Mapping on Samsung Omnia
Is it possible to write about Samsung's latest announcement without referring to the iPhone? Too late.
In Singapore for CommunicAsia 2008, Samsung has announced Omnia — a Windows Mobile 6.1 touchscreen smartphone. The fact that Omnia is being announced a week after the Steve Jobs iPhone 3G song and dance at WWDC 08 is probably no coincidence, nor is the fact that Samsung will ensure that Omnia is in stores by July (in Europe at any rate).
While the iPhone announcement may have left many tech-savvy pundits cold — well, those not foaming at the mouth with a bad case of Mac rabies — the i900 seems set to live up to its Latin name, Omnia, meaning everything.
In terms of the hardware, the iPhone comparisons are startling; with nearly identical physical dimensions, touchscreen input, accelerometer, GPS, and the choice of 8GB and 16GB models. In almost all other areas, Omnia leaves the iPhone for dead. It has 7.2Mbps HSDPA data, memory expansion up to an extra 16GB via MicroSDHC, a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus and image stabilisation, and video codec recognition including DivX, Xvid, WMV and H.264. In fact, every feature absent in the iPhone 3G is found in the i900, including simple things like MMS and A2DP stereo Bluetooth.
The two major battlegrounds in this head-to-head will be the user interface and battery life: two major selling points for the first generation iPhone. Early battery life figures from Apple suggest the new 3G hardware may pull these figures back into line with the averages seen in its competition, but the interface will be no less sexy and easy-to-use.
Omnia uses Samsung's TouchWIZ UI, which includes a scrolling vertical panel of widgets on the home screen. It's a nifty idea and appears to be quite responsive, but we'll have to wait and see how the mobile public take to it. Battery life could be the Achilles' heel for the Omnia, not that we've seen official Samsung battery ratings yet, but all that tech will certainly chew through the juice.
To see how this battle plays out, we'll have to wait until July when we can get both phones in our Labs. There's no word yet on pricing for the Omnia but we'll be sure to keep you in the loop as soon as we find out.
Joseph Hanlon travelled to CommunicAsia as a guest of Samsung.
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pitufon
17/06/2008 11:14 AM
itll only be a competitor to iphone if it can keep its price tag down imo
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jim
17/06/2008 12:11 PM
The world is liningup for that new TouchWiz!!!
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issues
17/06/2008 01:40 PM
The mass marketing doesn't guarantee a great product. I think Samsung stands a real chance
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t/c
17/06/2008 02:14 PM
'While the iPhone announcement may have left many tech-savvy pundits cold' Where did he pull that gem from, most 'tech savy pundits' have said the complete opposite... other than those flown around the world by samsung that is....
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Aftercontrol12
17/06/2008 03:12 PM
There is still one major problem with this phone...It runs Windows Mobile..never going to be better than the iPhone no matter what you pile into the device
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bleach1st
17/06/2008 04:28 PM
hmm i wouldn't get this cause it runs windows mobile.. disaster :D and the price would have to competitive to iPhone, maybe $100~ more than the iPhone for the added features which I highly doubt... :/ Wait and see...
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mgjab
17/06/2008 05:16 PM
I don't think price will be a problem since the outright price of the iphone "will not" be $200. over the course of 2/3 years you will be paying around $1500 or more.
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Tricky
17/06/2008 06:58 PM
Um, no. There's never gong to be an "iPhone Killer". They can pack in as many features as they want but without Jonathan Ive and OSX they've just got another phone in a long, long line of other phones.
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pdt
18/06/2008 05:20 AM
"Joseph Hanlon travelled to CommunicAsia as a guest of Samsung." ...
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mattycas
18/06/2008 09:05 AM
I agree with Aftercontrol12. Windows Mobile is horrible and what this phone doesn't have (aside from dispursed java apps) is AppStore. That is where the iPhone will rule until Google's Android is seen on mass produced mobiles. @pdt well pointed out! Marketing article
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Anonymous
18/06/2008 10:38 AM
Have you guys even used Windows Mobile? It's the best phone OS I've ever used on a phone. Now, admitedly, I've never used an iPhone, but Windows Mobile beats the pants off Symbian, Palm or BlackBerry.
