The Omnia HD, set to be released in June, is the first mobile to have a built in HD video camera with HD video output. Its release by Samsung is not a surprising development with the demand for affordable HD video cameras on the rise; it was only a matter of time before they reached the mobile phone market.
Although the Omnia HD cannot display HD video, it HD output does allow the user to stream the recorded clips through an HD TV so they can be viewed in all their glory. The AMOLED screen is easily a competitor for the Cowan S9 and at 3.7 inches is slightly bigger as well. Videos can also be edited on the phone or to make things a bit easier can be uploaded to a PC for more in depth editing.
By running the Omnia HD on the S60 symbian operating system with the TouchWiz skin overlay, the Omnia HD retains a similar look to the original but moves away from Windows Mobile, an interesting to change OS´s in the middle of a series of phones but it still works exceptionally well. The S60 still allows the use of such programmes as iTunes Plus Downloads and GPS, including both in-car and pedestrian versions with the addition of Geotagging of photos.
Specifications
- Size: 123 x 58 x 12.9
- Weight: 149g
- Battery: ??
- Memory: 8GB or 16GB with MicroSD and SDHC of up to 48GB
- Display: Capacitive 3.7inch touch screen, 360 x 640 px, AMOLED
- Camera: 8MP, Auto focus, Image Stabilizer, Face Detection, Blink shot, Smile Detection, Flash: Yes, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, Multi shot, Additional camera for video calls, Self-timer, Panorama, HD video capture
- Connectivity: GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA 1.8 Mbit/s/HSDPA 3.6 Mbit/s/HSDPA 7.2 Mbit/s/HSUPA/HSUPA 2.0 Mbit/s/HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s
- Media: MPEG4, RealVideo, WMV, DivX, XviD, H.263, H.264 , Video player, MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, RA, FM Radio with RDS
By being the first in this field, Samsung have made waves by putting an HD video camera in the Omnia HD and thankfully haven´t compromised on other parts of the phone in doing so. With the inclusion of Microsoft Exchange allowing Email pushing, calendar syncing and appointment and contact updates, the Omnia HD has covered the bases with the business user as well. The screen, even without being able to display the HD quality video, is still quite amazing and more than capable of playing the films and videos stored in the massive memory of up to 48GB. Samsung have once again challenged Nokia and Apple with this slick looking bit of kit capable of holding its own against the like of the Sony Ericsson Idou, iPhone and Nokia 5800.