Samsung i900 Omnia review: The whole nine yards
- r
- respa
- PkJ
- 28 Aug 2008
Daymo, 27 Aug 2008Have got my Omnia arriving tomorrow and after reading some ... moreyes, please make a little review when you get yours
- D
- Daymo
- nEt
- 27 Aug 2008
Have got my Omnia arriving tomorrow and after reading some of these reviews im a little nervous. Most of the website reviews have been excellent, but personal reviews from consumers have been mixed. Will let you no how I get on with mine when I get it.
- s
- same as below
- pw6
- 26 Aug 2008
Oh yeah, a few more things. Battery life excellent, I was really impressed with it compared to my other phones. Big problem is daylight legibilty. I read the reviews and thought "it can't be that bad?", but, it is. It's almost unusable in all but the dullest of days. If this was a piece of equipment I was commissioning I'd send it back as a design flaw. Also, the samsung proprietry phone/charging connector, WHY samsung? WHY? With a device like this it would be really useful to be able to charge it AND listen to the radio or watch a film AT THE SAME TIME!! Y arent these thing field tested before general release?
- ?
- Anonymous
- mX4
- 26 Aug 2008
Well, I was out on sunday and cracked my phone screen. Was walking past a Vodafone shop and saw the Omnia was out. Got the last one left and went home with my "prize". To cut a long story short, if this is the best winmo smartphone out at the moment then count me out until it gets much much better! Performance is great, looks is fantastic but the OS is like having a windows 95 machine in my pocket. Everything is long winded. Its not user friendly at all and in no way can compete with the Iphone in terms of usability and I am the biggest Iphone hater! I'm going to send it back and get something else, dunno what yet though. One big bonus is the mouse, fantastic! Keep inovations like that coming Samsung and you are onto a winner.
- P
- Paul
- MJx
- 22 Aug 2008
Just got this from TOMTOM....
Thank you for contacting TomTom Customer Support
Your reference for your query is 080821-005655.
As more devices are tested and found to be comptaible they will be added to the list of compatible
devices that are listed on the Navigator page on our main website.
We do not have a timescale of testing nor what models will be tested at this time.
Until a model appears on the compatiblity list we regret that we are unable to offer any support.
At present we do not have any software for this device.
With Best Regards
The TomTom Customer Support Team
- P
- Paul
- MJx
- 21 Aug 2008
Having had the Omnia (SGH-i900) for a day so far, I feel quite disappointed.
TomTom 6 or 7 will not work which is ridiculous as they work on every other PDA Phone I've owned, even if you do some of the tweeks people are doing on other sites, the GPS signal is so low outdoors it makes it pointless for use as a satnav.
The screen rotation is nothing but a gimmick, it looks cool and will probably impress your mates and the menu’s are clever but pointless if you can’t manually alter them.
I’ve taken a few pictures and downloaded them to the PC to check the quality, which was also disappointing. Images seemed to lack in detail which I would imagine is probably down to the size of the lens.
Now to the text input…. the Samsung screen keyboard is a complete waste of time whilst texting, once you’ve gone past 2 lines you can’t see anything you’ve already typed. I’ve ended up using the normal PDA keyboard and pen which hangs off the phone and scratches the case whilst in your pocket.
Last but no least the build quality. Yes it looks stylish, but I can’t imagine it lasting more than a month without getting scratched and possibly cracked if it was slightly knocked in your pocket.
So it looks like this cool little phone is not what I was expecting, the Sim has already been removed and is now back in my trusty XDA Orbit.
This one will either be going on ebay or returned back for something else…
What do you guys recommend? An E71 perhaps or even an Orbit 2.
- t
- tropolite
- vkR
- 20 Aug 2008
Hi
Just been reading with interest the review.
It's possible that this has come up already, but I felt I needed to again.
In the review it mentions 'no support for Xvid'. In fact Xvid plays very well on the Omnia. No probs.
I'm sorry if this has already been addressed.
Cheers
- j
- james
- mCS
- 19 Aug 2008
the i900 is a quality phone...touch is incredibly easy to use and if you dont like that you can use the virtual mouse which is really useful. plus being a windows mobile you could quite easily load the htc touch flow system on to it] if you dont like either. love the phone and it will sell well where i work in the uk. camera is brilliant especially with how it takes a panorama shot. could spend days talking about this phone. and i did read a comment about this phone not having a stylus, but the uk version comes with one in the box...brilliant
- A
- Arik
- bax
- 13 Aug 2008
jack, 31 Jul 2008Hello GSMArena,
Can you please review what "popeye" post... moreAt times, Jack, your review was brilliant. It definitely saved me from this phone, and made me laugh at the same time.
Thanks!
- O
- OMNIA Sucks
- PFM
- 10 Aug 2008
Samsung OMNIA Sucks! and Made international Roaming calls on its own!!!
I am sharing my utter dissapointment and disgust at my Samsung Omnia. I have been using OMNIA for 3 weeks. I have found out that my Omnia had gone bonkers and made at least 15 roaming calls on its own when I was away in another country. My phone keys were locked and display was put in sleep mode. These unintended calls were due to the sheer stupidity of the enginnering design which allow my phone to make calls even though it was put in sleep mode and keys locked.
I am also extremely pissed off with samsung customer service. I have written many emails to samsung regarding my earlier predicaments with OMNIA and there were many delivery failure messages indicating my emails bounced back. Samsung customer service is really lousy and unprofessional.
Some of the other problems with my OMNIA:
2. GPS couldn't get a fix and it had hanged many times!
3. The phone had hanged many times. Sometimes I also could not open the camera function as it stated that phone memory was not enough (eventhough I had ended all the other tasks and only had 2 pictures in memory!)