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Mel
20/06/2008 10:04 AM
TouchWhiz? That's stupid. Windows Mobile is crap.
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Michael Langdon
20/06/2008 04:54 PM
@PDT, what the hell does that matter? Apple flew people from all over the world for the 2G iPhone Launch - don't see you pissing and moaning about the 10,000 articles about the iPhone. I'd say thanks to Samsung for allowing Ozzie tech guys to get overseas and check out stuff they can't see here. Hands on means a more accurite reviews in the long run
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dunlopvolleys
20/06/2008 05:11 PM
Agree. Would you have had anything to say if it was a bad review?
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Joseph Hanlon
20/06/2008 05:52 PM
Just want the chance to rebut some of the comments regarding Samsung sponsoring our coverage of CommAsia. This is absolutely not a marketing article and it represents my personal opinions after actually using the phone. Happy to hear your thoughts about the product.
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canberra_photographer
20/06/2008 07:16 PM
On the one hand, the angle of Joseph's article is very Omnia vs iPhone, with the former winning. Samsung would no doubt like this angle. However, it's all factual and despite the angle, quite even handed. I don't feel any impropriety exists. Besides, who cares if he got a trip courtesy of Samsung. Doctors get whined and dinned all the time to sway them towards prescribing one brand of medication over another.
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liquidboy
22/06/2008 10:08 AM
Windows mobile prior to 6.1 was defefinetely "crap" BUT 6.1 and the soon to be released 7 are amazing. Your past experiences with the windows mobile have blinded you to this amazing OS, i feel pity for you. I can't wait to get my hands on this and/or the HTC Diamond...
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ramzi
25/06/2008 02:27 AM
If this phone sells for say $100 more than the iPhone, it will do great. Unfortunately being a Samsung user for the past 7 years, I know it will cost nothing less than $500. I would rather buy 2 iPhones than one Omnia.
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Alec
28/06/2008 09:37 PM
Interesting comments from everyone. I love the IPhone but I don't think the new version was revolutionary enough (though they had a hard act to follow). However the real strength of the IPhone is the software (apparanetly it makes porting current apps extremely easy). The software available on this phone will be the icing on the cake. As for the HTC diamon, don't go anywhere near it as it is a sluggish as a VERY sluggish thing! Just Google HTC Diamond and "slow" or "sluggish" or "performance". I would have purchased an IPhone 3G and I am a long standing Windows Mobile user (used others like Palm etc). However when I saw the Samsung Omnia - I was sold ! Performnace is very good and it has all the goodies and I won't be struggling to find any software out there as the Windows Mobile software market is massive in comparison to the IPhone (yes I know the IPhone will catch up) but not for a while it won't. The reason I didn't go for the Apple, no SD card slot so moving my media files is a drag (can't just pop the card into any device) You STILL CAN'T CHANGE the battery !! WTF!!!! I am going nowhere near a Phone that has assisted GPS I want the real deal. But even with all that and the fact that the updates were nothing to shout about (see below) I would have still been happy to try an IPhone 3G ! So what Steve I have had a full HSDPA phone for over a year Syncs my email ! - As above but for 5 years Etc etc basically the IPhone in many respects (except for it's wonderful UI) is playing technological catch-up. So it's the Samsung Omnia for me Current owner of Samsung Blackjack and love it.
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ujen95
03/07/2008 04:28 PM
how much?
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paman
11/07/2008 10:47 AM
Can it use as a modem....? Plus plus if there is dual sim card model. It is a must for my liking. Iphone, no modem connection a big minus.
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Christopher_90
11/07/2008 08:46 PM
when will this be released in australia????
