Samsung Omnia i900
October 13th, 2008 Submitted by: Adrian
It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog… but then again it has also been a while since I bought myself a new phone. Well actually, it has only been 1 year since my last phone purchase, a Nokia 6300 but what was more important in shaping my decision to get a new phone was the fact that my PDA (HP iPAX rx3715) was due for a change after having served me for many years.
After having had 3 weeks to play with my new Samsung Omnia i900, I’m glad to report back that its money worth spending even though I paid a hefty RM2800 for my unit. This does not include the new bluetooth headset I just purchased since my Ericsson one gives up on me after receiving/making 1 call after each charge. I also just purchased myself a cool car handsfree kit that helps me hold my Omnia when I’m driving and navigating with the cool GPS.
I’m sure a few of you would be wondering why I said the purchase was worth it? Well… since I consider myself as one of those “power” users instead of a “basic” user, I think the purchase was worth it. If you’re a basic user then I don’t think this phone is for you. Why? Coz apart from the Chic Factor, you’ll be under utilising a lot of the phone’s powerful features. For starters, I currently use the phone for the following tasks:
- As a Phone (Duh)
- As a Modem (Connected to Maxis 3G – HSDPA) for true internet mobility
- As a PDA – Organiser (Calendar, Tasks, Notes & etc)
- As a truly mobile platform for retrieval of Emails, SMS, & Immediate Notifications
- As a tool to avoid boredom (yeah games & puzzles)
- As a tool to stay connected? Oh yeah I mentioned that… to surf facebook & avantgo & various news sites
- As a GPS Navigator to help me get to where I want to be quickly without wasting petrol
- As a camera to take nice pictures and videos as and when needed
- As a Pen Drive (Storage)
- As a Media Player (Songs & PodCasts)
- A 3G Video Calling Phone… (No I haven’t used this yet… need to try it out with someone who has a 3G capable phone)
As can be seen, I am fully utilising and enjoying this phone. Basically, for RM2800, I got myself a Phone, a PDA, a Camera and a GPS device. If you add all of them up… I’m sure the cost will be around there if not more. Plus having all these features in one cool looking devide is just the way to go.
Why Samsung Onmia ? Well, first of all I didn’t hessitate to try out Samsung although I’ve never tried Samsungs before. But since I did have my HP PDA which utilises Windows Mobile, I was more or less already comfortable with the operating system. Learning how to use the unit took only a fraction of the time. What took the most time was the configuration and messing around with the system. yeah 3 weeks in total… and still messing…
Here’s a list of programs which I have installed onto my device which I strongly recommend to owners of the Omnia (listed not in any particular order of preference) :
- S2U2 (Slide2Unlock2) – http://slide-2-unlock.en.softonic.com/pocketpc
- Microsoft Voice Command – http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/downloads/microsoft/about-voice-command.mspx
- SPB Mobile Shell – http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/mobileshell/?en
- SPB Time – http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/time/?en
- fring – http://www.fring.com/
- Garmin Mobile TX (GPS Software) with Malsingmaps – http://www.garmin.com & http://www.malsingmaps.com / http://www.malfreemaps.com
- Resco Keyboard PRO v5.11 – http://resco.net/pocketpc/keyboard/default.asp (Helps speed up data entry… making it easier to type in stuff without using the stylus)
- WMWifiRouter – http://www.wmwifirouter.com
Other Programs which I have installed onto my unit:
- SPB Pocket Plus – http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/pocketplus/?en
- SPB Traveler – http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/traveler/?en
- SPB Pocket PC Tips & Tricks – http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/tipsandtricks/?en
- Games – SPB Games – Air Islands, Arkaball, Balltracker, Brain Evolution, Bubbles, Matches, Sudoku, Xonix & etc
I’m not writing a review on the unit here but basically just skimming on the surface as to what the Omnia can do. Do you think this phone suites you? For an indepth review on the Omnia, check it out at http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i900_omnia-review-267.php
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Entry Filed under: Gadgets, General, Mobile Entries
Tagged with: i900, omnia, samsung gprs gps
18 Comments Add your own
1. Dino | October 27th, 2008 at 1:01 am
Hi mind to teach me how to download & install those software u had mention, coz i’m still new to pda phone o evem omnia ..
thanks
2. Adrian | October 29th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
There are various places where you might be able to find the software you’re looking for. Try doing a search on Google and you will be able to find them. As for installing softwares to your Windows Mobile device, all you need to do is download the EXE or CAB file. If its an exe then just run it from the computer with your phone cabled to your PC. If you have the CAB file then copy it to your WM devide (phone) and run the file and the software would install automatically. Good Luck!
3. Samsung Omnia i900 - ROM &hellip | November 4th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
[...] It’s almost been 4 days since I’ve installed the new ROM which I stumbled upon Samsung’s Site. The first impression I got was a smoother running interface and secondly an improved battery life! The Keyboard selector does not hang like per before. Then again, the sluggishness could have been due to the fact that I might have overloaded my Omnia previously with all sorts of program which I wanted to test out. For this new ROM, I only installed back what I use as per what is stated at http://www.ourplaypen.com/2008/10/13/samsung-omnia-i900/ [...]
