Mission 7 part 2 - overview

Ever since hearing that I’d been chosen as a Samsung Mob!ler, I’ve had a fantastic time testing their new devices. This is the final mission, and I must admit, I really will miss my weekly Samsung tasks.

The mobiler process has taught me so much, and I got a chance to explore two fantastic new devices in great detail, which I very rarely get the chance to do. I was extremely excited when I received my Samsung Wave very early one Saturday morning, and had so much fun exploring the operating system of the handset, downloading apps, and testing out the excellent quality camera. The Mobiler process encouraged me to use my handset for things other than I usually did, such as e-mail and apps.

The Samsung Wave that was sent to me is a brilliant handset, with so many features that I love, and enjoy using. I am now using the Wave as my primary handset, and can’t see myself changing it anytime soon. It has totally surpassed my expectations, and the quality is absolutely fantastic. The only small reservation I had at first was the lack of accurate sat nav maps for Northern Ireland, but now I have my Samsung Galaxy Tab I’m not so worried about this anymore. I’ve also noticed that, in the short time that I’ve been using the handset, the number of apps available for the Bada platform has greatly increased, and it’s fantastic to see such an improvement in app development in such a short space of time.

As soon as I heard that I would be receiving a Galaxy Tab of my very own I was absolutely ecstatic! I couldn’t wait to get home to open the package the day my mum phoned me to tell me it had arrived, and when I did open it, I was not disappointed! The Tab is an amazing device, and I really enjoy using it. I love that I can view my emails on a large screen, without the need to click through to various pages to read the full content. The swype texting is also a fantastic feature, which makes text input so much quicker and easier than on any handset or device I’ve ever used before. I particularly enjoyed mission 5, which involved reviewing an app, as it finally gave me a chance to play angry birds, and I must say; now I’m totally addicted. Any time I’m in work, everyone wants to use the Tab to play angry birds, because the big screen effect is just unreal!

I feel so privileged to have been chosen as a Samsung Mobiler, and I’ve really enjoyed every aspect of it. I’m just a little sad that I wasn’t able to attend either of the meet-ups, due to a very hectic university and work schedule.

After all the missions have been completed, three of the twenty UK Samsung Mobilers will be chosen to visit Samsung’s world headquarters in Korea to attend Mobiler day. I would absolutely LOVE to be one of these chosen three, as I think it would be an amazing, truly once in a lifetime experience. I would relish the opportunity to meet other Samsung Mobilers from across the world, and to hear their stories about their mobile experiences, as well as sharing mine. I would also love to have the chance to see the world headquarters of a company so prolific as Samsung, especially as, in my line of work, I recommend and sell many of Samsung’s products on a daily basis to a variety of customers, and it would be brilliant to get an insight into the workings of the company and the people behind the products. I would also enjoy the experience as I hope it may give me the opportunity to gain an insight into any of Samsungs product ideas for the future, and to learn of any further directions the company is taking as a whole, as I am very interested in marketing, as this is part of what my university degree is based on.

A trip to Korea would also give me the chance to experience a slice of another culture, and to enjoy life in a different continent, even if only for a short while.

I would like to express my thanks to Samsung, and the team at JAM who have facilitated the Mobilers, for giving me this fantastic opportunity, and for providing me with two excellent devices which I don’t think I’ll ever give up!

Mission 7 part 1 - apps

The first part of mission 7 involves suggesting an app which could be created for the Galaxy Tab, Galaxy S or Samsung Wave handsets. The app I'm suggesting is one which I would very much enjoy using and think others would enjoy also.

Theme Designer

This app would allow users to create their own personalised themes for their handset, rather than having to download the creations of others from the app store. It would allow for colours to be chosen for backgrounds and text, as well as having a selection of graphics which could be included for personalisation. This app would also allow for pictures to be used from the handset gallery as background images.

A free version could include a small number of images, with the opportunity to upgrade to a paid for version, which would have a greater number of graphics available as well as further advanced personalisation options.

I think an app like this would be perfect for the many users who want their handset to look a little different than that of everyone else, and who enjoy adding a touch of personalisation to the menus and style of the themes. It would make personalisation easy, and I think it could become very popular.

Mission 5 - Games on the Galaxy Tab

As soon as Samsung posted Mission 5 – to review a game on my new Galaxy Tab – I knew exactly what I was going to download. The infamous Angry Birds.

