| I've not had a "smart" phone before. Every one of | | | | (which my company uses on its internal mail server), |
| my mobile phones prior to getting my new Samsung | | | | it can not handle multiple folders, so you only get to |
| Galaxy S has been a fairly basic (for each time period | | | | see the inbox and can't move emails anywhere. After |
| concerned) Nokia. My first was a car phone that (and | | | | a bit of research, I installed the free K9 email client |
| this was very clever at the time) could be unclipped | | | | and it is excellent. Just about everything I need for |
| in just 5 careful moves and taken outside and used | | | | handling emails is there and it is so easy to use. The |
| until the massive battery pack ran out some 30 | | | | in-built VPN client makes it easy for me to connect |
| minutes later. In those days, real mobile users' arms | | | | to our corporate network when I am out of the |
| tended to look like Arnie's, I seem to recall. My last | | | | office and the 3G link is pretty fast. Now I can |
| was a Nokia 6300. The closest it ever got to being | | | | access email when I am at or on my way to events |
| smart was hiding from me - something it did with | | | | around the country and indeed world without having |
| alarming regularity, most likely because it was afraid I | | | | to get out my laptop and wait 5 minutes for it to |
| would drop it yet again. | | | | finish starting up. |
| So to my new Samsung. I have nothing to compare | | | | I haven't yet played any games on it, and to be |
| it with except my old "dumbphones", which probably | | | | honest I doubt I will. Not my kind of thing. Other |
| gives this review a different slant to most others | | | | apps I have installed include a great little VNC client |
| you may stumble across. The practical upshot is that | | | | (free again) that allows me to control my office |
| I am incredibly impressed. The screen is magnificent, | | | | computer wherever I am in the world, if I want to. I |
| the functionality incredible and the extensibility | | | | have also just installed an app that will help me in the |
| amazing. | | | | event that my phone ever goes missing or is stolen. |
| You can read up on the technical specifications | | | | It's called "Theft Aware" and it will automatically send |
| elsewhere. I'm going to concentrate on my | | | | a text message with its current location to two |
| experience with this beautiful piece of technology. It's | | | | other family phones if the phone ever has the sim |
| a phone - obviously. But the gesture-based interface | | | | card replaced. This great app also allows me to send |
| makes calling people a different experience from my | | | | a text to it and I can control what the phone can do, |
| old Nokias, all of which worked in pretty much the | | | | wipe the contacts and other data, emit a siren and all |
| same way. Forget fumbling your way through the | | | | sorts of other clever things. Oh - and I have a spirit |
| contacts list of old. One touch brings up all contacts. | | | | level called "Bubble" as well that works a treat! |
| A sweep of a finger gets you to the person you | | | | Another fantastic feature is it's ability to turn itself |
| want to call. At this point you can choose to email or | | | | into a Wireless Access Point for other smartphones |
| text him or her instead, but instead gently touch the | | | | and computers to connect to the internet through. |
| big green "call" button and you're off. It even plays a | | | | That also is going to be a boon at events held at |
| happy little jingle to let you know it on the case | | | | venues who insist upon a small fortune for wireless |
| before the phone starts ringing. The sound quality is | | | | internet access. When connected through 3G, it's |
| great. The phone is much bigger (though no thicker!) | | | | pretty fast too. |
| than my old Nokia, which means that it feels very | | | | The in-built camera and associated app is better than |
| different holding it. But the fact that it is longer | | | | my dedicated digital camera. It records and plays |
| means that my mouth is nearer to the microphone | | | | videos as well and will even (for an operating system |
| than it used to be and the people I call have | | | | from Google I find this stunning) plays Microsoft's |
| remarked how much clearer that makes me now. | | | | Windows Media video files - fantastically on that |
| The phone runs Google's "Android" operating system, | | | | screen! |
| although Samsung have added a few enhancements | | | | Hey, I could go on and on. One week in and I love |
| of their own. I'm told that the applications interface | | | | this gadget. I can't believe I have shied away from |
| has been styled on the iPhone, so it looks different | | | | smart phones for as long as I have. Perhaps that's |
| to other Android phones. I don't care. The success of | | | | just as well, though. This one does everything I could |
| the iPhone heralded the introduction of Android, so | | | | possibly want it to, so my first smartphone hasn't let |
| Apple must have got something right with it. I'm | | | | me down in any way. Perhaps if I had got an earlier |
| happy to benefit from a copy of that style. It's easy | | | | generation version, they'd have been a few things |
| to add apps and access them. That'll do me. | | | | that would have disappointed me. |
| The in-built email client is fairly basic and only good | | | | If you still have a basic phone and are thinking of |
| enough if you are a similarly basic email user. Any | | | | joining the 21st Century properly, I can't recommend |
| corporate user will need to install a better client. | | | | the Samsung Galaxy S highly enough. |
| Although the in-built one can access IMAP storage | | | | |