As part of a perfect start to my winter holiday, Reiko surprised me with the very cell phone I’ve been looking forward to holding in my hands since paying my bill at a SoftBank store last month: The Samsung Omnia (also known as the SC930). With its sleek lines and nice feature set, this is certain to become one of the best cell phones to own this year and the next.
Before getting too far into my impressions of the 80,000円 device, I should mention some of the nice features that this phone comes with:
- 3.3″ Widescreen VGA LCD
- 5.15 Megapixel Camera
- 8 GB storage
- Digital TV (One Seg)
- Media Player
- microSDHC Memory Card
- Bar (QR) Code Reader
- Bluetooth
- IrDA
- PC Site Browser
- Global Roaming Service
- 3G High Speed (download data up to 7.2Mbps)
The list goes on quite a bit further, but it’s just as easy to read them on SoftBank’s site as it is here. The only difference, perhaps, will be the amount of Japanese on the screen.
Smooth and Responsive
Unlike the Omnias sold in other parts of the world, the Japanese model does not use Windows Mobile as the base OS. Instead, we’re given a tiny Linux variation that works incredibly well with the TouchWiz interface. Of all the phone interfaces that I’ve had the (occasional) pleasure of working with, this one is by far my favourite. Not only is it quick and responsive, but the phone is also the most intuitive technological device available in Japan. One might wonder if the Japanese cell phone designers could stand to learn a thing or two from their South Korean neighbours….
All in all, the phone required about 10 minutes of setup and an hour to input all of the data from my old phone. This could have been done through an automated process at SoftBank, but it was a great opportunity to familiarize myself with the phone and how it works. One of my biggest problems with my last cell phone was just how unintuitive it was, so the Omnia is a welcome addition to my digital arsenal.
TouchWiz is incredibly easy to work with, and I really like the number of widgets that are available for the little machine. One that I would be particularly happy to see would let me update Twitter right from the phone. I’m sure one already exists somewhere and, if not, it wouldn’t take too much to make one. The phone is programmable with Java and some of the newer Flash technologies. If you haven’t had the opportunity to play with TouchWiz, I’d suggest stopping at a cell phone retailer the next time you see one. It’s really smooth and a lot of cell phone companies could learn from Samsung’s example.
Yes, I’m talking to you, Sony Ericsson!
It’s a Phone, Too!
Despite having a 5.1 MP camera and digital TV tuner embedded, the little computer is also a pretty good phone. I’ve had the opportunity to call Reiko a few times and the sound has always been perfect; even in areas of low signal. Hopefully there will be fewer issues in the future when I’m walking inside a building while talking on the phone … I really hated it when I couldn’t even go into a convenience store with my older cell phone because it would lose signal.
One area that I am curious about is how to have a video call. All of the current phones have a camera both at the front and rear of the phone, and I would enjoy having the opporunity to call my wife with video on those days when we’re two prefectures apart because of work. It might not happen very often, but sometimes a voice just isn’t enough.
No GPS or WiFi, but Great Everywhere Else
Two of the features that I wish were crammed into the Japanese Omnia are GPS and WiFi. GPS is part of the European and North American models, and it seems that WiFi is going to be held until the second or third revision. While I can’t blame Samsung for wanting to keep their phones nice and thin, it would have solved a few of my technical problems in the near future.
All this said, I love the phone. I’m really happy that Reiko went to pick one up for me early, and it will be a great tool to keep me in touch with the rest of the world. That said, I need to be careful with the data aspect of the phone as, unlike the last model, it’s incredibly data friendly … and data is expensive.
If you live in Japan and are shopping for a new phone, I suggest you take a quick stop by a SoftBank retailer to take a look at this tiny phone. It might not be an iPhone or even something with a nice HTC logo on it, but it’s a solid performer that will not leave you disappointed.
Have you seen this phone? Do you have something similar or better? I’d love to hear what you think.
So it’s thicker than the iPhone, and doesn’t have either wifi or GPS?
But it does have 1seg and a 5mpixel camera.
Thanks but I’ll keep the wifi and GPS, not to mention the App Store (which has quite a few twitter clients by the way).
The US version also has wifi, in addition to the GPS you mentioned. I understand possibly eliminating the wifi in Japan, as it’s not so widespread publicly, but why not include the GPS when every new phone for the past year or so has GPS? Especially at that price!
Still, interesting to read about it, thanks. Shame you could not compare it to the iPhone, as they are now obviously competing on Softbank. Not that it’s really much competition
I don’t think the phone is thicker than an iPhone, but I don’t have one of those devices nearby to compare it with. A few co-workers do have one, though, so I’ll be sure to find out this coming Friday when I go back to work.
For the moment, I have a PDA with a bigger screen that I use for all my internet needs, so the WiFi isn’t so important. That said, I am disappointed that there is no GPS in the device. Several of the competition, such as Sharp’s Aquos, come with some really nice mapping applications. I was hoping to have something with GPS to make my next web project a little simpler, but it’s all good. There are always options.
As for comparing this side by side to an iPhone, I couldn’t do it. Well … I could … but it wouldn’t be an impartial comparison. I am biased against Apple (well … “The Steve”) and, as a result, would just create an Apple-bashing post rather than provide any real value to the reader.
It might be good for a laugh, though
It certainly sounds like a pretty cool phone, especially with the Linux OS…Be sure to keep us updated on how it works for you after you’ve had it for a little while
What sort of a monthly plan do you have for that phone? If the thing really cost ¥80,000 I hope your Apple hatred plus some serious savings on the monthly bill can make it worth not getting the other Softbank model with those features you claim to miss.
I have a pretty decent data plan that has a bunch of included features I will probably not use too often (downloading music and stuff), but the phone is subsizided, much like the iPhone is. This Omnia will add an additional 1,175円 a month for two years to my bill.
One of the biggest selling features is the ability to connect my PDA or AspireOne to the phone via BlueTooth and access the web at proper 3G speeds. I have an “unlimited” data plan that will see a maximum data charge of 4,200円 per month, even when downloading stuff to another computer. That’s a heck of a lot better than any plan I would have received with EM Mobile had I decided to sign up with them when buying a netbook
As for the Apple thing … I don’t hate them, per se. I’m just not a fan of the hype, the misleading marketing, the general Apple-worshipping individuals I’ve had the opportunity to spend time with, or The Steve. The design is alright, and the interface is clearly something easy enough for my digitally illiterate family to quickly learn and navigate, so that’s one area where they excel.
**shrugs**
Either way … to each their own
I use nothing but Apple computers but I have yet to go the iPhone route . . . Combination of me and the wife being in DoCoMo subscriptions and me just not needing all that much out of a mobile phone. I hear that tethering will be enabled at some point, which would make it a bit more attractive to me for the few times I need web access but am out of reach of my office or home networks.
I have a friend who got an EMobile account just to get the eeePC for a hundred yen along with it. Sounds like a deal if that’s the sort of connectivity you need.
can i make a ringtune by passing a music from my pc to omnia? how to edit the ringtune by using the music from my pc?someone can help me?
There are literally dozens of free applications all over the internet that will let you convert an mp3 file into a ringtone, and it’s quite easy to transfer that to the Omnia via USB, Bluetooth, or with a MicroSD card. If you want to edit the music, I would suggest getting a simple WAV editor (many CD burning applications come with one) to make any changes you would want.
Hope this helps