Samsung Omnia CDMA

User reviews and rating

I love it

6 Jun 2009 nitrous9200

9 out of 10

Being the tech enthusiast that I am, I knew what I was getting with the Omnia. I did research for months before I bought it so I knew exactly what to expect. For me, it's spectacular: Windows Mobile has good email capabilities, allows you to customize just about anything using a variety of programs and it can even multitask. For example, I can sign into IM, stream Pandora online radio and browse the web all at the same time.
It's got Bluetooth and WiFi that work well, a VERY nice camera (not as good as a standalone camera but probably better than your current phone's camera), FM Radio, and it's got a sleek profile. The dongle for headphones makes the connection a bit more cumbersome but works the same as a regular jack and isn't anything to worry about.

That all being said, the sleek body isn't super durable: I've already got a couple of light scratches on the front and back, and it's only been in my pocket the past 4 days that I've had it. If you go for this phone, I highly recommend getting a case along with it or shortly afterwards. Right out of the box, the phone works fine but I made a few tweaks and changes and is much better than when I first started with it. For example I've changed the Today screen, put in a better keyboard (FingerKeyboard2, free and highly recommended) and increased the finger friendliness a bit.

Windows Mobile is very powerful indeed, but the stock interface is a bit long in the tooth, and Samsung's widgets and other programs are OK but not the best. (The first thing that I did was to remove the widgets from the Today screen, in Start>Settings>Today). Right now I am trying out Spb Mobile Shell 3, which is very pretty, finger friendly and capable.
The way WinMo works is also not ideal, most programs don't actually close when you press the X button so over time the phone can feel bogged down if they aren't ended through the Task Manager. This is easily solved by using a separate task manager like WKTask (free), that will make the taskbar act just like on a PC. The cache for the internet browser uses a lot of space, and that's set up to use the phone's main memory (not the 8GB storage). If you browse a lot, this will fill up the space quickly which is bad; things will not work right if "My Device" (name of the internal storage) is full. Tip: Always save and install programs to "My Storage". You'll also have to accept the fact that not everything is fluid and pretty all of the time. Once you get over that, the occasional glitches (that every phone has) and little inconsistencies don't matter so much.
Like I said, the signal strength is disappointing; not absolutely terrible but it can sometimes struggle to get a decent amount of bars, and the antenna is located at the bottom where you place your hand, which lowers the signal a bit. Still, I haven't had a problem making calls or using data.
Battery life has been fine for me, it's made it through the whole day for me with a good amount of use and still had charge to spare.
In the coming weeks, Verizon and Samsung are supposed to release a new version of the software that unlocks the GPS capability, so you will be able to use VZ Navigator or a free program like Google Maps (only VZ Navigator is able to use GPS right now). Hopefully that update will have some other enhancements as well.
In short, it's a great device that can do almost anything. However, it's not for someone who wants a phone that's super simple, and if you do install lots of programs, certain ones can conflict and cause issues that have to be debugged. A trip to the Omnia forum at PPCGeeks.com will get most of your questions answered by a friendly (and rapidly growing) community and help you tweak your phone to it's maximum capability; you will love it even more after making a few simple changes. And buy a case!

I'm very impressed and satisfied and look forward to using my Omnia.

Pros

Very powerful and capable
Sleek form factor
Great camera and connectivity
Decent battery life
Customizable, many programs available

Cons

More complicated than a dumbphone (takes a little getting used to)
Dongles needed for headphones (really not a big deal at all though)
Scratches easily
Signal strength lower than average
Screen resolution not as high as phones being launched today (Touch Pro2/Diamond2, enV touch)
Vibrate not very strong

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By Far the Best Verizon Phone Out There!!!

3 Jun 2009 Dan

8.3 out of 10

This is the third phone I had purchased, one from US Cellular back in the day (a brick) and the second from Verizon. I wanted to try the IPhone after my first Verizon phone but AT&T's coverage in my area sucks.

I am a researcher when it comes to electronics and I studied all the phones Verizon offered and had actually chosen the BB Storm, following the hype, but after playing with it I realized it did not live up to that hype. That's when I went with my second choice, the Omnia. I am glad that I made the purchase and though there were a few problems with it I was able to overcome them. Both Samsung and Windows have there flaws, but they also have there pros. I hate it when people compare everything to the IPhone or another piece of technology when they've only had a phone for a day or two. You just can't expect something to work 100% straight out of the box without understanding the in's and out's of the device.

After going in and adjusting the settings for the Omnia I actually overcame many of the problems I had. It took a while but after a day or two the phone worked like a charm. It did everything it advertised in video and audio playback, email and texting. I was however disapointed in the fact that it used FAT32 which has a lot of slack for file storage. It had no 3.5 mm audio jack or second stylus. On the touch screen side, It's not an IPhone or IPod when it comes to responsiveness but it did have a better response and feedback than the BB Storm or any other Verizon Phone they currently sell.

I also enjoyed the ability to add and use my own ringtones. Verizon disables this feature on any phone which is not considered a Pocket PC phone. Being able to synchronize with my Outlook contacts, tasks and calendar has made it easier to import and export information and it keeps me from having to enter information more than once.

Three things I liked at first but later found annoying were the Samsung widgets, Internet Explorer (IE) and motion sensor or accelerometer. The accelerometer constantly rotated when I didn't want it to and the widgets just started to take up real estate. I was also getting tired of moving them to and from the main screen to access an app. My recommendation is to disable them both. As for IE, don't use it unless you have to. Stick with Opera Mobile and trust me you won't be disappointed by it.

Finally, I would highly recommend you install SPB's Mobile shell, YouTube mobile and the Google mobile apps on the device. Mobile Shell completeley changes the experience, look and feel you'll have with the Omnia. It adds the features which should have been included in Windows Mobile and Samsung. About a month after I had the phone a friend pointed me to their site and I read up on it. I downloaded the trial software and by the end of the next day I had purchased it. Just make sure you disable the Samsung Widgets before installing it. If you like them they can be turned back on after you install Mobile Shell.

In all the Omnia is a great phone and by far one of the best offered by Verizon. There are far too many features to write about in this review but Samsung's Omnia is lightweight, small and thin compared to other PocketPC phones sold in many Verizon stores. Though it doesn't have an HD the screen, it still looks great and having a combination of Windows and Samsung apps will add functionality where the other fails. Add-on SPB's Mobile Shell and you can get a similar feel and techiness from the Omnia that you would get from the IPhone without the cost or worries of having to switch to another network.

Pros

Light weight
5.0 Mega-pixel (photo/video) Camera
Wi-Fi & Stereo Bluetooth
Built in Storage
Active-Sync

Cons

Not HD
No 3.5 Headphone Jack
TV out requires separate dongle

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3 Jun 2009 Sal Governale

3 out of 10

I would never reccommend this phone to anyone. The touchscreen is terrible, emailing is terrible, texting i terrible (the only good thing is the texs are threaded)

Pros

windows mobile

Cons

battery
touchscreen

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