Samsung BlackJack Updates OS

Here’s a treat for Samsung BlackJack owners. If you feel that you’re a bit left out with all the Mobile Windows 6.0 smartphones out in the market, Samsung has finally decided to release an update for your mobile device.
The original ROM and instructions on how to update the OS of your BlackJack phone can be found at the following link. A word of caution though, back-up all your data as the process will complete erase all the contents on your phone. The entire process will take some time too so better have everything prepared to make it as fast and smooth as possible.
This time around, Vista users are the ones left out as the update only works with Windows 2000 and XP. So, if you want to spruce up your relatively old Windows Mobile 5.0 running device, follow the link and install the update now.

DISCLAIMER: The update is meant for US customers which is why you’ll notice that the site refers to the model number of the BlackJack as i607 (the local version is i600), but I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t work with phones purchased in other countries. The only way this restriction will occur if they limited the update to work with serial numbers corrsponding to units sold in the US. To be on the safe side, try to get in touch with the local Samsung Service Center to get confirmation if this update will indeed work with locally distributed units.

Windows Mobile 6.1 screenshots break cover

Over at PocketPT.net, Francisco Viana has been sharing some screenshots of Windows Mobile 6.1 with his forums and, as could be expected from the .1 increase over version 6, the changes are relatively minor. SMS messaging has been given a threaded ‘chat’ mode similar in concept to that on the iPhone, the whole speed has been increased and Microsoft has added a “Getting Started” option which takes you to a shortcut menu of new calls and device settings. Pocket IE has been given a ‘zoom out’ function, to better display webpages, there are new Managed Programs and Task Manager apps, and Office OneNote, for data collection, has been added.

With the number of smartphones announced for this year that are advertised as having 6.1 installed, it’s easy to forget that this incremental tweak isn’t already available. And, judging by the images, the overall feel of Windows Mobile still remains. Comparing them to, say, the iPhone, or even the Croix interface on Samsung’s latest high-end handsets, and Microsoft’s offering starts to look pretty dreary.

via PhoneMag

O2 Xda Orbit 2 (aka HTC’s Touch Cruise) available in UK

UK business customers with an eye for new smartphones will now be able to pick up O2’s Xda Orbit 2 from the carrier’s business store. Based on the HTC Touch Cruise, the handset runs Windows Mobile 6 and has a 3-megapixel camera, GPS, quadband GSM including 3G and HSDPA, WiFi and Bluetooth.

HTC’s TouchFLO UI augmentation is also preinstalled, and the Orbit 2 uses a 400MHz Qualcomm processor, has 128MB of RAM and 256MB of ROM.

It’s available now priced from free with a new contract.

[via coolsmartphone]

Sony Ericsson’s creepy PlayNow & TrackID advert

Sony Ericsson’s added 5 million tracks to their PlayNow music download marketplace last week, and now they’ve pulled the covers off the marketing campaign for it and the TrackID application (which can tell you artist and track name based on a song currently playing) loaded onto certain SE handsets. Now don’t get me wrong, I like TrackID (in fact I’ve used a similar, SMS based service here in the UK called Shazam) and I know that carriers and manufacturers alike will be pushing their download services, but is it just me or is the video a bit… creepy?



Frankly, if I were that girl I’d be screaming blue-murder if some stranger messed around with my cellphone, and I’d be hoping that if fellow passengers saw him leaning over toward me they’d wake me up before he started stroking my face. But this is advert world, of course, and so in reality they get married and walk down the aisle accompanied by music bought from Sony Ericsson.

Is it just me who thinks this is a bad advert?

via PhoneMag

Samsung F490 reviewed: pales against iPhone & Viewty

Three days into the launch month for the Samsung F490 - the keyboard-less sibling of the F700 - and already Mobile-review have their opinion of the device available. As ever, they’ve done a comprehensive job with screenshots and coverage of pretty much all the F490’s features, comparing it to rivals from LG and, of course, Apple. Review author Eldar Murtazin establishes early on that the Samsung’s main rival is the LG KU990 Viewty, but the iPhone inevitably makes a comeback in his conclusion.

So what’s the score on the F490? Samsung will be disappointed to see that Eldar thinks it fairly middling - a niche product, at best, with predicted difficulty finding sales when compared with the Viewty’s more feature-packed camera (the LG phone has autofocus while the F490 does not), and coming out poorly when compared to the iPhone’s multimedia functionality.

