Orange UK has released a video that goes through some of the key functions of the Samsung i8910 HD. Orange emphasises the phones two biggest features, the screen and the HD video recording. However, despite mentioning the screen a number of times, only once was it mentioned that it was in fact an AMOLED display. The video also shows the mobile internet browser, widgets and user interface. Check it out after the break. Read the rest of this entry »

The AMR audio issue when video recording is one of the biggest criticisms the smartphone faces. Whilst it appears that AAC audio will not be an option (for HD video at least) in future updates, the question then becomes, just how bad is the audio?

The video (attached after the jump) shows a user trying to give us an idea. He uses the TV as a source and moves to and fro while keeping the TV volume constant. Judging by the video, whilst it sounds worse than my Nokia N82, it certainly doesn’t seem terrible.

I can understand the reasons why Samsung has used the AMR-NB codec for HD video recording, especially considering the amount of data the OMAP3 chip has to process. However, I really can’t understand why AAC audio for VGA video isn’t a possibility. Let’s hope Samsung listens to its customers on this one. Read the rest of this entry »

The sim-free version of the i8910 Omnia HD has already hit Italy as we highlighted yesterday. Following that, Telefonino.net has released an unboxing video and detailed review of the sim-free handset. The video is in Italian, but the pictures are very clear and can even be watched in HD.

My initial thoughts when watching the video is that screen seems very responsive to touch with the menu screens whizzing past. He goes through various parts of the phone including the virtual keyboard, video player as well as the media browser. Using the browser to flick through photos is quite nifty with very little slowdown.

He also played around with the internet browser, which lacked some responsiveness when trying to scroll down the page. To be fair, he was accessing an image-heavy page which was partly to blame. He also demonstrated the zoom function as well as playing flash videos. Check out the video after the break.

Update: We have also included another video below, which goes through just the unboxing ritual of the sim-free i8910 Omnia HD. It is by an Italian user but just has music in the background so anyone can enjoy it! Read the rest of this entry »

For those of you that are contemplating buying the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD smartphone, it is worth checking out the following promo videos. The four videos go through a number of the phones features such as adding widgets, recording video, taking various types of camera shots, blogging apps as well as GPS.

Even for those of you that have just got hold of the phone, it’s probably worth checking out, as you might come across something you weren’t aware of. You can tell that the videos have been professionally made by Samsung and give clear and concise instructions for each tutorial (as well as having accompanying text). Check out the videos after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

A number of people in the UK are now getting hands-on with the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD and posting their impressions. I still haven’t seen an unboxing video from anyone so far, but I’m sure it can’t be too long. However, I have posted a video below which shows some initial impressions of a user with an Orange branded handset. The video is titled ‘Unboxing’ but the video only starts once everything is already out of the box!

It’s not the clearest video out there, it’s shot in low-light with a LG Viewty phone which means it’s not always in focus. However, it gives you a good idea as to what’s in the box (including the little stand). The phone does look pretty big when compared to the LG Viewty, but saying that he seems to be able to navigate the phone reasonably easily. He finds the touchscreen quite responsive although not as sensitive as the iPhone. He also goes through the ports, UI, widgets, compass and camera. Check out the video after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Samsung Mobile, in conjunction with Future Shorts, is running a prize draw to win one of three Samsung i8910 HD mobile phones. For your chance to win, all you need to do is head over to the Future Shorts website and fill in your details. There’s plenty of time to enter, as the competition closes on 5th July 2009. Unfortunately, the compo is only available to UK residents only.

To celebrate the launch of the phone, Samsung has commissioned four top directors to capture life in HD. It is inviting the public to vote on which four-minute video they like the best, with the winner being shown in cinemas nationwide. Just to clarify these videos weren’t shot on an Omnia HD (as I initially thought).

There are really some impressive entries and well worth a watch. I’ve attached all four after the break for you to watch, but do register your vote over at Future Shorts. Voting closes on 29th May. Read the rest of this entry »

Do you remember that cool trick video released a month back, which was shot on the Omnia HD and apparently showed the i8910 Omnia HD disappearing? It was certainly a novel marketing idea from Samsung and got everyone talking. Well, Samsung has now revealed how they went about doing it in another video that we’ve attached after the jump.

Watching it shows the lengths that Samsung went to make it as authentic as possible. Despite this, there were some key giveaways in the video. I won’t spoil it for you if you still haven’t figured it out, but it’s well worth a watch, even if you did work it out. Read the rest of this entry »

In a sign that highlights that its review is imminent, GSM Arena has just released five HD video samples on YouTube. Each 720p video @24fps is very short (less than 20 seconds), but for some reason the sound is muffled in each. Indeed, the description attached to each video says that the “sound is distorted,” but gives no reason why this may be. Whether this is down to the AMR audio codec or something else completely, we can only guess for now, but hopefully it will be fully explained in GSM Arena’s review. I have attached the videos after the break (make sure you click the ‘HD’ button on the YouTube player to watch in high-def). Read the rest of this entry »

One area which has been a bit light on coverage in recent previews is how the Samsung i8910 Omnia HDs GPS functionality fares. HDBlog.it has come up trumps here, releasing an excellent video which shows how quickly the Omnia HD can lock onto a GPS signal both from indoors as well as in the car.