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Craig Russell
17/07/2008 03:04 PM
To those of you who have canned this phone because it’s running windows mobile…seriously, get a grip. The geniuses that provided you with Mac OS also sold you short with a sub-standard flashless/zoomless camera that can’t record video, no MMS, no expandable memory, poor battery life without the ability to change batteries, and made a song and dance about “affordability for everyone”, which proved to be an unbelievable load of crap. Hypothetical…I get this generation iPhone now on Optus $49 cap over 24 months (only way to really afford it), only for a new iPhone model to be released in 12 months time (believe me, it’ll happen) that ticks all the boxes that this one didn’t. Great camera, expandable memory, awesome video recording, MMS blah blah. Too sweet! Now if I just had a spare $728 to pay this archaic thing out (that’s the real figure, not made up). Hmmm…24 month contract for technology that will be hopelessly superseded in 12 months??? Doesn’t add up to me. Sure, the Telco’s must take a huge proportion of blame for the terrible pricing structure (Apple didn’t help by slapping Three in the face, the only Telco with decent data charges). What has me fuming is that Apple clearly did not produce a product that is designed to stand the test of time (i.e. a 24 month contract). This is no different to how it’s always worked with the phone racket, except for the fact that there’s never been so much anticipation (fed by hype) over a mobile phone release. Apple has feasted on this, will do so again in 12 months time, and in doing so will line the pockets of Telco’s worldwide with the hard earned cash of people looking to terminate contracts and upgrade to what they thought they were getting this year. Kudos to Samsung for having the guts to offer everything in a phone (sorry, the dodgy puns cannot be avoided) that will at least be relevant in 18+ month’s time. Sure there’ll be better technology in this time but at least the Omina doesn’t have major oversights similar to those of the dizzying calibre of the iPhone.
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jabberwolf
20/07/2008 12:43 AM
I’m guessing most iPhone users are first time smartphone users. For those of us that have been using 3G smartphones for a few years, we see a big lack of features that can be found on other phones. The three biggest problems with the iPhone for experienced smartphone users are: 1. No tethering to laptop. Nope, you won’t be able to share that fast 3G connection with a laptop or other devices even though you are paying for unlimited data. Better hope you can find some WiFi. 2. Poor implementation of Push Email. There’s no way my IT department is going to replace any of our BlackBerry’s with iPhones. Things the iPhone can’t do but other phones can do: * Only the inbox can be set to synchronize – subfolders can be accessed but no synchronization policy can be set * No Flagging on email * Cannot set Out of Office message * No Hot Keys for managing messages * Difficult to get to Global Address List * No support for Activesync Schedule (eg. push during work hrs – pull outside of that) * No Smart Filtering * No ability to change sort order of email messages * No support for Server Search of email messages * Trying to delete messages or move them when you don’t have connectivity generates lots of errors messages and you cannot actually delete or move when offline * Message status is not set on the server for replying/forwarding to an email, similarly the status from the server is not provided to the iPhone * You cannot automatically set attachments to download * There is no control over maximum attachment size * You can’t see the number of unread or new emails without unlocking the device * No ability to invite attendees to a meeting * You cannot provide a reason for declining meetings * Attendee status is not available * There is no click through to get access to information from the GAL for a participant * No support for setting Out of Office message * You cannot delete a single occurrence of a recurring meeting – you can only delete the whole series * Cannot enforce Storage or device encryption * Remote wipe doesn’t seem to be immediate and restore requires recradling to iTunes * PIN unlock timeout is not enforced on the iPhone * You have to ‘slide’ to unlock – then enter the PIN code to unlock the device Granted, a lot of these are advanced features. However, why make a big deal about Push Email if you aren’t going to make it a better Push Email experience? After all, with Safari you can check your webmail and get a lot of those features. 3. Battery life. Smartphone users know that manufacturers have faced class-action lawsuits over battery life. Most manufacturers offer jumbo-sized batteries as a cheap alternative to get out of the lawsuit. This larger battery usually adds bulks to the form factor of the device. 1st gen iPhone users forced Apple to hand out coupons and refunds after Apple slashed the price of the iPhone shortly after release. You can bet that iPhone Nation is going to be unhappy with the iPhone 3G battery life…especially after they’ve gotten 6-8 months of charges on the device. Those of the 3 basic reasons experienced smartphone users won’t like the 3G iPhone not to mention: * No video recording * No focus on the camera * No light on the camera * No zoom on the camera * No recording of audio on the device * No physical keyboard * AT&T exclusivity * No Cut and Paste * No Stereo bluetooth * Can you send MMS yet? (I don’t know) However this phone does have several things that make it accessible to the mass public: * easy to use user interface * large 3.5″ widescreen * solid media playback and storage That said, the Samsung has EVERYTHING the iphone doesnt! The only differences is a slightly less bright screen and the regular phone jack. But the scales are way in the favor of the Samsung!
