Samsung F490

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Samsung F490 Dimensions (w/h/d): 54 x 115 x 12 Weight: 102g Talk Time: 6 hours Stand By: 220 hours Camera: Camera Resolution: 5.0MP Handset Type: Standard Coverage (Band): Tri Video: Bluetooth: Mp3 Player: Mp3 Ringtones: MMS: Java Games: Radio: GPRS: Email: Internet Browsing: 3G: Flash Memory: WiFi:

Dimensions (w/h/d): Weight: Talk Time: Stand By: Camera: Camera Resolution: Phone Type: Coverage (Band): Video: Bluetooth: Mp3 Player: Mp3 Ringtones: MMS: Java Games: Radio: GPRS: Email: Internet Browsing: 3G: Flash Memory: WiFi:

Dimensions (w/h/d): Weight: Talk Time: Stand By: Camera: Camera Resolution: Phone Type: Coverage (Band): Video: Bluetooth: Mp3 Player: Mp3 Ringtones: MMS: Java Games: Radio: GPRS: Email: Internet Browsing: 3G: Flash Memory: WiFi:

Our Review of the Samsung F490

Another iPhone wannabe, the Samsung F490 looks stylish and packs in some nice features, but with its awkward handling and hard-to-read screen lacks the finesse of its rival.

The Samsung F490 is the all new successor to the Samsung F700. But the F490 is also a radical departure from its older brother. For starters the Samsung F490 has a full touchscreen interface. It has ditched the QWERTY keyboard of the F700 and come up with an impressive interface that is aiming squarely at the iPhone. Although, it must be said, the F490 falls short in this battle, it should not be dismissed out of hand. Its biggest rival in the mobile phone market in terms of looks and features seems to be the LG Viewty.

The Samsung F490 weighs 102 grams giving it a solid feel. At the same time its dimensions make it slim and easy to hold. The handset is 11.8mm in depth, 53.5mm in width and 115mm in height. In terms of looks the Samsung F490 is almost a duplicate of the F700. The front of the F490 is dominated by the large 3.2" TFT display which outputs in a pure 16:9 ratio. The earpiece on the F490 is located above the display and there is a camera for video calling. Video calls on the handset are particularly impressive thanks to the HSDPA support. Underneath the large display are three touch keys. In a novel twist, the display and these buttons respond to touch from any object, not just your finger - useful if you are struggling to take a call with your hands full. Two of the keys are green and red receiver keys whilst the other key takes you to the menu screen.

Samsung have made it easy to prevent the touch screen on the F490 from being activated by the change in your pocket with the hardware slider key located on the right side of the phone. Pushing it up will turn the phone on but pushing it down will lock the screen.

An integrated 5 Megapixel camera allows for clear and precise shots when the capture key is pressed. The autofocus feature automatically focuses on your target which means accurate and crystal clear shots. Like standard digital cameras, you can edit and manipulate your photos in various ways to achieve the perfect picture. The Samsung F490 comes with video recording capabilities, enabling you to capture moving footage as well as still images. Videos are played back in MPEG4 format, WMV format, H263 & H264 formats. Messaging options on the Samsung F490 include mobile email, instant messaging service, text messaging and multimedia messaging. Predictive text is also supported on this phone.

The Samsung F490 comes equipped with the award-winning Croix interface which is a joy to use when combined with the touch interface. Although it doesn't feel quite as seamless as the iPhone, it certainly gets very close. The use of sub menus on the F490 is quite clever although there are some strange leftovers from the F700 (some of the options have numerical shortcuts, weird when you consider the F490 has no keypad!). When you combine all of this with a five megapixel camera it’s easy to see why the F490 is so eagerly awaited.

 Pros

Stylish looks and high-quality build; 5 megapixel autofocus camera; Tri-band GSM and HSDPA network support with video calls.

 Cons

Awkward and slow web browser scrolling and panning; the three fullscreen Java games are trial versions only.

Our Rating

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The elegant Samsung F490 smartphone packs in a 5 Megapixel camera with Xenon flash, 3.5mm headphone jack, a generous internal memory and HSPDA support.

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Review by: febie from Uae, 10th June 2008

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febie from Uae gave the Samsung F490 a

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