4. Glenroy | December 12th, 2008 at 6:15 am
I am confused, I went on line to purchase the voice command software from the site you listed. But they are saying it is not compatible with the Omina i 900. Should I still try it? Or where did you get yours, how is it working? The spec are impresive. I realy need a good voice command software.
5. Adrian | December 12th, 2008 at 10:21 am
The MS Voice Command is not 100% compatible with the Omnia. The only things which don’t work, as I have found, is just the number dialing feature. You can’t ask the program to dial numbers though you can ask the program to dial names in your phonebook. Other features like program launches, appointment announcements, battery status, etc work pretty well.
6. Ryan | December 26th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
fren, can u help me with this?
do u know how to setup Maxis 3G network for Samsung Omnia?
i went to Maxis from 11am till 5pm. wat they say is “sorry, we cant help”…. =(
7. Adrian | December 29th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Hi Ryan. I don’t think you have to go to Maxis to set up your 3G on the Omnia. Assuming you’re starting with a fresh version of the Omnia (i.e. you have not loaded it up with applications and changed its settings), all you have to do is call into Maxis (by dialing 123) and speak to one of their customer service reps and tell them you want to enable GPRS & 3G on your phone. They will send some settings directly to your phone via SMS and all you have to do is accept the settings when received. After that you should be able to surf the internet using the OPERA Browser. If you are able to surf, that means you are on 3G. Do note that 3G availability is subjected to your location. Worse come worse, you should still be connected to EDGE to be able to surf. You will knomw if you are on EDGE or 3G by the (E), (3G) or (3G+) icon on the top of the phone. Good Luck!
8. Sheena | January 6th, 2009 at 5:39 am
Hi there, I’m a complete idiot when it comes to pda phones and i recently got myself a i900. I followed the instructions above and downloaded the spb mobile shell (CAB) to my phone and after i finish downloading the file, i “clicked” on the file and got a page full of gibberish! what do i do? the page was completely unreadable. Do i have to move the CAB file somewhere before i can open it? SAVE ME!
9. Adrian | January 6th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Sheena, you have got to move the CAB file to your OMNIA before executing it there. It won’t work if you run it from your PC. If it’s not working even when downloaded to your phone, then you need to download it again. Good Luck!
10. winkaokao | January 7th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
hi all.. i just get my phone and i realised my phone performance is so slow and my phone just 1 week old but already hang for 2 times.. any one can help ? tq
11. Adrian | January 7th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
The best thing you can do in instances is to have a fresh installation of your phone. Make sure no “junk” softwares are loaded into the phone by performing a HARD RESET. Better still… do a ROM Update, they normally help in updating the phone. The latest I have on mine now is i900DZHK3. You may get the latest ROM from http://www.samsungmobile.com/support/omnia/index.jsp
12. yusof | March 7th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Hi I had the i900DXHG4 installed, what do I get extra and what do I lose in terms of settings and data by installing this latest i900DZIA5? Appreciate if you can point me to any site or literature.
13. Adrian | March 7th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Hi Yusof, as you have already found out.. you may refer to http://www.ourplaypen.com/2009/02/28/samsung-omnia-i900-i900dzia5-rom-upgrade/ for the info you require. Cheers.
14. KJ | April 7th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
I just installed spb pocket plus and i get this message saying “samsung widget is not compatible with other today items , so it will be displayed only samsung widget.” wat am i doing wrong ?? forgive me if i sound stupid jes tht this is my first pda phone .
15. Adrian | April 8th, 2009 at 9:33 am
The Samsung Widget Today screen is “BY ITSELF”. You cannot select the widget and other items like calendar, tasks, & etc items to go along with the widget. The reason for this is because the Samsung Widget takes up the whole screen and it allows you to drag and drop individual items which are provided within the widget. You cannot move normal items like the calendar & tasks around. It simple does not work with the widget. In anycase, installing SPB Pocket plus does not affect the way the Samsung Widget works. Either you use the normal Samsung Today Screen (widget or not) or you use the SPB Pocket Plus. You won’t be using both though both will be running at the same time. Play around a bit more with the phone and you’ll understand how the WM Phone works
The Omnia is a cool phone.
16. luq | July 15th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Hi,
Just wondering if you could point me to a link that gives a detailed instructions on how to get the Omnia functioning as a modem when connected to the PC?
I’ve spoken to the Maxis people 4 times now, with each session lasting a few hours and I still can’t get my Omnia to be used as a modem when its connected to the desktop. On its own, it surfs fine with the Maxis Unlimited plan.
Hope you can help.
Thanks.
17. Adrian | July 22nd, 2009 at 11:48 pm
Luqman, to use the Omnia as a modem, all you have to do is plug one end of the provided cable to the Omnia and the other end into a USB port on the computer. After that, just proceed to your START –> PROGRAMS –> INTERNET SHARING. Once Internet Sharing is opened, select PC Connection as USB and Network Connection as Maxis 3G Internet and click on the CONNECT button on the bottom left. Once connected, you will be surfing from Maxis’ Network.
18. jo | November 3rd, 2009 at 2:08 pm
above illustrate software unlock,i had an experience with software it was lead me lose of data,so my suggestion would be unlock code which is provided by authorized.http://www.onlinegsmunlock.com/
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