Having never owned an Apple product, or an Android phone, I’ve never had the chance to play this much talked about game, except for the few times when I’ve been able to steal my younger brother’s iPod (which never lasted long as it was always swiped from me fairly quickly). So as soon as I turned on my Tab, I went straight to the marketplace and downloaded Angry Birds.

It is amazing! And the 7” display on the Galaxy Tab makes it look even better than it does on the smaller screen of an iPod Touch. Also, I love the zoom out feature, which lets you see the full game area on one screen. However, the only annoying thing is the fact that there are ads in-game at the top right of the screen, but this does not distract from gameplay at all in my opinion, as it doesn’t interfere with the birds in any way!

So, about the game. I’m sure the vast majority of the population already know about this game, but for those who don’t, here’s a quick rundown. Basically, some naughty green pigs have stolen eggs from the birds, and this has made them angry – hence the title. The birds want their revenge, and so have set up catapults outside the pigs hideouts, which they jump into. It is your job to fire the birds at the pigs, collapsing their stronghold, and destroying them.

There are different types of birds, each which has its own specific strength – the yellow bird goes faster if you tap it, the tiny grey bird splits into three causing maximum damage, the white bird lays an egg bomb, and the black bird explodes on landing. The skills of each of the birds ensure that all the pigs are hit, and the angry birds get their revenge on the naughty green pigs.

As well as different types of birds, there are also different types of pigs. The small ones are usually destroyed with one hit, the larger ones take two hits, and the pigs cleverly wearing helmets take multiple hits before exploding.

With hundreds of levels, this game has kept me amused for hours on end! At each level, there is the opportunity to earn three stars, which are gained by earning points. Points are accumulated by destroying pigs and their surroundings with as few birds as possible. I’ve found it difficult to earn all three stars on many of the levels, so I’m sure the pursuit of piggy perfection will keep me entertained for a long time.

I love these little angry birds, and I shall be helping them in their quest to destroy the green pigs for a very long time!

Mission 4 - Galaxy Tab review

This week’s mission was to review the new Samsung Galaxy Tab. So, yesterday I went into my local Carphone Warehouse for a look, and all I can say is ‘WOW’!

The 7” TFT LCD touch screen is impressive and the Tab itself is quite simple but elegant in design. For me, the Galaxy Tab is definitely not pocket sized, and nor does it fit easily in one hand. This does not detract from the design of the handset, as its thin profile makes it easy to hold while using, or slip into a handbag when not in use. The lack of buttons on the front of the Tab makes for a functional yet beautiful device, which only gets more impressive when you power it up.

The layout of the menus is familiar to anyone who has previously used an Android device, and I found that the Froyo software seemed to run smoothly, however this is no doubt due to the inbuilt 1GHz processor. Like most Android handsets, the Galaxy Tab has multiple customisable home screens, and a selection of widgets from which to choose.

Text input on the Galaxy Tab is simple, with a large, clear keypad and auto rotate in all directions. This is a feature which I have never seen before, and one which I was very impressed with. The addition of Swype text input is also a welcome one, and makes life on the move even easier. I found the touch screen to be very responsive and the obvious benefit of the capacitive screen is the pinch to zoom feature, which is extremely handy for web browsing and image viewing.

The 7” display is fantastic for media, with video playback being ultra clear and image viewing super crisp. The media experience is heightened by two stereo speakers which provide a faultless audio accompaniment to all videos, and superb quality for music playback. The Tab also has a 3.5mm headphone jack, eliminating the need for buying dedicated headsets. The included Music Hub application compliments all of this by allowing the download of various tracks directly to the device, with lists of the Top 20 tracks, albums and artists to make searching even easier. With an inbuilt 16GB memory and the ability to add a further 32GB microSD card the options for media storage are endless.

The Music Hub is not the only app preloaded on the Galaxy Tab. The device I used included Allshare, Sky+, Thinkfree and Reader’s Hub. The Allshare app allows the user to wirelessly transfer media to supporting devices including PC’s and compatible mobile phones. The Sky+ app allows the use of the Sky+ Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) in order that information about programmes can be viewed and a message sent to your Sky+ box, enabling the remote recording of your favourite programmes. Thinkfree is a document viewing application, meaning you never have to be out of touch with any vital documents. Finally, Reader’s Hub gives the user the opportunity to download a selection of e-books, magazines or even newspapers, all at the touch of a button.