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Welsh Dog
20/07/2008 01:22 PM
I've been using an iMate JasJam for the past few years and while the Microsoft Mobile interface can by ideosyncratic is does have outstanding character recognition which I use almost exclusively and have done since purchase. The keyboard is virtually unused. As far as I know (and I've asked) the iPhone can't handle character recognition in any meaningful way for western aphabets so for me that alone is a big turn off. When I compare the features on the new Samsung Omnia what I see is an iPhone for the rest us... i.e. those who want to *use* their machine not parade it about as some sort of badge of geekiness. I love the 16Gb internal memory... but I love the micro-sd card option more! It will take cards up to a whopping 16Gb which is amazing. It will play Div-X movies etc. This phone sounds like a *realy* media device. Also it has a functional camera... what more is there to say? If the price for the Samsung Omnia is in the right area for my budget, I'll be first in line.
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online-missy
24/07/2008 08:52 PM
does anyone know where I can buy the samsung omnia?? Other than overseas and ebay I have not been able to locate this little gem anywhere
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Websurfer
31/07/2008 08:48 AM
The only thing I like about the iPhone is its graphic, so smooth! But with all the functions that Omnia offers, definitely worth every penny for me. I personally prefer Windows Mobile, can do more with it.
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CR
05/08/2008 02:48 AM
apple software is for those who dont understand a tiny bit of software anp app, and could manage to get their pc or pda stable. for those, its better to get sticked to apple. computer world is too complicated to them. I use windows and wm and my systems are very stable, have nothing to complaint about that. Im a network manager, and all PC work wonderfully. my PDA has lots of app installed and I can run many apps at the same time with no lag. can Iphone do it? apple is for small brains with big wallets
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Anghel132
26/08/2008 10:30 AM
Look WM 6.1 7 and 8 articles. There's one online where it says that Microsoft for once.. actually knows whats currently wrong and is working on fixing it. EHhe JonyIve and OSX... fanboy much? :P P.S. I'm in IT System and Network Admin, I don't have the privelage of preferences =D if it breaks whether its OSX or Windows, I have to fix it. PPS getting one of these beauties from hongkong next week.. can't wait :D
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Sky Rider
26/08/2008 04:37 PM
I only have one question and that is when and where can I get one? Who will be selling it here? What plans will be available? Ok... there might be more than one question ;)
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MadMOt
29/08/2008 02:31 PM
is the Omnia going to get an Australian Release Date anytime soon? i noticed they said June/July well its sorta gone past those months....
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yanny
09/09/2008 04:42 PM
i just bought an omnia off the internet, it was $849 AUD + $30 shipping and it will only get cheaper. I know that Optus will be selling optus only compatible iphones for under $900 but aren't instock yet. Right now on the internet iphones are selling for way more than they are worth (over $1000 AUD)
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MDK
20/09/2008 12:28 AM
It doesn't offer "everything". I have £400's worth of Omnia and £1,500's worth of imac and can't transfer even one photo between the two. I am living in a very expensive version of the Stone Age
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sasha4eva
30/09/2008 04:59 PM
I just got one for $900 from Singapore and all Ive got to say is awesome! Does absolutely everything I could ask for in a phone. Huge Storage, great camera, great browser, A2DP bluetooth, divX playback, came with navigation software (I know this isn't standard), very easy transfers between PCs and other phones. Highly recommended!
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