Samsung i8910 HD Debuts on Orange First (Formerly Samsung Omnia HD)

The first ever HD video compatible mobile phone has been launched on Orange, the Samsung i8910 HD is one of the most blogged about mobile phones this year and has finally made its debut.

This new Samsung phone was initially named the Omnia HD, however the manufacturer decide to change its name for release so as not to confuse it with previous Samsung Omnia phones, the biggest difference is that the new i8910 HD uses a completely difefrent user interface to the older models and so bears little resemblence.

Many avid Orange network fans (of which are significant as the network has won copious amounts of customer service awards) will be extremely happy to see this new Samsung phone debut on their favourite network. Orange are renowned for having to hold new models back after they launch on rival networks until they have 'tinkered' with the handset software for adaption to their PCN network.

The good news is that the Samsung i8910 HD has been made available from free on pay monthly Orange tariffs, this means that retailers are also able to offer free gifts alongside the phone making the deals even more attractive to consumers.

Already available free gifts include a Nintendo DSi, Dell laptop, DAB Radio and even an Xbox 360 Elite (black) for those that have a higher monthly spend.

The i8910 Omnia HD introduced by Samsung boasts of the biggest AMOLED display found on any mobile phone launched till date. It provides HD recording as well as playback; add to that the 16 GB memory that can be further expanded using a microSD memorycard and you get a phone to be reckoned with.

A Screen That Takes Your Breath Away

This mobile phone does not just have an AMOLED screen that is largest in the world; it also brings great clarity with it. With a size 3.7" screen plus 640 by 360 pixel resolutions, it has incomparable clarity. When you operate with fingers, the touchscreen responds exceedingly well, this is because of the capacitive technology it uses. The awesome color range and the beautiful contrasts only make the screen look more attractive.

Superior Camera Quality

With 8 megapixels, the i8910 Omnia HD camera could well be a path breaker in S60 mobile phones category. The camera has several features that include business card recognition, geo-tagging, face detection etc. The Smile and Blink shot concept needs special mention because this prevents the camera from taking a picture when the subject is blinking or not smiling.

Justifying the “HD” Suffix

i8910 Omnia HD takes the letters HD to a new level by providing video recording and playback in HD 720p. The resolution for recording is an admirable 1280 by 720 pixels in 24-frames/ sec. Some of the features for editing videos that this phone allows include live dubbing, audio dubbing, video trimming, image capture and adding subtitle. Despite the prominence given to convergance, i8910 Omnia HD seems to have paid a lot of attention to video features. The 16:9 aspect ratio of the screen makes movie-watching a truly pleasurable experience.

Other Remarkable Features

Wi-Fi with DLNA certification, Bluetooth, HSDPA (7.2mbps), USB 2.0 and HSUPA (5.6mbps) are featured in this phone. Using DLNA, this phone can stream videos of HD resolution to the panel of HDTV through Wi-Fi. And this can be viewed through TV-out connection that is wireless. A dongle giving HDMI connection could be bought by those who do not have TV that is DLNA- enabled.

The i8910 Omnia HD comes with A-GPS that has a digital compass that helps in navigation because of the precise reading it gives. The users also get the virtual 5.1 feel due to the dual stereo phone that uses Digital Natural Sound engine technology or DNSe technology. Samsung uses TouchWiz 1.5 UI over the Nokia S60’s s/w platform.

New Look of the I8910 Omnia

The new i8910 Omnia is very different in look and feel from it predecessor, the i900 Omnia. While the i900 Omnia’s measurements were 112 by 56.9 by 12.5mm, the i8910 Omnia’s measurements are 123 by 58 by 12.9mm. This makes the new phone larger. It also weighs more at 149g as compared to the old 122g. The layout too is different with more keys being added and the colors getting changed.

The improved camera, memory, displays and operating system has already made the Omnia phones successful. So, the new i8910 Omnia is definitely something to look forward to.

Although initially released on Orange the Samsung i8910 HD is to be rolled out onto further network operators very soon including an O2 release over the coming days.