Mobile phones have been on an incredible journey in the last decade or so. Ten or so years ago they were only beginning to expand their initial range of capabilities by infusing their former call-only feature sets with text and multimedia messaging capabilities, as well as the features of ringtone composing and editing. Then came integrated cameras that could take still pictures and video in sharper and sharper quality, joined by multimedia players that supported a range of file formats and played them back on the phones’ higher-quality speakers and screens. Now, internet access and GPS integration are commonplace, and mobile phone manufacturers are working hard to find new combinations of features to bring to users within specified budget ranges.
Samsung has been one of those at the forefront of such juggling and balancing, with new models being released regularly, catering to various market sectors and focusing on different feature sets. Their latest efforts include the Samsung Acclaim, an Android 2.1-phone that works well for those with a smaller budget. Despite having a less-than-stellar physical keyboard, it does have a great HVGA touch screen at 3.2 inches, as well as a very responsive optical sensor. The Samsung Acclaim brings Android platform functionality to smaller regional carriers and does so to the best of its ability with the latest 2.1 rev, and to a great tune for the wallet to sing.
On the surface and at first glance, the Acclaim doesn’t strike one’s visual fancy as much as, say, the Samsung Galaxy S models, but down-to-business users will appreciate its straightforward appeal. With a frame that clocks in at 4.49” long by 2.32” wide by 0.6” thick and weighs 4.59 ounces, its overall look and heft is similar to its Samsung touch screen brethren. The hard, glossy plastic housing gives it a smooth and sleek look with curved corners and silver borders. What immediately catches the eye, however, is the 3.2” HVGA display that looks great for a midrange phone’s screen. Capacitive touch screen technology makes it responsive, especially for the great pinch-zoom feature, and the accelerometer and proximity sensors add great functionality and flexibility to what the phone-screen interaction can do. The Acclaim also features an optical trackpad of sorts with its square select key, which you can use to scroll through webpages.
The slide-out full QWERTY keyboard isn’t as amazing, however, although it works smoothly and locks safely and is actually fairly roomy. The keys are fairly flat, however, leading to a lack of delineation between keys. The keys themselves actually work nicely once you get the hang of it, and an onscreen keyboard provides an alternate option if you’d rather pass on the physical one.
Android 2.1 on the Acclaim [a 2.2 upgrade is said to be in the offing] gives you Gmail. Google Talk, Quick Office, YouTube, and Android Market access. The Acclaim also has POP3, IMAP and Exchange support for email, and Google’s WebKit browser also offers Flash Lite support. The 3-megapixel camera takes good enough photos and video for a budget-phone camera, which is not bad at all. The call quality, on the other hand, is where the Acclaim appears to have most of its stumbling blocks: static and hiss plague calls for callers and receivers alike, and speakerphone calls are similarly displeasing. On the other hand, network data speeds are a breeze on the Acclaim, with little to no buffering and site loading time to suffer through.
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