They compare the Omnia HD against the Samsung i8510 INNOV8 and it’s impressive to see how quickly the i8910 can lock onto a signal whilst indoors. It latches onto 9 satellites in just a few seconds, whilst the INNOV8 finds none even after a minute or so. This may have something to do with the Omnia HD using a different GPS chipset compared to the INNOV8, although I haven’t been able to find out exactly what chipset the Omnia HD uses.

The video then goes to show a demonstration in a car which highlights that the Omnia HDs display remains bright and clear whilst the volume is loud enough to be heard whilst driving. Check out the video after the break. Read the rest of this entry »

We already know that the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD will support video-out functionality through DNLA, however we have now learned that SD video output will be supported through the phones 3.5mm socket too. The video below demonstrates this functionality in action.

If you skip to the middle of the video, you can clearly see the girl holding the Omnia HD with a TV-out cable coming out from the 3.5mm jack. As the person taking the video pans around, you can see the phones video output on the television screen. The person who uploaded the video has confirmed that the 3.5mm headphone jack was used for TV-out.

Viewing HD video on a TV normally involves using a HDMI cable, however Samsung is promoting the DNLA (Digital Network Living Alliance) standard as a way to stream HD videos over a Wi-Fi connection to compatible televisions. The problem is that DNLA is not commonly used, so unless you have a DNLA-compatible TV then you may have problems. Also the strength of your wireless connection may determine how successful you are in using DNLA, especially given the bandwidth required for HD video.

This is great news for those that may struggle to get DNLA working. It’s worth mentioning though, that whilst you can stream HD videos wirelessly through DNLA, you will only get VGA support through the 3.5mm jack. Check out the video after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

We already reported on phoneArena’s review of the Samsung Omnia HD a few days back. It seems that they have now also put up a video review of the phone. The views of their original text review remain, but this 9 minute video goes through the Omnia HD features in depth.

They take us through the software, cropping photos, scrolling on the internet browser, the camera interface, photo samples, the music player and HD video playback. They also show the phone close up and just how much of a fingerprint magnet that plastic casing really is! Remember, phoneArena has the final production Omnia HD, so what you see in the video is what we’ll see in shops soon. Check out the video after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Italian site, CellulareMagazine.it, has posted a video of their hands-on experience with the Samsung Omnia HD. Watching the phone in action, one thing becomes quite apparent, the UI is very fast. It is speedy both in responsiveness to touch and when flicking through the menu. Given that this is a pre-production model, it can only bode well for the final version.

The different modes of text input were also demonstrated. Whilst the Qwerty keyboard seems perfectly acceptable, I can imagine the handwriting mode to be quite cumbersome given that it is done letter-by-letter. The widgets also seem to be quite intuitive allowing drag-and-drop within the different modes.

One bit of information that certainly piqued my interest was that he claimed the phone will cost just €499 (£440/$650) on its own or €599 (£530/$775) with Route66 bundled in. This seems at the lower end of prices seen so far, but if true, I certainly won’t be complaining. Check out the video after the break. Read the rest of this entry »

Samsung has released a very cool trick video, shot solely on the Samsung Omnia HD (i8910 HD). The video is of a man filming himself in a mirror using the Omnia HD. However, halfway through he briefly covers over the phone’s rear-mounted camera lens – blocking your view – and the device just disappears.

Pretty mediocre magic, you might say? Well, after he removes his hand the man is, somehow, able to continue shooting the video as though he were using an invisible Omnia HD. Samsung has promised that the movie was shot in one take and without any editing or computing effects being applied afterwards. So how was it done? Check it out for yourself after the break and let us know if you work it out! Read the rest of this entry »

We recently posted a video comparison between the Omnia HD against the iPhone and original Omnia. The video was taken indoors and there was no doubt that the Omnia HD was the clear winner in terms of screen. Now following that video, we have come across another, this time comparing the Omnia HD vs. iPhone in direct sunlight.

OLED screens have many advantages over traditional TFT displays. This includes reduced power consumption, better contrast ratio, better viewing angles, greater colours on the screen at one time, as well as a brighter screen for the same amount of power.

However, it does have one disadvantage and that it is poor legibility in direct sunlight. This comes across in the video below, which shows that the iPhone screen can clearly be read much more clearly than the Omnia HD. This may be an issue for example when taking photos out in the sun. Personally, it’s not a deal breaker for me. Apart from the fact that it’s never that sunny here in the UK, I would still prefer the longer battery life offered by the OLED screen as well as the brilliant colours & contrast when used in indirect sunlight/outdoors. Read the rest of this entry »

I have just come across this interesting hands-on video comparing the Omnia HD against the original Omnia and the iPhone 3G. Seeing all three side-by-side shows just how vibrant the Omnia HD’s screen is compared to the other two. We all know, of course, how nice the iPhone screen is, but even that pales into comparison. The Omnia is a distinct third here, with a weak display compared to the other two.

When playing with the Omnia HD, you can see just how responsive the screen is to touch and I’m not sure I saw one failed touch action. At 2 minutes 35 seconds in the video he switches the Omnia HD on and it takes roughly 32 seconds before we see the Samsung interface screen. For those interested in video playback, check out the video from 6 minutes 34 seconds. It really does seem a highlight of the phone with some very smooth playback.

The benefits of the OLED screen can be seen when showing just how extreme the viewing angles. Even when the phone is nearly perpendicular to the camera you can still make out the action on the screen. Truly fantastic stuff. The Touchwiz widget interface can also be seen from 9 minutes. There is no commentary on the video but is quite clear to follow. Check it out after the break. Read the rest of this entry »