Samsung Continuum Android Phone (Verizon Wireless) | Review And Specification Mobile Phone

Samsung Continuum Android Phone (Verizon Wireless), The innovative Samsung Continuum for Verizon Wireless brings a fully integrated entertainment, messaging, and social networking experience to your mobile phone, thanks to its open and innovative Android 2.1 platform. It's also the world's first smartphone designed with a dedicated ticker display placed right below the 3.4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display which provides you with up-to-the-minute news, sports, finance, and social networking updates for maximized multitasking. With integrated Google technology, the Fascinate brings one-touch access to the popular Google mobile services millions use every day, including Google Search by voice, Google Maps with Street View, GTalk instant messaging (with presence capabilities), YouTube, and Picasa. The Fascinate also provides easy access to both personal and corporate e-mail, calendars, and contacts supported by Exchange Server and Gmail. And through Android Market, you'll get access to thousands of useful applications, widgets and fun games to download and install on your phone, with many more apps being added every day.

The Continuum is compatible with the V Cast Music with Rhapsody service, which enables you to purchase songs through your phone and download them via the fast Verizon Wireless 3G EV-DO data network. You'll also stay on course thanks to the VZ Navigator GPS turn-by-turn direction service. And with the optional Visual Voice Mail service, you'll be able to quickly and easily scroll through your messages and pick the ones you want to listen to.

In addition to high-speed connectivity on the fast and reliable Verizon Wireless 3G network, you can also share the built-in 3G Mobile Hotspot via Wi-Fi among five devices laptop, another phone, MP3 player, and more (additional service charge).

The Continuum's 3.4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display provides brighter, thinner, and higher-resolution than traditional screens. Samsung's innovative display technology makes watching movies, viewing videos and playing games come to life like never before, even in bright light and outdoor environments. And messaging is simple and easy with the Fascinates virtual QWERTY keyboard with Swype technology, which allows you to input text faster and in a more intuitive way with one continuous finger motion across the screen keyboard.

Other features include ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking, Wi-Fi calling via Skype, 5-megapixel camera with HD 720p video capture, Bluetooth for hands-free devices and stereo music streaming, included 8 GB microSD memory card (plus 2 GB internal memory), multi-format music and video player, and up to 7 hours of talk time.

Key Features

• 3.4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display (480 x 800 pixels, 16 million color depth) is one of the thinnest, most responsive full-featured smartphones in the industry.

• 1.8-inch ticker display (480 x 96 pixels, 16 million color depth) keeps you instantly up-to-date without interfering in the rest of your mobile activities. Instantly see RSS feeds, social network updates, messages, phone calls, voicemail and more in the sub-display without interruption. By touching the bottom grip sensor sides of the device, the ticker display lights up.

• Fast 3G connectivity thanks to the reliable Verizon Wireless EV-DO, Rev A network

• GPS navigation capabilities via VZ Navigator service plus pre-installed Bing Maps and Google Maps (available via Android Market)

• Ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g/n) for accessing home and corporate networks as well as hotspots while on the go.

• 3G Mobile Hotspot capability allows you to create a Wi-Fi hotspot using your Verizon Wireless 3G EV-DO connection, which can then be shared among up to five Wi-Fi-capable devices. The 3G Mobile Hotspot is the perfect family vacation companion, and at $20 for 2 GB and 5 cents per megabyte overage, it provides an allowance big enough for sharing with the entire family for downloading games, Internet access, and more.

• Powered by the Android operating system (version 2.1) with deep integration of Google services and access to thousands of apps to customize your phone via the Android Market.

• Skype Mobile compatibility provides unlimited Skype-to-Skype calls and IM while in the U.S. to anywhere in the world. Plus, with Skype Mobile you get low rates to international land lines and cell phones (requires Skype account).

• 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor speeds up everything--from playing games to watching shows to opening files from work.

• Swype input system allows you to input text faster and easier by gliding your finger around the keyboard, moving from letter to letter in one continuous motion. The Swype technology then calculates what word you're intending to type.

• 2 GB internal memory

• Pre-loaded 8 GB microSD card with support for optional cards up to 32 GB.

• 5.0-megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash.

• HD video recording (720p) plus easy upload to YouTube.

