REVIEWS / SMARTPHONES / SAMSUNG

Samsung Wave S8500 Mobile Phone

22 Jul, 2010, 1:13 pm IST | by Shayne Rana | Smartphones Smartphones


PRICE IN INDIA

1
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TECH2 RATING

8.0

AVERAGE USER RATING

How we test

CONTACT

Samsung

 1800 3000 8282, 18002668282

 www.samsung.com

Connectivity
The Wave is equipped to handle 3G connectivity so EDGE/GPRS fit right in. It also supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP and USB 2.0. It’s got all you need for social networking with Facebook and Twitter apps, a shortcut widget for Orkut (people still use that???) and a Palringo universal chat app. The keypad dons not change to landscape while using Plaringo. The problem is, unlike Maemo or Android and now the newer iPhone updates, the Wave doesn’t allow for integration of social networking contacts with your phone book contacts. Maybe the next firmware update would include that, but as is, it’s not available yet. The Samsung Apps option is still in its infancy and is nowhere near as loaded as Android’s, the Ovi Store or Apple’s App Store. The apps are still a long way off from being really relevant to what toady’s users want, but give it time.

 

Setting up email accounts (Push mail, Microsoft Exchange Activesync) is simple and very user friendly. Uploading images and videos to YouTube or other site is also simple process. The browser is great. It supports Flash content so you’ll get a desktop like experience.  For the Business class user, the Daily Briefing app will be very handy. It’s equipped with AccuWeather updates, Yahoo! Finance, AP Mobile for the latest news, and an option for you to check your daily schedule. The Wave comes with a built-in GPS module and A-GPS support with Samsung’s own navigation software preloaded. It takes awhile for the satellites to get picked up but once they do its smooth sailing from there.

The handset can also be tethered to your laptop or PC to be used as a modem to share your 3G or EDGE internet connection.

Misc. Features
There are quite a few handy features that the Wave comes loaded with. The basic features like the Calendar (syncs with your Facebook profile, Exchange Activesync), Alarm Clock (World Clock included), Voice Recorder, Calculator, memo pad and Tasks are present. A Mini Diary application is also available for taking pictures and creating notes to go along with them.

Camera
The Wave is equipped with a 5MP autofocus/Touchfocus camera that has an LED flash. It’s loaded with features that include Geo-tagging, face, blink and smile, Face Tagging, image stabilization, plenty of scene modes, omni-directional Auto Stitch Panaorma mode, Beauty shot, Vintage effects, White Balance, ISO up to 800 and a few more.

 


Image quality was not too great. In low light conditions pictures didn’t really seem to maintain a steady focus and usually appeared a little blurry. Outdoors, considering the weather, the greens stood out but quality was just average for a mobile phone camera. Macro shots looked quite good though, irrespective of lighting conditions. The Flash considerably brightens up dark areas but don’t expect clear images.

 

 

So, on the whole, the camera performed quite averagely. Don’t be fooled by the clear looking images on the handsets display the brilliant AMOLED screen makes everything look good. The Panorama mode is still one of the best you’ll find in the mobile phone segment.

Battery
On a single charge you’ll get about two days of usage if you’re always connected to the net for emails of social networking updates. Talk time averaged in at over 4 hours and 40 minutes which is excellent.

The Bottom Line
With a price tag of Rs. 17,200 (MOP) the Wave is a superb multimedia handset even if the camera didn’t perform as well as I’d hoped. It’s a well designed handset with quite a lot to offer users from all segments. Having said that, Bada is still a work in progress and does still require a few minor tweaks, but the Wave is still a handset that can compete with the best smartphones out there and if you’re looking for multimedia handset with all the trimmings, the Wave is definitely a top notch option.

Calling all users of the Samsung Wave, we'd like to know what your experiences are with the device. If you've had the same issues I have, I'd like to know. Please feel free to share your thoughts via our comments section.

Update: I managed to get my hands on a friends Smasung Wave this morning and here's what I found, I had the Samsung Navigation (Route 66) app pre-installed, his handset didn't.
He was able to veasily link his SN accounts with his phone book contacts but I was not. The problem we faced is that we were not able to link one contact with two SN accounts or a second phone number (unless copy pasted or entered manually), again that could be a fault with his device.
I was also able to easily use my test earphones and handsfree with his device with no issue.

Tags: Bada , Samsung , Touchscreen , 5 Megapixel

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The build quality of a product is important so that it doesn’t fall apart after some use. The build quality scores from the way the product is designed and the kind of materials used in the product.

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Value for money comes from the fact that a cheap product is able to provide most of the performance of a higher priced product. Once again, value for money is judged by comparing pricing and performance of products in a particular price range or category. 

There are many other aspects of the product that are looked at such as the bundled software and accessories. All of these scores are aggregated together to form the final score.

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