The Galaxy Tab includes a 3mp camera with HD video recording and an LED flash.  A secondary 1.3 mp camera is located on the front of the device to allow for the making of video calls. The handset supports many different video playback formats, without the need of additional encoding.

 The Galaxy Tab features Flash support, so that high content web pages such as YouTube can be viewed easily. It also includes SNS support as found on my Samsung Wave, meaning that contacts, email and social networks can be synched easily.

With all these amazing features, the Samsung Galaxy Tab is definitely 7 inches of pure genius, which really does allow for a Life Without Limits.

Mission 3 - Apps

For Mobiler Mission 3, the task was to download, use and review an app on my Samsung Wave. Looking through the Samsung app store on the Wave, the vast majority available for download are games. There are quite a limited number of apps, but I expect that this will change dramatically as the popularity of Bada increases and more developers are attracted to the platform.

I've never really downloaded apps onto any handset before so I downloaded a few in order to try them out, including my first ever e-book, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The one appI really liked, and have chosen to tell you about, is YogaLite.

I tend to be quite a lazy person, and one who once paid several hundred pounds for gym membership only to go a grand total of four times that year! I've always wanted to try yoga, and took a few classes while I was in Thailand this summer, however, I would have like to continue but without the hassle of attending weekly classes. Cue the YogaLite application. This app starts off  with a brief introduction to Yoga - what it is, the benefits, and when best to practice. It then begins by telling you about breathing exercises, then moves on to the various yoga poses. For each exercise, there is an image and a brief description of how to perform the pose. There is also a link provided to YouTube to video help and demonstrations if you get stuck. Beneath the directions for each pose, this app listed the benefits of the particular pose, as well as recommendations for those who should not practice it for health reasons. There are two sections - Yoga for beginners, and the Sun Salutation, which is a series of 12 poses. I started with the beginners section!

I found the app very useful as it told you exactly what to do and how to do it. I love how everything was laid out so simply, and if I got stuck I could just look at my Samsung Wave and reread the section about the pose, or open YouTube for video demos to make sure I was doing everything properly. It's really helped be to stop being so lazy and actually do some form of physical exercise, without the need to leave my bedroom! Perfect!

Mission 2 - the camera

Mobiler Mission 2 involves taking a series of pictures or videos with the camera on my Samsung Wave handset. Normally I would use the camera on my phone when I'm out and about, so, for this mission, I took some of the same kinds of pictures I would normally take, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised.

                                     

Some of these photos were taken in The London Sealife Centre, and some in my local park. As you can see, the pictures themselves arent overly artistic, but the quality speaks for itself. Especially when you remember that the pictures of sealife were taken through glass, in a dark environment, with no flash! I'd also like to point out that thiese pictures HAVE NOT BEEN EDITED. This is exactly how they turned out on my Samsung Wave.

I absolutely love the panorama feature on the Samsung Wave's camera - the photos it takes are simply stunning. For a 5mp camera, this little phone sure does pack a big punch!

 I also took a few videos of the shark tank in The Sealife Centre and you can see the best one below. Again, this has not been edited, and I have left the sound on as well. Even through a glass tank, again with no flash and in low lighting, the HD video recording produces fantastic video quality!

And there you have it, some examples of the camera quality and features on the Samsung Wave.

Bada Boom!

As you already know, last Saturday I received a Samsung Wave. I’ve been playing with it for almost a week now, and I can honestly say that I’ve been pleasantly surprised.

Previously, I had conjured up the idea that the Wave was vastly inferior to other smartphones on the market, such as the Samsung Galaxy S or Nokia X6, but, after getting to grips with the phone I can honestly say that this isn’t true. There are so many unique features on this handset that it’s hard not to love it.

This handset is powered by Bada, meaning ‘ocean’ in Korean. This is an operating system which has been developed by Samsung and is unique to their smartphones. Like other mobile operating systems, Bada has access to its own applications in the form of Samsung Apps. However, it is clear that this is still very much in its infancy, as there is a lack of apps available to download, but this will soon change now that Samsung have announced the end of its Symbian support, paving the way for developers to flood the market with apps for Bada. The ultimate success of the Bada platform will depend largely on the amount of support from developers for this OS. My main concern in this area would be that many developers continue to be drawn to the Android and iOS platforms, as these handsets are more widely available, but hopefully this will change as more Bada powered handsets become available on the market.

