Friday 29 October 2010

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!

Friday 22 October 2010

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.

Friday 15 October 2010

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.

Wednesday 13 October 2010

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.







Monday 11 October 2010

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...

Friday 8 October 2010

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.