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Samsung F490 preview: First look |
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 The Samsung F490 follows a trend that we welcome - touchscreen-based user interface and a 5 megapixel autofocus camera. Add a widescreen 3.2-inch TFT display and a slim profile, and it already sounds like a juicy deal.
While we will be doing a full review on the Samsung F490, we waste no time but present you with the low-down on this baby with a quick-and-dirty overview.
The Samsung F490 resembles Samsung F700 but it lacks the hardware QWERTY keypad of its sibling. Just by looking at it, our first impression is that it's obviously aiming at taking down the LG Viewty that is already available and gaining speed. We'll see about that later on with a little impromptu feature comparison.
Just for the record, we will not be entering the Samsung F490 into the "iPhone-killer" category that seems to pop up automatically every time a new full touchscreen handset gets released. The secret behind the iPhone's success is not the "touchability" itself, but instead it's the fluid, almost physical reaction of the user interface to your fingers.
That along with the exceptional web browsing capabilities that are yet unsurpassed by any other portable device on the market makes it unique.
Yet, while the iPhone has a revolutionary user interface and web browsing, it's crippled in a number of other ways that seem unexplainable in a "What were they thinking?" way. So just to sum up, the iPhone is a category of its own and it can't be challenged by any of the touch-enabled devices that we know of.
Anyway, while not exactly an "iPhone-killer", the Samsung F490 is an exceptional device, too. The glossy surface, the rounded edges, and the 11.8mm thin body - it's all there underlining its exceptionality. Probably a future fashion-icon, the Samsung F490 seems like the masterpiece of the current Samsung lineup.
We are yet to see that, so join us on this brief preview, while we are working on the full review. More after the jump. |