognise" - and somehow it'll work out the name of both the track and the artist. I've tested it out with quite a few random snippets of songs and it hasn't failed me...yet.
This phone also comes with Internet access, Bluetooth connectivity, and the obligatory games - although these are only demos and you have to purchase the full versions. My phone (I'm not sure if it's dependent on network/contract) also came with Google Maps pre-installed, which is pretty handy when on the move.
NAVIGATION
All in all, pretty straightforward. The standard keys and touch sensitive screen work well when combined, and the menu system is fairly standard for Samsung (obviously, though, if you've been using a different make of phone it'll take some getting used to!)
(SOME OF) THE TECHNICAL STUFF
(I'm not a techie, so this'll all be pretty basic :) )
At over 10.5cm long and weighing in at 112g, it's not the smallest phone on the market, but it's small enough. More of a priority for me was the battery life, which, on my old Samsung, proved to be...well, more than a bit rubbish. The manufacturers state standby time of up to 420 hours and talk time of up to 280 minutes (if you're on 3G)...and, to be honest, while I haven't timed my usage/standby time, I'm definitely happier with this phone than with any others I've had in terms of the need to recharge.
Memory-wise it's pretty good (100 Mbytes), and if this still isn't enough, the phone has a MicroSD slot on one side.
The Internet connection is fast (HSDPA 7.2mbps), and transferring files from phone to computer is also pretty quick, whether this be via a cable or through Bluetooth.
The only problem, for those that travel extensively, is that this phone is triband rather than quadband, so will not work everywhere in the world...
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
The U900 is available on both prepay and contract in most mobile phone shops. I got mine as an almost-free upgrade on Vodafone (£20), but it's available free of charge on many new contracts. On PAYG it's still pretty expensive - around the £300 mark.
All in all, I'm very happy so far...it's a phone that not only looks good, but performs well across all of its functions. The camera is fantastic (well, Samsung DO make standalone cameras so I'd be surprised if it wasn't!), navigation is simple, and it's the details such as the touch sensitive pad and (possibly slightly gimmicky) random applications/functions that make this phone a hit in my book. Definitely recommended.
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great review. really well informed and explains everything i need to know!
I had pretty much made my mind up that i wanted this phone when i upgrade next month, but this review has sealed the deal!
thankyou!
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Advantages: super cool looks, 5 megapixel camera, high resolution display, excellent keypad and navigation Disadvantages: not quad band, screen hard to read in bright sunlight, camera flash is lacking
Reviewersaad 19.05.2008 (19.05.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Samsung SGH U900 Soul
Advantages: Excellent camera, Touch screen system handy in certain applications , Stylish "head-turning" phone. Disadvantages: Battery life -No Xenon Flash -Easily scratchable back cover -Finger prints -Annoying music player navigation
Chui250 17.07.2008 (17.07.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Samsung SGH U900 Soul
May 25th, 2008
exceptional by (6%):
very helpful by (94%):
