Will Windows battles iPhone?

Last week, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., showed off the Omnia mobile phone
to members of the local IT
media. During the touch-and-feel session, Samsung executives taught some of the metropolis’ IT writers and editors the best ways to use (and abuse?) the Omnia, also known as the SGII-i900.

Unfortunately, our time with the Omnia was a mere fleeting affair, and the three hours spent with it, seemed to have passed by so quickly. I said goodbye too soon.

But my Omnia story has turned into something resembling those popular Korean telenovelas, which local TV audiences know rarely end on such a sad note. The day after the touch-and-feel but no-taki ng-home session, ah 8GB version of the Omnia turned up.

Getting to Know You.

This Korean looker comes with a super slender body measuring
112 x 56.8 x 12.5mm and with its platinum-look finish, is guarateed to make any IT lover go loco with desire.

This handset, which has network support for HSDPA (up to 7.2Mbps), EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1 800/1900, comes with a
3.2-inch WQVGA LCD screen that offers high-resolution videos and slide shows.
The Omnia’s connectivity options include Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fl and USB 2.0, and it is available in 8GB and 16GB versions, both with a microSDHC slot supporting up to 16GB of additional storage.

Multimedia Pleasures

Its audio capabilities are nothing to sneeze at. Moreover, the unit comes with multi-Codec support for DivX, Xvid and several other video formats. This phone-cummedia player does away with file format conversions. Also, Omnia comes With a detachable battery that perseveres to offer. extended energizing runs.

The Omnia comes wjth.a 5-megapixel CMOS camera with features that rival those of dedicated digital cameras. These include auto-focus, image stabilizer, Geo-tagging auto sequence panorama. that, wide dynamic range, face detection, smile detection and various scene modes.

Unlike some other smart phones out in the market, the Omnia offers true and full touch - screen capability. The unit's TouchWiz technology-based user interface redefines the concept of touch controls for mobile phones. It also comes with haptic feedback, which allows users to know that their commands have been acknowledged of accomplished by the unit.

The Omnia is not perfect. There are a couple or so of issues that

surfaced during the time I spent with the handset. The finger scrolling feature was not as unfailing as I would have wanted, And it bothered me that I had to remove the unit’s battery each time I wanted to insert or remove the microSD card.

These issues, I am quite sure, Samsung would fully address with the
Omnia’s next iteration.

Fun With Windows

While the thought that this smart phone comes with a mobile version of the world’s most dominant desktop operating system might turn off some gadget lovers out there, the unit’s bag of multimedia capabilities and long list of business features will surely ease their pain.

But the Omnia is not all about fun and entertainment. It is, after all, a smart phone. This handset also includes various more business-like applications including MS Office Document Viewer, Advanced PIM
applications, push e-mail, accelerometer, etiquette pause and digital frame -

At first glance, the phone might seem quite intimidating, Users may initially feel lost, unable to make sense of the unit's menus and commands But a little time spent to get to know the unit better would surely result to a satisfying mobile experience.


Philippine Price:

Samsung Omnia
8GB - P34,000($775)
16GB - P38,000 ($866)

Apple iPhone
8GB - P41,899 ($962)
16GB - P48,899 ($1,122)