A review of the Samsung Omnia LITE and help on finding Mobile Comparison Deals

extraordinary Connectivity. 3.5G / Push Email
wondrous Camera
Solid Build
Cons
Fiddly Stylus
No Flash On Camera
Samsung seem to be intent on flooding the market with touchscreen phones and here we have yet another - the Omnia LITE B3700.

Essentially a cut-down version of the Omnia 2 , the Omnia LITE still offers a decent range of smart phone features.

As a mid range Windows phone, the Omnia LITE sits in the same price bracket as the LG GM750 andSony Ericsson Satio , but is distinguished from them as being a decidedly straight laced option.

The question is can a Windows smart phone still compete at a time when mobile manufacturers are coming up with hot operating systems like Apple's oft-duplicated OS, as well as fresh offerings from Palm and Nokia?

We gave it a thorough testing to find out



Design and Specification

From the outside the Omnia LITE's pared back for m might be a little conservative for some tastes, but combined with the high build quality that we've come to expect from Samsung, this handset does have an air of class.

Besides, looks aren't everything and with a 667 Mhz brain the Omnia LITE is a fairly sharp smart phone. The B3700 runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 (upgradeable to 6.5) so you get a full complement of Microsoft Office applications from Word to Powerpoint, all promising to make working on the move that much easier.

The Omnia LITE also boasts a large bright 3" TFT resistive touch screen (which is supposed to be less sensitive, but more accurate than a capacitive screen) and a stylus is bundled for operation.
Wait, what? A stylus?

To be fair, some applications on the Omnia LITE (Excel especially) require pin-point precision. But since the screen isn't fun with fingers, you end up having to use the stylus for everything. Intuitive, this is not.

Nice to see a micro USB port though- these are increasingly becoming the standard connection for charging mobile phones.

That said, the battery life on the Omnia LITE is decent, managing four days with occasional internet use and email.

Connectivity

The Omnia LITE has HSDPA enabled 3G (read as 3.5G) and Wi-Fi, so even if you're not in a hotspot, getting on the internet isn't too hard.

Meanwhile push email makes getting your messages and downloading attachments a cinch.

The LITE also comes with a variety of widgets - everything from Facebook, Youtube, and MSN to stock market apps - so you can get up and running as soon as you get it out of the box and everythi ng is nicely optimized using the Opera browser.

Bluetooth v.2.0 then makes wireless transfers a doddle and connections are nicely visualized.

Media

On board the B7300 packs a decent 3.15 megpaixel camera. Now we've heard a couple of moans about this one, but we found the results to be great (see below)!

Remember: Megapixels don't equal quality, so just because it's 'only' 3 megapixels, it doesn't detract from the fact that the OmniaLITE's camera takes more than decent pictures.
It also boasts a panoramic mode - great for breathtaking holiday snaps. Or in this case, the view from the office window...



Crucially, there is no flash so no night time party snaps with the OmniaLITE, neither is there a 3.5mm jack - so you'll just have to make do with the proprietary headphones.

Verdict:

After about a week we were just about beginning to enjoy using the Omnia LITE - making calls was fine, e mails were coming through quickly, browsing was fair and we were taking some nice snaps.
But then Windows started being well, Windows, and so we were suddenly reminded why so many people jumped ship. Erratic performance, unexplained crashes and error messages abound, and we began to reassess our opinion of the handset...
On paper the Omnia LITE offers decent connectivity, organizational tools and classical looks, but whilst the LITE's features and performance have been pared down, this doesn't seem to be reflected in the price: we found Omnia 2 deals for significantly less.

The Omnia B3700 LITE - strictly for the Windows addicts.

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