Review: Samsung D980

[markyap]

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Samsung D980 (prototype) first impression by markyap



so last friday i got hold of the D980 per-production unit and started playing with it.




first off, its fully functional and it does what its tasked to do.
a card deck size touch screen with minimal buttons design like the iphone dual sim camera phone.

ok here are some of my RANDOM (mostly negative) observations/thoughts. note that these may not apply to everybody, this is my personal taste and opinion. and lastly, this is from a pre-prodution unit.

its as big as the n95 with the slide closed and slightly thinner but still feels bulky considering its weight and what it can do. just like other samsung dual sims, they are not built with smaller is better in mind.

it doesnt have the 2nd line button anymore since everything is touchscreen.
in the front it has call, end and return buttons only.

there is a noticeable lag in the interface. its not much. like less than a sec to a sec only. but its something im not used to. comparing the interface to other touch screen samsung and iphone, it needs a lot of work. even the further from release date preproduction 2nd 8MP samsung unit is more responsive and over all just better possible because of its faster processor but its so much more snappy and the graphics is more refined, larger screen on that is also a blessing but thats for another review hehehe!

going back to the D980, its widgets need to be unmounted from the dock to the desktop to be activated unlike other samsung of this interface were you can launch a widget from the sidebar by tapping on it.



no easy or fast way to get silent mode.

calculator has no %. you have to do it the scientific way.
annoying beep everytime you punch in a number...turn off beep option please.

drop down menu from the top is inaccurate. not even recalibration and using the stylus helped.
sidebar and main menu and other interface is accurate. just the top drop down needs to be fixed.
btw, i dont see any way to customize the drop down menu. its suppose to be a shortcut list of sorts but its not happening for me yet.

to enable screen lock it has a physical slider switch to do the job.

headset and cable in the same connector.

difficult or less than ideal way to scroll thru your photos manually. flicking a finger can get tiring fairly quickly. why cant they double the volume button as forward and backward button for the photo playback. btw, did i mention its slow. flicking to the next picture shows a definate lag. no way to speed thru the photos. variable speed scrolling in the photo gallery doesnt exist.

scrolling down thru a long menu isnt very nice either. mas nindot gyud control ang iphone sa ilang touch interface. specially the variable speed.



also i dont think the screen is quite big enough for my taste. it crams the desktop once you unmount one or two widgets already. this also limits the scrolling experience.

there is more room for bigger lcd, bigger battery for longer standy time or making the device thinner. i dont get it why they waste space so much on this device. daghan kaayo hungal na area.

bottomline, i think the D980 is a good addition to the DUOS lineup especially for those who like touchscreen but it needs a lot more work on the software side. i hope they iron them out when its in production.

[jasonrey]

nice review

how bout the dual-sim function sir? does it work like the d880? i recently got a d880 and i think it's great! kusog iyang signal reception for both sims?

bitaw noh, dako ang dimensions sa phone jud. pero wala na maximize sa screen. sayang ang space. pila pud kaha estimated price ani sir?

[markyap]

dual sim function is not same with d780 and d880. no more switch sim button coz its already touchscreen

under 20k estimate

[jasonrey]

no easy or fast way to get silent mode.

how bout displaying the keypad and long-press the "#" button?

any picture of sending an SMS while selecting the proper SIM card? at least under 20k ang estimated price, much like sa d880 when it was announced.

[markyap]

none of the tricks worked when i tested it...yes i tried that too it wasnt working yet.
also a hassle for the need to go to silent mode to disable beep sa calculator (yeah i use that app quite often)
that would mean after using the calc i wont hear my phone ring unless i turn the profile back to general...hassle kaayo.

basically a msg screen were you input the text and just tap on the icon for sim 1 or 2 before sending

[mixedjuice]

I think i will pass on this phone this time

[mixedjuice]

I went to Ayala today and tested out the unit, i can say it is a eye catcher. But i dont think it is good enough to seal the deal like a Apple iPhone can do to a person when they first see someone use it. THe dual sim or DUOS that Samsung is coming out with is proving a point to the bigger names like Nokia and SonyEricksen. They are bold business people up in the Samsung headquarters. hehe

[mixedjuice]

Can someone tell me where i can find and buy a dual sim phone at a reasonable price in Cebu City. tnx

[markyap]

Can someone tell me where i can find and buy a dual sim phone at a reasonable price in Cebu City. tnx

what kind of budget are we talking bout here? whats reasonable for you?

[daddyfree]

so all samsung d790, d880, and d980 are running the networks simultaneously?