4. I had became an expert in poking the soft reset until last week the phone hanged while I was not using it! I had set the alarm clock timings in the phone before going to sleep. However it was my body alarm clock which woke me up. When I noticed the phone hanged and didn't ring I knew I was in great trouble. Being a pilot, my punctuality is of utmost importance. I was nearly half an hour late for my flight. This incident will be recorded and will definitely affect my performance appraisal.
Finally after many emails, I was given a 1 for 1 exchange. However, the so-called "new" phone also sucks!
Among the problems:
1. First of all, my main complaint that my previous OMNIA made calls when kept in my pocket with the keys locked and power turned off persisted in the "new" phone. In fact I CAN'T even lock the keys. I have made sure that the End key setting: Lock Device was selected in the Settings for Buttons. However, I am unable to lock the keys! Any accidental pressure on the call button can cause it to start dialling. I am really very disappointed beyond words. I have also yet to get an answer to the charges for the many calls made automatically by my phone while I was overseas previously. Who is gonna settle the bills for all these roaming calls?!!!
2. Phone's speaker also has a crackling sound when at high pitch.
3. The touchscreen is not sensitive and accurate.
4. phone also has no vibration feedback on the touch screen even though I have selected Max vibration feedback!
5. phone's camera still has the same bug of "Unable to launch camera due not enough memory". It was my first use of the camera and not even a picture was taken yet!
Unless Samsung improves their reliability and customer service, I guess it is better to stick with a reliable brand such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson, O2, etc!
For more info of OMNIA can contact me and I will gladly share my review of this phone!
KK 65-67282374
- H
- Hahahah
- n6u
- 10 Aug 2008
kcaj, 10 Aug 2008It seems that certain people cannot be satisfied with any p... more500€ is not cheap.
I wonder why they didn't use a VGA-display.
Those points are easy and obvious flaws.
But they don't care or they do it on purpose so that they have room for improvements...
Blatant stupid.
Non-VGA-solution is a No-No for me.
- k
- kcaj
- wHS
- 10 Aug 2008
jack, 31 Jul 2008Hello GSMArena, Can you please review what "popeye" post... moreIt seems that certain people cannot be satisfied with any product. Since they critisize it so much - then my point is don't buy. Just stay with your old handset. They expect the phone to be able to perform like a BMW at the price of a bicycle. Such thinking only highlights the inability of rational thinking.
- t
- theefman
- Bec
- 06 Aug 2008
For those who actually have the device and are not just spewing hot air Samsung has released a rom update for the Singapore version: http://www.samsungmobile.com/promotion/omnia/index.jsp
- ?
- Anonymous
- 4A4
- 05 Aug 2008
http://www.gpspassion.com/foru...5482
i found it people are saying that omnia is using qualcomm gps chipset but don't know if is really a confirmation or not. Still i was really looking forward the omnia using sirf star III gps chipset. If it does use sirf star III, sales would probably increase and out sell iphone and htc diamond.
- z
- zubaraj
- u4g
- 05 Aug 2008
can anybody guide me how i can scan business card utilising BIZ CARD READER
- r
- rehamer
- vj1
- 05 Aug 2008
Just to share my experiences:
I hate it because:
1. I miss the crispness of a VGA screen. Letters in WQVGA are just blurry, so with the icons.
2. I miss the hardware number pad of my ultimate 8150. the omnia samsung input seems so inorganized. e.g. the space button at landscape, the backspace at numpad mode, etc. Iphone rocks in that part.
I frequently miss the right button even at the landscape mode.
3. I hate the absence of the stylus. That is really a very very big downside of this device. Imagine when your device frezes, what would you use to reset the device? Removing the battery is even more difficult.
4. I cant install my dictionary because of the screen abnormality. The phone will constantly hang if you do so. So my verdict, some incompatible programs due to screen orientation will never get installed in this device not until the xperia is out maybe.
5. The battery will last only for one day. i dont even use the wifi and gps. The haptic feedback drains the battery fast.
6. The build quality is not good as opposed to the review. The backcover is not metal. Imho, theres no metal part in this phone except the stylus dongle. I think, its just metal brushed plastic that will get torn in time.
7. Legibility under direct sunlight is really poor yet better than a vga screens.
8. Forget about typing while in motion. Well, even if you stay put, as said, typing is a pain in the a**.
Nonethelss, its the most stable winmo device i have used.
- r
- respa
- Pn%
- 04 Aug 2008
Costas, 04 Aug 2008A few questions guys
Being an owner of an Omnia for the ... moreHi Costa, I'm sorry that I cant help you since I didnt get mine yet. Can you say if there is another problems with this device? Such as freezing, rebooting, slowing downs, etc?
Or the negative points were only the ones you pointed out?
If there are more negative, please say =)
Thank you very much.
- C
- Costas
- MFG
- 04 Aug 2008
A few questions guys
Being an owner of an Omnia for the past week I have gathered the following hickups:
a) some apps: world clock card reader are not present on the 16gb version I have
b) annoyinngly the second Home interface screen the gsmarena guys have is not present either. You get the widget screen, the shortcut screen and the main menu screen. And even on the widget screen the widget about birthdays is not there.
c)another quirk you should be aware of is the infamous call waiting issue. You can see your second line caller if you have call waiting enabled on your network and hear the beep and so does the caller calling get a notification from the network. However when you are the caller and the person you are calling is on their second line you get no such notification. To my knowledge this is an issue with Win Mobile.
If anyone can help i ll appreciate it!!!!
- r
- rehamer
- vj1
- 02 Aug 2008
I am disapointed with its keyboard input. I was using ultimate 8150, and it seems vga screen is really snappy.
- J
- JL
- j8n
- 02 Aug 2008
Don, 01 Aug 2008mine works fine in the sunlight. when initially turned on a... moreis the touch screen as responsive as the iphone? and is the interface snappy with no lag?