Samsung i8910 HD review: First look

The handset also had a built-in business card reader, which should come in handy during meetings and avoid bulging pockets or those all-important contact cards ending up in the washing machine. We’d say it was pretty accurate. We tried it on a few cards and it had a good success rate, only misinterpreting the email address on one of the three.

Push email (Microsoft Exchange) is also supported. We didn’t get the chance to fully try this aspect out, but based on the other merits of the handset, we’d assume it to be pretty good at the job.

The screen has grown. Where the original Omnia had a 3.2 inch screen, the i8910 HD version packs in a bit more at 3.7 inches. The screen also has auto rotate, which makes typing, or viewing web pages or video content, a whole lot easier.

Talking of video, while it’s not a business essential, it’s a handy luxury to have to wile away the hours spent commuting or stuck at airports or coffee shops in between meetings – when work isn’t on the menu, of course.

The in-built eight megapixel camera is superb and, thanks to auto focus, power LED flash and other features such as FDace Detection, Smile Shot, Blink Shot and Panorama Shot modes, makes taking quality snaps a doddle. You can also upload them to Facebook et al thanks to HSDPA (up to 7.2Mbps) connectivity.

Video-wise, it’s pretty much what you’d expect from an HD phone. And then some. All the major file formats are supported (DivX, XviD, H.263, H.264, WMV, MPEG4 and RV), while it serves up recording at 24 frames per second at 1280 x 720 pixels resolution.

All sounds great, but what’s the catch? The only biggie we could really find was its size. At 144 grams, it’s packing more weight than its 125-gram younger sibling. Dimension-wise, it’s also a bit heftier. But it’s not so bulky as to put you off and does still cut quite an aesthetically pleasing figure.

Samsung reckons that the i8910 HD blends “style, multimedia and business performance in one device” and, after our first look review of the handset, we certainly don’t disagree.