Friday, October 29, 2010

Samsung Launches Its First Android Device for North America

Originally posted March 11, 2010
Android seems to be the talk of the town in recent days and weeks around the communications water cooler. The newest contender for the GSM market is the Samsung Galaxy Spica i5700 - although this is North America's first Samsung Android to come to market, it is the second seen in Europe and the fourth worldwide.

Features:
  • Android 1.5 platform
  • 800MHz processor
  • Support for video files
  • Pre-installed "switcher" applications
  • Two colour variations - black/red and white/green
  • 3.2 inch screen with a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels, and supporting 16 million colours
  • 3.2MP camera with video capability
User Feedback - Positive:
  • Fashionable and sleek
  • Slim and compact with minimal navigational buttons
  • Applications load smoothly one at a time
  • Platform is user friendly, especially for those who have previous experience with the Android OS
  • Device can run continuously for two days on HSPA (3G) connectivity
  • Moving through applications on the device is smooth and simple, with only a handful of front facing buttons to use
User Feedback - Not-So-Positive:
  • Looks very similar to a previous model
  • Surface is prone to fingerprints and scratches
  • Only 200MB of internal storage
  • No flash on the 3.2MP camera
  • Having a hard time keeping up with the previous model in terms of speed, functionality, and in-built items, such as the camera and on-board storage
  • Have to hold the unlock button down for a long period of time to get the handset going
  • Device can become laggy when using multiple applications
Overall Thoughts:
An average device suitable for users that like some multi-media capabilities. If the user is not hard on the device, and wants something to keep them connected, then the Galaxy Spica is the Android device for them. However, for those power users who want something a little more impressive, critics are suggesting the "older brother" model, the i7500.

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