Samsung U900: Hands on

After waiting six months since we first saw the U900 at the World Mobile Congress, we've finally had our chance to get our grubby mitts all over its adaptive touch window.

Joseph Hanlon

Joe capitalises on a life-long love of blinking lights and upbeat MIDI soundtracks covering the latest developments in smartphones and tablet computers. When not ruining his eyesight staring at small screens, Joe ruins his eyesight playing video games and watching movies.

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Joseph Hanlon

June 12, 2008 11:08 p.m. PT

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You may know it as the Samsung Soul but locally you'll ask for it by its product code, the U900. We first saw the U900 at this year's World Mobile Congress, but finally we had a chance to get our grubby mitts on the U900 and its funky adaptive touch panel at Samsung's mid-year roadshow in Sydney.

Adaptation
Not only is the U900's adaptive touch panel eye-catching, it's also an ingeniously implemented new technology. The panel features 24 different navigation options which will change depending on the application you are currently using.

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Speed Demon
Like many of Samsung's recent releases, the U900 features HSDPA with download speeds up to 7.2Mbps. To take full advantage of this the U900 will be available on Telstra's Next G network, as well as several of the other local carriers.

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No place like Home
From the home screen on the U900 you can see the adaptive panel showing links to your next most likely step; contacts, main menu, messaging and Web browsing.

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Shake, rattle and roll
Similar to Samsung's touchscreens, like the F480, the U900's touch window features haptic feedback. This makes the handset vibrate gently when you make a selection on the touch panel.

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Side-on
Opening the U900 and turning it to its side, the shape and feel of the phone is reminiscent of the G600, a 5-megapixel camera phone we saw earlier this year.

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Hardcore shooter
While the U900 looks like the G600, its camera is more like the G800 minus the 3x optical zoom. The U900's 5-megapixel camera confirms its place as one of Samsung's hottest releases to date.