Verizon announces Samsung Omnia II: December 2 for $200
By Chris Ziegler 
posted November 23rd 2009 9:00AM
posted November 23rd 2009 9:00AM
posted November 23rd 2009 9:00AM
Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5
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what a WAY to kill samsung, VZW.
I don't think they never good ambassador for WinMo.
I think they just offered because it's Windows and it's SUPPOSED to go hand-in-hand w/ PCs.
I'm really happy that American company MOTO is coming back w/ that droid. I wish they launched few other good devices with other networks too.
Whoever takes samsung android, needs to release ASAP.
I have the Omnia II unlocked. GREAT phone. 552 8 GB
Camera is really good with a Flash.
Speaker is loud crystal clear.
OLED screen is beautiful
Fast processor
Plenty of Application support for Windows Mobile.
Can adjust Processing speed ... very goo battery life
Got GPS without Paying carrier services. Tom Tom or Garmin XT will work with Omnia II
Design is very sleek and fits nicely in hand.
Droid is limited.
MY GF needed a Korean dictionary and epocrates RN software.
Droid does not not have that software yet. That is why I got the Omnia II for my GF.
Windows mobile is a stable operating system. It has the software MOST people need.
DROID
That AMOLED should push the droid's display back to mediocrity
Lol, most of the reviewers have been saying other wise. AMOLED has nothing to do with clarity. The Droid's/X10's resolution and ppi is higher than what's on the Omnia 2. You're going to get more detailed pictures. AMOLED saves battery by illuminating each pixel individually. This only makes the screen either brighter or darker. While this look may be more pleasant than lower resolution devices, it's still not going to beat actual clarity on higher resolutions and more ppi.
Not to mention the screen gets washed out in daylight.
@A Man
LCD also washes out under the sun.
I'm a WinMo user... I'm not going to argue for or against WinMo; if you think iPhone OS/Android/PalmOS/Symbian/Blackberry OS/whatever is better, that's great for you, but MY reality is that I'm a WinMo user.
With that in mind, I'd need to see some professional reviews that provide more info on the Omnia II's touchscreen. I currently have the original Omnia, and while I think it was aesthetically the best WinMo phone on the market at the time, the resistive touchscreen on it is horrible. I have to change the keyboard settings to display a phone pad just to type the number "1" and I rely on xt9 to figure out when I wanted an "q", "a", or "z" instead of a "w", "s" or "x". I've more or less decided that my next phone needs a hardware keyboard, and the Omnia II doesn't have one.
@mikeszekely
A couple of things. I gave up holding out for this phone and got the Droid instead. I am completely satisfied with it but there are a few things I think the Omnia II have some pretty amazing advantages over many phones out there and as of December 2nd it will be simply the best and fastest WinMo phone available in America.
But check out Phone Arena's Review of the GSM version which scores an 8 out of 10.
http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/Samsung-Omnia-II-phone-p_3790.html
Also check out the new way you will be able to use keyboard input with Swype.
http://www.swypeinc.com
here is a video of it in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCWwuIXxBuI
Anyway, I hope that info helps you make your decision to pull or not pull the trigger for this phone.
This shouldn't fairly be put up against the Droid. The Droid is a next-gen device, and the Omnia is still running on today's processor and specs (mostly). Not to mention you also would have the whole WinMo vs. Android to deal with when comparing the two. I'd compare this with Verizon's other WinMo devices (Touch Pro2/Imagio) and then the Droid Eris.
Since I'm an Android fan I would choose the Eris over the Touch Pro2, but if I were a WinMo guy then I'd go for the Touch Pro2. I'd say the Imagio would probably be second on my list. XDA devs fully supports HTC, and the Imagio should be unlocked sometime soon. This phone would be my last pick. Its processor is clocked higher, but it has Touch Wiz, which is pretty laggy. The Omnia 2's performance has been okay in videos, but definitely nothing to write home about. Remember, clock speed isn't everything. I like HTC's TouchFlo 3D as a UI way better than Touch Wiz because it's not laggy at all, and it's a little bit deeper than the Touch Wiz, and way more intuitive (organized). Also, if I didn't hack the phone, the only other UI choice for the Omnia 2 would be stock WinMo 6.5, which is a step in the right direction for WinMo, but still not as intuitive and smooth as it looks.
My previous phone was WinMo 6/6.1 and I HATED the small, resistive screen. I vowed to NEVER buy another resistive screen after all the issues I had (went through 3 different Samsung SCH-i760s because of screen issues).
After seeing specs and reviews on Omnia II, that was what I wanted but alas, Verizon could not deliver in the time-frame I needed. I picked up the Motorola DROID and have not looked back.
For now, the DROID suits me fine. I love the integration and it supports native Exchange synching. Does that mean I will never buy another WinMo phone? No. The phone I have suites my needs for now. When it's time to buy a new phone, as usual, I will look at what's available and buy what fits my needs (and some of my wants!).
WinMobile may have a place in the business world, but just about everyone I see has an iPhone or Droid. Those with WinMo want a Droid now and say they'll dump WinMo for the iPhone/Droid; whichever is available on Verizon when it's time to re-up.
@DantheMan
I didn't realize you could turn it off. I know on the Behold II, Samsung is so proud of it's god awful interface that you can't take it off. But if you can remove TouchWiz, the hardware should be solid.
I had a Samsung Omnia. That was the 2nd worst phone I've ever owned (The HP 6315 was the worst). Locked up randomly, slowed down with more than a few apps, terrible touch input, poor hardware design... Honestly, the whole thing stank of Samsung rushing it out the door to make a deadline, rather than actually testing the thing.
I'm used to WinMo's annoyances, but this was disgustingly bad. Even with the community 6.5 builds, the hardware was just crap.