“The F490 will enjoy reasonable sales on the market, but with no hopes for becoming a best seller, though. Being pushed by the LG Viewty and having to cope with the Apple iPhone (even though it is not official in most regions), the F490 won’t be able to unfold its full potential. So, the best way to look at it is one of the first Croix OS based phones – the impending solutions are going to be much more interesting” Eldar Murtazin, Mobile-review.com

via PhoneMag

Samsung SGH-i550W

By Damian Koh

This is not the first time Samsung is coming up with a Symbian S60 phone. In fact, there have been a number of models, such as the SGH-i520 in 2006 and the SGH-D730/SGH-D720 in 2005, but these were mainly for the European markets. Two years on, the Korean chaebol is once again bringing the S60 platform to some of its handsets. One of these is the SGH-i550W which we will be looking at.

For most people in the know, Nokia has been using S60 in its Nseries multimedia phones. With Samsung now joining the fray, things will likely become more interesting in the near future as this gives S60 loyalists another mobile phone brand to choose from.


Design
Samsung is great at coming up with head-turning handset designs, but the i550W happens not to be one of those. Instead, it follows a very safe formula--black casing with a gray strip running around the sides, traces of metallic silver for a sophisticated look, a textured back casing that doesn't attract smudges, and the right size for a comfortable grip in hand.

The 2.5-inch QVGA screen takes up almost half of the phone's front, so it's inevitable that something else has to give.
Our concerns were initially with the longish and thin alphanumeric keys which remind us of the ones on the Nokia N82 and Sony Ericsson W880i. Fortunately, our worries were unfounded.
Although the keys are smaller compared with the traditional rectangular button, these are well-spaced-out and provide good tactile feedback.

Perhaps the most unique implementation on the i550W is the trackball which replaces the standard directional pad. Its role is to save us a few clicks by rolling to the desired point on the screen with a swiping motion. The flipside is we now have less precise control over the navigation compared with using the D-pad. Scrolling through long lists can also be a potential problem. For example, with the hardware keypad, pressing and holding down a button usually continues the scrolling, but with the trackball, we have to make a few swipes in the same direction.

The i550W comes with a 3.5mm audio port and that is on the top edge of the set covered by a protector. This lets us plug in our headset from the top, so there won't be anything protruding from the sides when the phone is in our pockets. Elsewhere, there's a microSD expansion card slot on the left and a connector port behind a sliding door on the right.


Features
Usually by looking at the dedicated buttons on a phone, one would be able to tell the strongest feature on the unit, or how the device is positioned in the market. In the case of the i550W, Samsung has clearly given the built-in GPS priority over other features with its own hotkey. Of course, there's also Wi-Fi which has its logo at the top right corner. These two features are important, but they are not what makes the i550W compelling. It's the underlying Symbian S60 platform that made us sit up and take notice.

Like we mentioned earlier, the i550W isn't Samsung's first S60 phone and we are glad the company is bringing it back again. In recent years, the Symbian platform has been intimately linked to Nokia's Nseries handsets. So when one mentions S60, the Finnish company almost automatically comes to mind. Now, S60 loyalists are handed another reason to make the switch from Nokia, if they had previously held back.

Although the familiarity and the user interface of the Symbian S60 have been carried over to the i550W, Samsung didn't just leave it as is. The menu icons have been redesigned, so it looks different from the ones on the Nokia handsets. Ultimately, it's S60 in a different flavor, or theme, depending on how you look at it. That's good if you are already a seasoned user of the OS. Otherwise, it's only a matter of getting used to.

Previously, users who want built-in GPS on their phones had only Nokia to choose from. Now they have an additional option. The mapping solution is different on the i550W, though, at least we think so. Our prototype unit was loaded with Route 66 maps, but that may change when the commercial set comes along.

Connectivity options on the i550W are plentiful. Besides Wi-Fi, the triband phone comes with HSDPA and Blueooth stereo A2DP. There's also a 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera with built-in LED flash for snapshots and an FM radio for music over-the-air. According to the literature, the i550W uses a 1,200mAh cell which is rated for up to 7 hours of talktime and about 21 days on standby.


Outlook
Overall, the i550W looks like a promising addition to Samsung's current lineup of mobile devices. The company has had Windows Mobile devices and, now with Symbian S60 onboard, things are going to be interesting. Put simply, there's almost an OS for everyone. Although we weren't able to test out many of the i550W's features on our production set, suffice to say that the specifications of the unit already give it a lot of headroom in an otherwise saturated market segment. Built-in GPS is, of course, a bonus, though we're not sure how much impact that would have on the battery life.

We'll update this first take with a full review once a commercial set is available. At the time of writing, the i550W was slated for end-February in Singapore.

Source: CNet

5 megapixel Samsung F490 shipping now, in Russia at least

The iPhone form factor Samsung F490 is shipping in February in Russia according to Unwired View for around 412 euros. Along with a 5 megapixel camera the F490 has a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack, weighs 102 grams, is less than 12 mm thick and has 3.6 Mbps HSDPA.
One to watch out for sure, can’t wait to get my hands on it at 3GSM.

via IntoMobile