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>> Hi, I'm Bonnie Cha, Senior Editor for CNET.com and today we are taking a First Look at the Samsung Epix. And this is a step-up from the Samsung BlackJack II, which I have right here. From the front it looks pretty much alike, but there some key differences that I wanted to point out. First off, the Epix has a touchscreen, so you can actually navigate around and open applications by touching the screen. It has haptic feedback, so it will give you a little bit of vibration to confirm that it has, you know registered your touch. Also down here, it looks like a little directional keypad, but it actually also acts as an optical mouse. So you get like a little cursor on your screen and you can move it around. And we saw this on the Samsung Omnia and I didn't really like it then, but I do like it on this device. I think the little directional pad is bigger, so you can navigate it easier and the placement in the middle makes it easier to use one handed. You can change it back to directional keypad if you don't like the mouse, so that's a nice option. A couple design features that I didn't like. The keyboard is pretty stiff, so I found that I was making a lot of mistakes, you know I was just typing away messages, but then looked back and saw that I missed a lot of letters. Feature-wise, it is now running Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition, so you get the full Office Suite, as well as push e-mail. And it also has integrated Wi-Fi which was missing on the BlackJack II, so that's really nice -- it's a nice alternative to 3G, which it does have. It's HSPDA capable and it has Bluetooth, as well as GPS, so you can use it as a handheld navigator. On the back you get a 2-megapixel camera and it actually takes really decent pictures and video. Also supports AT&T's video and music services and you get the Windows Media Player as well. Overall, it's a really nice device. If you have a BlackJack II, I wouldn't say, it's necessarily a must-have. You can get the Windows Mobile 6.1 software upgrade, so you can get it that way, but if you're up for renewal, or need a new smartphone, I think this is a good choice. It is 199.99 with a two-year contract and it's available now through AT&T. I'm Bonnie Cha and this has been your First Look at the Samsung Epix.
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