Like most smartphones, this Bada handset has a maps and navigation feature, but, I found this to be quite difficult to use in Northern Ireland as the maps were quite poor for this area. In order to use the navigation feature, a memory card must be inserted, however, this item is not included as standard. It’s also hard to rival other OS navigation systems which are completely free, as the Bada system provides a free license for a mere 30 days. For someone with a sense of direction as hopeless as my own, this makes this particular application of little use, as it is not possible to download any form of map update that would cover the rural areas in Northern Ireland, which accounts for the majority of the country.  

Aside from these tiny flaws, the overall usability of the phone can only be described as fantastic. The Super AMOLED screen is much clearer than that of other smartphones, and the capacitive touch screen is responsive and easy to use. When using the internet, the pinch to zoom feature is a definite plus, and allows for easy zooming into small print in websites. The TouchWiz interface is a handy feature, as it makes everything seem familiar to anyone who has used a Samsung handset before.

Due to the ultra sharp display, photo and HD video playback is stunning, as you will see later.

One of the main features of any handset I use is the SMS texting. For me, threaded messaging and conversation views were completely alien, and it was one aspect of the Wave handset that I absolutely loved. I don’t think I can see myself reverting back to the standard inbox and outbox message viewing any time soon. The SNS feature is a handy tool which allows your mobile contacts to be synced to their corresponding social networks. This permits easy access to telephone numbers, email addresses and any social networking updates. I briefly tried to use the email feature of the handset but I found the lack of a dedicated push email client to be a definite disadvantage.

The shortcuts and notifications bar made turning on the WiFi or reverting the phone to silent mode extremely easy, however, the widget bar could be improved by allowing user customisation. Personally I would have liked to see a Facebook app available as a widget, but hopefully this is something which will follow as Bada grows and improves.

For someone who is used to using a handset with a battery which barely lasts a day, this operating system provides a welcome change, by allowing two full days of extremely heavy use before the battery needs charging again.

Overall, I have enjoyed getting to know the Bada OS and feel that, although a relatively new platform, over time, it will definitely become one of the main contenders in the race to be the ultimate smartphone system.  This is one Wave which could definitely sweep me away.

Mobiler Recruitment Review

This is the initial review I wrote in order to be selected as a Samsung Mobiler. I chose to write about the Samsung Galaxy S.


Upon first glance, the Samsung Galaxy S can't fail to catch your eye with its ultra sharp 4’’ super AMOLED display. Combined with its speedy processor and fantastic new applications, the Galaxy S really is the smartest of the smart phones.


It’s clear that every application on the handset was designed to make life on the move effortless. From integrated contacts - allowing you to sync email addresses and social networks to your contacts - to Swype text entry, which allows the creation of text messages, emails or notes in world record breaking time by ensuring that you don’t even have to lift a finger. It can even be used as a TV remote! Couple these with the exquisite design and you have a handset that not only looks good but really does make everything easier.

A brilliant all rounder, the Galaxy S is one Android that won’t be saying “hasta la vista, baby” anytime soon.

Wave, hello!

I received delivery of a lovely new Samsung Wave on Saturday morning, and spent most of that night and Sunday testing it out at a work ball in London. I'm still busy getting to grips with a different layout and operating system to what I'm used to, but I think I'm really falling in love with this phone.

I plan to keep testing it for the next few days, before completing Mobiler Mission 1 - a review of the operating system. Keep watching...

The beginnings of a Mob!ler

I'm Nikki, I'm 20 and I'm a student from Northern Ireland. Last week, I was chosen by Samsung UK to become one of 20 Mob!lers across the UK. I'm currently awaiting delivery of a fantastic new Samsung smartphone, which I will be reviewing over the next few weeks, with a view to winning a trip to Samsung's world HQ in Korea - exciting stuff!!

Our first Mob!ler mission is to write about the operating system of the new smartphone, which I'm very much looking forward to trying out.

For the last few years I've mainly been a Nokia user, and have been used to using the Symbian platform on handsets. I'm delighted at this opportunity to be able to test either the Android or the Bada OS, and to really get a feel for something different.

Keep watching this space for updates in my diary as a Samsung Mob!ler, and I'll soon be telling you all about the operating system on my new smartphone.