Review: Samsung Focus with Windows Phone 7
Bluetooth
Bluetooth worked fine connecting to my handsfree device and my stereo Bluetooth speakers. My headset sounded as good as ever during calls with the Samsung Focus. Same goes for my speakers. Neither device experienced any significant reception issues or signal dropping. The phone does not support Bluetooth file transfers, which is a serious oversight. The microSD card is not intended to be removable, and the connection software for Mac users is not finished at launch. Bluetooth would have been a great stand-in.
Clock
Press the screen lock button and the phone lights up with a clock on its lock screen. You also get the date, your next calendar appointment and any notifications for missed calls or messages. The Samsung Focus has a clock at the top of the screen, but this clock occasionally hides from view. In most apps, you can simply tap the top of the screen and the clock reappears, along with battery info and network reception indicators. The phone also has an app for alarms, and you can download free apps for stopwatches and timers from the Marketplace.
GPS
For mapping and GPS, the Samsung Focus comes with a couple of options preloaded. AT&T Navigator from TeleNav provides turn-by-turn directions. It looks great. The interface has been redesigned to match the Windows Phone 7 style, and this works very well for the navigation app. The phone also features a separate mapping app, simply called Maps. The Maps app doesn't offer turn-by-turn navigation, but it does provide a very slick interface with a hybrid map and satellite view that looks fantastic, especially on the Focus.
It's a shame that these two mapping apps don't talk to each other. If you tap on an address in your contact list, you can see it on a map and even get directions to it from your current location. But if you want real navigation, you have to open the AT&T Navigator app, and AT&T Nav cannot access your contact list. So, you have to memorize that address because, once again, Windows Phone 7 does not have any copy and paste feature.
Windows Phone 7: Hands-On
Samsung Focus