I paid full retail for my Droid to replace it, and have been very, very happy so far.
Think i'm pretty sold on this. I love the crap out of my Omnia , its been a great phone. Yes of course windows mobile is terrible but with easily attainable software like SPB shell its very usable you just have to put a little effort in to get it there.
The hardware is fine , the camera is excellent , 8 gig storage , good sound , GPS , WIFI etc... So to me a faster version of this phone sounds awesome. Additionally all I could really ask for is a standard USB, capacitive screen, and standard headphone plug. But these are all things I can live without.
Finally.
Verizon/Samsung has me very annoyed with this late launch.
Android is still very immature and still can't do half the things WinMo can (including being just as locked-down as an iPhone, which is an absolute atrocity). The Droid itself is also an unattractive phone in my opinion. The Omnia II quite the opposite.
But I'm still interested in giving Android a real try and hoping Google gets some serious mainstream/high-end developer support soon, so I'll wait to see if the Passion/Dragon actually gets released mid-December. If not, I'll be getting the Omnia II. At least then I'll still be able to do everything I can now; which is to say at present, I cannot do everything I need to be able to do on Android.
Wow soooo many cool phones comin out for both Verizon and AT&T. You takin notes T-Mobile?
@djt
I played around with a friend's Droid at a party; I liked the design of the hardware, but I seriously don't get the fuss over Android. But like I said, I'm not looking to debate the merits of one OS over another, I'm in a situation where I'm pretty much locked into WinMo.
I'll check out the links you sent me, but I've got a year left before I get my "New Every Two" rate from Verizon. I'm kind of hoping the first WinMo 7 phones will be out or close enough to it that I can wait for one (I'm really hoping that WinMo 7 modernizes the OS enough to make it a serious contender again). And if not, I've been eying HTC's Touch Pro2.
Side note, I went with the Omnia due to the sale price and the fact that it had probably the best design of any other WinMo phone on the market at the time. But I think TouchFLO is leaps and bounds better than TouchWIZ, to the point that I grabbed something like it for my Omnia.
The first Omnia was the single most frustrating piece of technology I ever owned. And I owned a Dell Web PC at one point in time. Sure a 5 mp camera phone with wifi, touchscreen, full html browser sounds pretty sweet. Until you realized it's powered by windows mobile, which is slow and buggy. You also need a stylus to use it, a stylus!! It doesn't even fit inside the phone! It hands on the OUTSIDE! The keyboard sucks and there is no application support. The day I traded this in for a Blackberry Storm my life changed.
http://bit.ly/5rkRe7
I'd go with the Droid for sure. If it's not powered by windows mobile then they are doing something right.
Dartboard, what are you talking about?
The processor is an 800 MHZ rated processor.
You can not compare the Omnia I to the Omnia II. That isn't fair to say the least.
And I have the Omnia II by the way. It isn't slow and buggy. You might be talking out of your arse. Because a person who speaks opinions without facts is just a plain moron.
And, Yes there is application support for Windows mobile. You are flat out ignrant or you are lying through your teeth.
@Dartboard I really cannot be nice about this... you are a flaming idiot.
You don't get WinMo apps from an app store!! (well, you can now at least). You get WinMo apps FROM SEARCHING THE INTERNET. ON YOUR PHONE. Do you use a computer at all? Do you know what a search engine is? Yeah, you see, you kinda do that on your phone too. WinMo/PocketPC has been doing that for a decade now. There are hundreds of thousands of programs/applications for PocketPC/WinMo, if not millions.
Also, the Omnia II has been released WORLDWIDE for a few MONTHS now. The *Verizon* aka CDMA version of the Omnia II isn't available to consumers yet. They've been testing it for months. Aside from aesthetics, they're the same phone.
@FlasH
Sure it's fair. The Omnia II hasn't been released to Verizon yet(Which surprises me that you own one, and are such an ardent supporter of it already). Since it hasn't come out yet then I'll make my assumptions about it based on it's terrible predecessor. I doubt many people would buy an Iphone 3gS if the first one had been such a disaster.
Applications for windows mobile? Hardly. Before I got a Blackberry I went into the "verizon application store" and I found only about 30 apps available for my first Omnia, most of which were expensive and useless. Compared with the hundreds with BB, or thousands with an iphone.
You're defending a 2nd generation of a terrible phone based on a windows mobile OS and somehow I'm "the moron"? Go get a Droid.
A touch screen windows phone without a d-pad? FAIL.
@(Unverified) Yeah I dunno how that response ended up there. I fail too.
@Dartboard I really cannot be nice about this... you are a flaming idiot.
You don't get WinMo apps from an app store!! (well, you can now at least). You get WinMo apps FROM SEARCHING THE INTERNET. ON YOUR PHONE. Do you use a computer at all? Do you know what a search engine is? Yeah, you see, you kinda do that on your phone too. WinMo/PocketPC has been doing that for a decade now. There are hundreds of thousands of programs/applications for PocketPC/WinMo, if not millions.
Also, the Omnia II has been released WORLDWIDE for a few MONTHS now. The *Verizon* aka CDMA version of the Omnia II isn't available to consumers yet. They've been testing it for months. Aside from aesthetics, they're the same phone.
@Dartboard
hardly?
Just google the Windows mobile. There are plenty of applications like epocrates that DROID does not get.
I am not against Droid, but Windows mobile is still a capable software engine.
You don't have the Ominia II by the way. You have no right to criticize the device when you don't even have it. I do have it, and it's fantastic.
Build quality is great. sound is loud and clear. The camera has a FLASH.
I have the Omnia II unlocked version,, ninny It was released months ago.
Does it have optical mouse?