Samsung SGH-F490 cameraphone
An altogether more run of the mill device
Review The first two devices to run the "Croix" touchscreen UI didn't float our boat. The Armani was high on style, low on ability, the F700 tried to be some sort of smartphone all-things-to-all-men.
The new home of the Croix, the F490, is pitched as an altogether more run of the mill device; no silly designer labels, no pretensions to smart phone ubiquity.
F490: The proprietary "Croix" UI is identical to that on the F700
As with the F700 the base spec of the F490 is solid enough without being exceptional. Connectivity-wise you get tri-band GPRS/GSM, 3.6MB/s HSDPA and v2.0 Bluetooth, while the other headline features include 130MB of on-board memory, an microSDHC slot and a 5 megapixel auto-focus camera.
Lacking the F700's slide-out keyboard, the F490 is a more svelte and sleek handset measuring 115 x 53.5 x 11.8mm and weighing 102g. That 4.2mm saving in thickness makes the F490 a far easier device to manage one-handed, it now being possible to reach the entire screen with your thumb.
The proprietary "Croix" UI is identical to that on the F700 as is the underlying application package. The UI is pleasant to look at, straightforward to use and nicely responsive, and won't ever leave you regretting having chosen a touchscreen phone.
COMMENTS
Review has missed a few things.
I've got this phone and at first it was great however there are more issues.
The screen is difficult to see in daylight.
The answering method is annoying to get used to as it can be multiple key presses to answer and end calls.
There are very few extras available for this phone and I've not yet found a game that works with the touch screen.
Two extra good points. The annoying beep's can be turned off and you can watch videos in full screen you just need to get some other free software to do the conversion
Hey Gildas
We invented the imperial system before "you Yanks" went and messed it up, so the identity conflict is just between the British and European cultures, nowt to do with you...
If it's anything like the F700...
I had the F700 for about a month, and I've just sold it and gone back to my N73.
The slider forever caught on my pocket, activating the screen. Many's the time I took it out to find it surfing Vodafone Live.
The UI just doesn't make sense... the Samsung interface just isn't logical. Perhaps I just I'm just used to Nokia, as I am with touch screens from my iTouch - the Samsung just can't compare, it's very unpredictable and inaccurate. This is of course assuming it uses the same screen as the F700.
The F series really are best avoided for some of the better LG, Nokia and Sony offerings.
imperial / metric
mixing metric and imperial is what makes you Brits so lovably eccentric, probably all a part of you not knowing if you want to be part of Europe or the USA!
"How big's you TV?"
"about 80cm wide by 60 tall, 32inch screen"
"how much is gas in the UK?
"About £1.25 a litre"
"and your speed limit?"
"70mph"
wasn't this what put a recent Mars probe into the ground at several hundred mph (kph)?
photos
I prefer the samsung photos to the sony ones. They have more detail. Like the van in the last photo that's much clearer with the samsung.