• Multi-format digital audio player compatible with MP3, WMA, and AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ formats

• Blockbuster movie rentals and purchases

• DivX video playback

• Next-generation Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity provides faster throughput while minimizing on power requirements. It's compatible with new Bluetooth 3.0-enabled devices as well as backward compatible with older Bluetooth-enabled peripherals such as headsets and printers. It includes profiles for communication headset, hands-free car kits, and the A2DP Bluetooth profile--enabling you to wirelessly stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones or speaker dock.

• YouTube app for streaming video over 3G and Wi-Fi connections.

• DLNA compatibility allows you to stream media content from the phone to any other DLNA-certified device. The AllShare application enables you to play a file from your phone on another player, play a file from a server on your phone, or play a file from a server on another player via your phone.

• Rich HTML e-mail application seamlessly syncs your e-mail, calendar and contacts from Gmail as well as most other POP3 or IMAP e-mail services. The Gmail application provides features such as conversation view, spam filtering, search, and labels that Gmail users enjoy on their computer while offering new features such as integration with the phone's contact list. And it multitasks, so you can read a Web page while also downloading your e-mail in the background.

• Full HTML Web browser enables you to view more pages and enjoy better Web content delivered efficiently to your phone.

• Instant messaging support for Google Talk, as well as AOL, Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger. It also supports advanced text messaging features, enabling you to easily flag, delete or move groups of messages and keep track of group conversations through threaded text messaging.

• Text (SMS) and picture/video (MMS) messaging

• Google Calendar app syncs with the Web-based version, so any event that you add to your phone will show up on the Web-based Google Calendar (and vice versa).

• Airplane mode allows you to listen to music while the cellular connectivity is turned off

• 3.5mm headphone jack

• TTY compatible

• Hearing Aid Compatibility = M4

Vital Statistics
The Samsung Continuum weighs 4.41 ounces and measures 4.94 x 2.3 x 0.48 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 7 hours of talk time, and up to 312 hours (13 days) of standby time. It runs on the CDMA 800/1900 frequencies as well as EV-DO, Rev A 3G frequencies.

What's in the Box
Samsung Continuum handset, rechargeable battery, wall/USB charger, 8 GB microSD memory card, quick start guide

Verizon Wireless Services
Reliable 3G Network: With support for the EV-DO high-speed data standard, you'll enjoy fast access to the Internet and Verizon Wireless multimedia services (additional charges applicable), with average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps and peak rates up to 2 Mbps. (Learn more about where EV-DO coverage is offered.)

VZ Navigator Capable: With this GPS-enabled phone, you'll be able to access the Verizon Wireless VZ Navigator service (additional charges applicable) for voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions, heads-up alerts, local search of nearly 14 million points of interest in the US (such as landmarks, restaurants and ATMs), and detailed color maps.

V CAST Music with Rhapsody: Access this exclusive digital music service for RealNetworks and for MTV Networks, which delivers unlimited monthly access to music on up to three Rhapsody-compatible mobile phones and players and online on multiple PCs and Web browsers. For a monthly fee (billed on your Verizon Wireless bill), you can load and reload your subscription songs from your PC to your V CAST Music with Rhapsody phone as often as you want, and take your music on the go.

On PCs running the Windows XP or higher operating system, you can also browse, preview, and purchase music using the V CAST Music with Rhapsody software, which is available as a free download from the V CAST Music with Rhapsody download website. Additional subscription charges applicable.

Visual Voice Mail: This innovative service enables you to delete, reply, and forward voice mail messages without having to listen to prior messages or voice instructions. Visual Voice Mail is the ideal tool for the busy mobile professional who may need to prioritize which messages he or she listens to first. Features include on-screen access to voice mail message status, save up to 40 messages for 40 days (or archive permanently), create up to 10 different caller ID-based greetings, and reply via call back, text or even voice mail.

Swype Keyboard
An alternative to the Android virtual keyboard, the Swype virtual keyboard (seen at the right) allows you to input text by swiping the finger with one continuous finger or stylus motion across the screen keyboard. Based on testing, speed and accuracy are equal to or better than the traditional keyboard-tapping method. You can activate the Swype keyboard by pressing and holding in a text field, wait for popup to appear, click Input Method, and then select Swype.

In the image to the left, the word "quick" was generated from tracing the path shown above in a fraction of a second, by roughly aiming to pass through the letters of the word. A key advantage to Swype is that there is no need to be very accurate, enabling very rapid text entry.