MWC 2009
Samsung announced a number of high-end devices running its new TouchWiz platform at Mobile World Congress. They are all powerful phones with a distinct set of media capabilities.
Omnia HD
The Omnia HD is flat-out ridiculous. It has a huge 3.7-inch AMOLED display that is quite literally one of the best displays I've ever seen on a mobile phone. It is insanely bright, very sharp, and graphics and icons look superb. Really, I could go on and on about how amazing the display is, but I'll spare you. Suffice it to say, it'll knock your socks off.
The Omnia HD is all about video. Because of the large screen, the phone itself is huge. It is quite a formidible piece of hardware to carry around in your pocket. The camera rates 8 megapixels and the Omnia HD can record video in 720p resolution at 24 frames per second. This makes it a killer imaging device. The hardware was good all around. A bit on the simple side, but all the buttons - few of them though they are - worked well and had good travel and feedback.
The Omnia HD runs the new version of TouchWiz. It is very much like the original version, but has added some 3D screen transitions, the ability to have more than one home screen, and the ability to multi-task with multiple applications running at a time. It runs S60 5th Edition, which is geared towards touch input. The UI was very responsive and snappy. This was perhaps the best rendition of a resisitve touch screen I've seen from Samsung.
Perhaps my favorite feature of the Omnia is what it doesn't have. Samsung has ditched its proprietary data port for a microUSB data port and it has added a full 3.5mm headset jack for regular headphones. This is a welcome change.
The camera software is the same that appears on Samsung's stand-alone cameras. It is very feature-rich and allows you to manipulate the camera's settings heavily. It is well integrated into the touch user interface.
The Omnia, however, will not be seen on U.S. shores. It will only support 900/2100 3G networks.
Beat DJ
If you can't figure out what the Beat DJ is all about based on the name, you must not listen to music much. The DJ is all about providing a great music experience, and for the most part, it delivers.
The hardware actually resembles the Pantech Ocean 2 a bit. It isn't a slider at all, but it has the same oval shape, and is a bit thicker than you'd like it to be. That said, it is comfortable to hold, doesn't weigh all that much and easily slips into and out of your pocket.
The DJ also runs the latest version of TouchWiz, though is doesn't have some of the 3D effects seen on the Omnia HD. It also has an AMOLED screen, but it isn't as large as the Omnia's. There are just three buttons on the face of the phone, tucked along the very bottom. They are easy enough to find and use. The buttons along the sides of the phone also worked well.
The DJ's stand-out feature is the music player, of course. It has a a more advanced feature set that we've seen on other Samsung music phones, and offers the DJ spinner. You press a button labeled "DJ" when playing music, and the phoenb re-orients to landscape mode and a circle appears in the center of the screen. This circle is supposed to represent a record, and you can use it to "scratch" your tunes rap-style as you play them back. It is fun to play with.
The DJ also has very good quality stereo speakers, the new microUSB charge port and a 3.mm headset jack. In all, the DJ is more of a niche phone, but it fills that niche well.
Ultra Touch
The Ultra Touch is the latest in the Ultra line up. That means it is thin, stylish, and powerful. What's interesting about this device is that Samsung has given it the full TouchWiz touch user interface, but also included a regular 12-key dialpad for text and numerical input. According to Samsung, this is meant to help coax users who might not be interested in touch devices into trying it out, since they'll be able to rely on the physical keypad.
The hardware definitely impresses. It is a very solid and well-built phone with quality materials. The function keys on the front work well, though I thought the D-pad was a wasted effort. It is very small, and clearly Samsung intends for you to just touch the screen to get what you want. The dialpad feels like it was something Samsung just copy-and-pasted from another handset. The Samsung heritage is obvious. The keys, which are flat with very little contour, had decent travel and feedback. The buttons that are positioned along the side of the phone are good, and had decent travel and feedback.
The user interface is just as snappy as the other phones, and the screen seemed to be responsive enough that we didn't notice the need for multiple presses to get things done. The phone reacted well to our input.
Once thing I'll say is that the Ultra Touch is more than meets the eye when it comes to weight. It is surprisingly heavy. With the larger screen, 8 megapixel camera and slideout keypad, there's a lot going on in the metal shell encasing the Ultra Touch.
There's no doubt it is stylish and powerful. The Ultra Touch is sure to be a hit.
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