Samsung SGH-F480 Review

Messaging:

Thanks to the Messaging menu, you can write and send text/multimedia messages and emails. You can set up to 5 email accounts. In order to save on traffic, you have the option to limit the size of the letter to 100/300/500KB. You can also set the system to automatically check for new messages every 0.5/1/3/6/12/24 hours. However, all accounts must be setup manually, since there is no assistance even for the largest Web mail servers (Yahoo; Gmail), which is not logical for a device of such a class in 2008.

There are no factory preloaded templates, but you can save such for both, text and multimedia messages. The T9 system is present here and it will assist you type text faster. Inputting text is only done via the screen numeric keypad and the lack of other options to do that (like full QWERTY)is absurd. You’ll have to live with the large buttons and press them multiple times when the T9 is not available. Thos limits the freedom offered by the touch display to a great extend. Most likely, Samsung’s designers didn’t think a full keyboard would be necessary. We disagree and prefer to have the option to choose the input method and not be limited as if working with a hardware keyboard only phone.


Connectivity:

Samsung F480 is a tri-band GSM, which limits its use in the U.S. The good news is that it supports HSDPA with speeds up to 7.2 Mbit/s, which will provide you high speed internet access.

We expected the presence of a good browser, and the 3G capability and the touchscreen let us compare it to the best ones on the market: Opera and Safari (found respectively in HTC Touch Diamond and Apple iPhone). At first, when loading PhoneArena.com everything looks fine (correct visualization), but it is zoomed in at 100% and only a small part of the page can be seen. If you hold a finger on the screen options appear, including page pilot, which will show the entire page (on a small scale). Then you are able to navigate and zoom in to a specific area. This however, is still slower than just having to double tap in the Touch Diamond and iPhone. The text doesn’t automatically rearrange and you’ll have to constantly scroll or zoom out, using the volume buttons.


The browser is good and useful, but still the superiority of the champions is noticeable.

To connect locally, the model is equipped with Bluetooth 2.0, as well as with a USB cable. The wireless method has an interesting visualization; the F480 is visualized in the middle of a circle and all the other devices available are around it. When you want to pair the phone with another Bluetooth capable system, you have to drag and drop its icon on the one in the center.

In order to synchronize your contacts with Outlook, you’ll need the latest version of Samsung PC Suite (included in the package on a minidisc). It is high quality software, as we know it.