Samsung Wave S8500

Samsung's first bada phone - the Samsung Wave S8500 - is finally here. A few months ago we reviewed a prototype unit, which left us with rather high expectations for the final product. Now that it's here, we are ready to see what Samsung's latest and greatest creation has to offer. Being a full-featured mobile platform however, bada will inevitably face some pretty strong competition in the form of BlackBerry, webOS, Android and iPhone OS. Or will it? According to Samsung, bada is the easy to use type of OS, which will combine the greatness of having rich 3rd-party apps with a user-friendly interface that would appeal to every average Joe out there. So bada is not that much of an opponent to BlackBerry and Windows Phone, than it is to the iPhone, webOS and Android. Congrats, Samsung, you just painted some really tough future for yourself.
The manufacturer's vision is well-represented by its slogan "smartphone for everyone". Well, a bada smartphone for everyone is no doubt what every Samsung executive envisions, but as of now this is surely more of a dream than it is a reality. The question is if, eventually, some day, the bada-based smartphones would really become a part of the general customer's life, similarly to the iPhone now.

Samsung Champ: Featherweight touchscreen

Samsung's latest entry into the bargain touchscreen arena is the Champ. It's a compact phone with a 2.4-inch display, 1.3-megapixel camera, stereo speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack.The Champ's memory can be expanded with microSD cards (up to 8GB).
You also get access to the Samsung apps store, where you can download java-based games and apps. The lack of 3G or Wi-Fi means that this could take a while.The Champ is due to hit the shops in June and will be available in black, brown, pink or white. No word on the price yet but you'll probably be able to pick up a Champ on pay-as-you-go and free on contracts.

Samsung B3410W Review

Samsung is one of the companies with really strong position in the affordable segment of the cell phone market. Following the rising demand for devices centered on text communication, the manufacturer has recently introduced the Samsung Ch@t B3410W. We cannot call it a brand new handset, since it’s a revamped version of the Samsung B3410 (also known as the Corby Plus) that has been available for some time now. The hardware specifications of both cell phones are almost identical, with but a few differences - the Samsung Ch@t B3410W comes with a built-in Wi-Fi module and newer version of the manufacturer’s proprietary TouchWiz interface.

Unlike the members of the Corby family, the Samsung Ch@t B3410W cannot be referred to as a device with youthful design. It looks austere and the only element that lands color to the buttoned-down design of the handset is its back panel. We do like the proper build quality of the cell phone and the plastic it’s made from does not feel cheap in your hand. There are no wobbly parts and the handset feels solid, not last due to its relatively hefty weight of 114gr.

Similarly to almost all other affordable models equipped with touch-sensitive screens, the 2.6-inch display of the Samsung Ch@t B3410W utilizes resistive technology and features low native resolution of 240x320 pixels. Its sensitivity is decent, but unfortunately, the image quality is far from awesome, with thin, unsaturated colors.

The slider mechanism is quite tight, but that doesn’t mean opening/closing the full QWERTY keyboard involves extra effort or isn’t fast enough. The keyboard itself is, however, not one of the handiest we have used – its buttons are large, but feature limited travel and are just not raised enough, which makes them relatively hard to press. You will probably get used to them in time and will learn what to do in order not to make too many typing mistakes, but using the keyboard will not get enjoyable for sure.