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TECHNOLOGY BUZZ: Soul in a phone
Hard facts
Brand: Samsung Soul U900
Form factor: Slider
GSM frequencies: 900, 1800, 1900
Size (W x H x D): 50 x 106 x 13 mm; 112g
Display screen (W x H): 34 x 45 mm
Display resolution: 240x320 pixels
Camera resolution: 5 megapixels
LED photo light: Yes
Flash:
No
Battery type: Li-ion
Talk time (mfr): 280 min
Standby time (mfr):
420 hours
Supported formats: MP3, MIDI, WMA, XMF, SMAF, AAC, AAC+, e-AAC+
On-board memory: 100 MB
Memory card type: microSD
Memory expansion:
Yes
Connectivity
Infrared: No
Bluetooth: Yes
WiFi: No
USB: Yes
GPS receiver: No
Available colours: Black, Silver
Other features:
Vibrating alert; Calendar; Alarm clock; Speakerphone; Voice recording; Video recording; FM radio; Internet browser; WAP protocol supported; email client; Java; GPRS; 3G; HDSPA; Bang and Olufsen power amplifiers.
Compared to: Motorola RAZR2 V8 luxury edition (Rs37, 750)
Price:
Rs32, 000
Motorola has the market covered when it comes to fashion phones. Take the Motorola’s V8 which has been dipped in gold, covered in snakeskin and endorsed by David Beckham. The quad band clamshell has 2GB of non-expandable memory and a 2-megapixel camera, and comes with a pouch, Bluetooth headset and swanky suede wipe cloth. Unfortunately, it is plagued by a clunky interface, a basic music player, occasionally slows down when the phone processes something, a proprietary headphone jack rather than a standard 3.5mm port, which means you are stuck with the low grade default ear buds. So as a fashion accessory it is great, but as a phone it is not.
To take its place however there is a new contender in town, ‘the Soul’ which has been hyped as Samsung’s flagship phone for 2008 and as a flagship phone, you would expect it to have top-end features and here you would not be wrong. The U900 lives up to all expectations.
At first glance, you can tell that the Soul is something different from the usual Samsung slide design. The body is made from metal, giving it a high quality feel. I absolutely loved the sleek, minimalist design. The slide moves smoothly up to reveal a flat keypad. The build too is lovely. Tall and thin in repose measuring a tidy 105.9mm tall, 49.5mm wide and 12.9mm thick, it feels slightly lanky but comfortable nonetheless. The slide is beautifully sprung so that it does not need a lot of force to open or close.
The Soul is the first Samsung phone to incorporate a 16 million colour display. The image quality and viewing angle of the display are also both excellent, thanks to the quality matrix installed.
The feature that truly sets the U900 apart, is the touch-sensitive navigation keypad. It has a small touch-sensitive screen placed below the main LCD display which is icon-driven and the icons change according to the menu selected. The Magic Touch window often changes to give directional movement and a central select or the OK button. It will do four directions or just up and down if a menu is on screen. When you are playing music you have got play/pause, back forwards and music list viewing. When you are using the camera you can toggle the macro mode and flash, use the self timer and adjust the exposure.
Speaking of cameras the Soul does have a powerful camera but let’s be clear about it. It is not the best (try the Nokia N95 or Sony Ericsson K850i for the best camera phones), but yes! It is a very good runner-up. It also has a lag while taking picture so ensure that anyone you are taking pictures of stands absolutely still. There is also a music player that can handle a wide range of formats, plus an FM radio, and a Bang and Olufsen power amplifier for high-fidelity audio. Just one gripe, this phone is tri-band not quadband — at this price it is inexcusable.
Conclusion:
The Soul U900 is a statement of classiness with an edge. It is a very attractive phone which makes it very eye-catching when you carry it around. It has the fluidity that one usually looks for, from its keypad to its screen.
Overall:
The Soul is an interesting product, and without a doubt. This model is largely targeted towards male audience because of its size, but it is not impossible to imagine it endearing to woman’s soul either. –U.M.
COOL GADGETS
Light up your garden
The solar powered plant pots are an innovation in gardening; they add a refreshing look to your otherwise dull garden. They charge during day-time and light up your garden at night and are available in chic white and cool blue.
Wireless speaker
The Sentry wireless speaker is exclusively for your iPod. It is portable so can be carried around. The iPod can be connected to its dock which transmits WiFi signals to the six connectable speakers to give surround sound.
Bold in blue
The LG Decoy cellphone is the first of its kind; it has an integrated handsfree Bluetooth headset in itself. It features a 2.2inch LCD screen, with a two tone satin black glossy finish. It also features a five-way directional joystick.
Power computing for kids
Lukid Kids’ PC is a special innovation for the kids. It is developed by Korean company Daewoo Lucoms, it features the Intel Celeron 900MHz processor, with a nine-inch LCD display, powered by Windows XP. A 30GB hard drive and a 512MB Ram makes it one of the best choices for your kids in the market.
Pop! pop! pop!
This puzzle alarm clock pops out puzzle pieces, just as the alarm rings and ensures that you do not fall asleep again as the alarm does not stops until you manage to put the puzzle back to its place.
Star wars fans: Alert!
These Star Wars USB ports are new addition to the plethora of Star Wars merchandise. Many fans would love to get their hands on because along with providing you extra USB ports, they also look great on your desk if you are a Star Wars afficionado.
Made for the kitchen
PanDigital’s kitchen technology centre features a 15inch touchscreen along with multimedia capabilities. It allows the users to access recipes at a single touch, as it comes with several pre-installed recipes. It also allows you to search recipes online and store them in the 1GB memory. It is also capable of HDTV playback.
Lemon light
This little gadget is an interesting one. It is a light with a bit of a twist: it is illuminated by a lemon, and, hence, it is called Lemon Light. If nothing else, the gadget can be a source of amusement by the way it works.
—Sanaa Jatoi
Source: Google
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