Event Coverage

CommunicAsia 2008 Preview - Samsung Omnia Revealed!

By Seow Tein Hee - 17 Jun 2008

The Omnia Phenomenon

The Omnia Phenomenon

For the uninitiated, the Omnia will be a Windows Mobile 6.1 device, and is equipped with Samsung's unique TouchWiz interface that works seamlessly with its widget laden sidebar that allows you to easily drag and drop separate components such as Clock, Calendar and various other features onto the Today screen as an individual widget. Alternatively, the familiar user interface (UI) from phones such as Samsung's Ultra series will also be included for users who wish to stick to a tried and tested UI. Haptic feedback makes its presence felt, literally, on the Omnia as we scrolled through the phone's individual functions.

Integrated with an accelerometer that provides automatic portrait or landscape orientation, the Omnia also comes with a generous 3.2-inch TFT WQVGA screen that should place it as a multimedia powerhouse for users who wish to view their movies on-the-go. More importantly, the Omnia also comes in two variants, namely the 8GB and 16GB versions, and supports additional microSD expandability of up to 16GB, which gives you a potential storage capacity of up to 32GB should you wish to fully utilize the Omnia as a portable media player.
 

 Measuring at 112 x 56 x 12.5mm, the Omnia has all the pre-requisites of a well-connected device that includes the standard Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and the now common HSDPA connection on its radio functions.

 Sporting an impressive 5-megapixel camera (one of the highest imaging sensor on a Windows Mobile device), the Omnia is also integrated with a Smile Detection feature, which did work sufficiently well when we tested it out earlier on.

 We bring your attention to the 12.5mm slim svelte body of the Omnia, which felt light and contours to our hands comfortably when we managed to lay our hands on an actual unit.

For Windows Mobile enthusiasts, we believe the choices will be getting much harder and tougher with the introduction of a whole series of Windows Mobile devices starting from this month, and the Samsung i900 Omnia will definitely be up for consideration should one decide to make the upgrade. The real question, is when will the Omnia be available on the market? And the answer, lies in CommunicAsia 2008, where the Omnia will be making its debut and official retail presence at the price of S$1098 for its 16GB model, while its 8GB model will be released at a later date. And if this little Omnia preview hasn't satisfied your desires for the latest devices, be sure to check back for the Omnia review, and also the various other devices to be seen over at CommunicAsia 2008 in just a few hours!

 

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