Detailed review of the mobile phone Samsung S8500 Wave. Samsung Wave GT-S8500 smartphone firmware Work with messages, on-screen keyboard
No matter how unfortunate decision many people call Samsung's attempt to release its own OS for smartphones BadaOS, devices from the manufacturer's arsenal running under its control are characterized by high technical characteristics. Among such successful devices is the Samsung Wave GT-S8500. The hardware smartphone GT-S8500 is still quite relevant today. It is enough to update or replace the system software of the gadget, and then it becomes possible to use many modern applications. How to flash the model will be discussed below.
Manipulating the firmware will require you to have the proper level of care and accuracy, as well as strict adherence to instructions. However, do not forget:
All operations for reinstalling the software are performed by the smartphone owner at their own peril and risk! Responsibility for the results of the actions taken lies solely with the user who performs them, but not with the Site Administration!
Before you start flashing Samsung Wave GT-S8500, you need to do some preparation. To carry out the manipulations, you will need a PC or laptop, ideally running Windows 7, as well as a micro-USB cable for pairing the device. In addition, to install Android, you need a Micro-SD card equal to or greater than 4GB and a card reader.
Drivers
To ensure the interaction between the smartphone and the flasher, the drivers installed in the system are required. The easiest way to add the necessary components to the OS for the Samsung Wave GT-S8500 firmware is to install the software for managing and maintaining the manufacturer's smartphones - Samsung Kies.
Just download and then install Kies, following the instructions of the installer, and the drivers will be added to the system automatically. You can download the program installer using the link:
Just in case, download a separate driver package with an autoinstaller from the link:
Backup
All instructions below assume that the Samsung Wave GT-S8500 memory is completely cleared before installing the software. Before starting the OS installation, copy important data to a safe place. In this matter, as in the case of drivers, Samsung Kies will provide invaluable help.
Firmware
Today it is possible to install two operating systems on the Samsung Wave GT-S8500. It is BadaOS and more versatile as well as functional Android. Unfortunately, official firmware methods do not work, due to the termination of the release of updates by the manufacturer,
but there are tools available that make it easy to install one of the systems. It is recommended to go step by step, following the instructions for installing the software, starting with the first method.
Method 1: BadaOS 2.0.1 firmware
Samsung Wave GT-S8500 should officially run BadaOS. To restore the device in case of loss of functionality, update the software, and prepare the smartphone for further installation of modified OS, follow the steps below, which imply the use of the MultiLoader application as a manipulation tool.
- Download the BadaOS package from the link below and unpack the archive with the files into a separate directory.
- Unpack the file with the flasher and open MultiLoader_V5.67 by double clicking on the application icon in the resulting directory.
- In the Multiloader window, set checkboxes "Boot Change", and "Full Download"... Also, make sure that the item is selected in the hardware platform selection field. "LSI".
- Click "Boot" and in the opened window "Browse folders" mark the folder "BOOTFILES_EVTSF"located in the directory containing the firmware.
- The next step is to add files with software data to the flasher. To do this, you need to click in turn the buttons for adding individual components and point the program to the location of the corresponding files in the Explorer window.
Everything is filled in according to the table:
After selecting the component, click "Open".
- Fields "Tune", "ETC", "PFS" remain blank. Before loading files into the device's memory, the MultiLoader should look like this:
- Put Samsung GT-S8500 into system software installation mode. This is done by pressing three hardware buttons on the switched off smartphone at the same time: "Decrease volume", "Unlocking", "Turning on".
- The keys must be held down until the screen displays: "Download mode".
- Connect Wave GT-S8500 to the USB port of your computer. The smartphone will be detected by the system, as evidenced by the appearance of the COM port designation at the bottom of the Multiloader window and the display of the mark "Ready" in the field nearby.
When this does not happen and the device is not detected, click the button "Port Search".
- Everything is ready to start flashing BadaOS. Push "Download".
- You are waiting for the files to be written to the device's memory. The progress of the process can be monitored by the log field in the left part of the MultiLoader window, as well as by the filling progress indicator of file transfer.
- You will have to wait about 10 minutes, after which the device will automatically reboot into Bada 2.0.1.
Additionally: If you have a "ripped" smartphone that cannot be switched to the software download mode due to a low battery charge, you need to remove and replace the battery, and then connect the charger, holding the key on the device "Off-hook"... A battery icon appears on the screen and the Wave GT-S8500 starts charging.
Method 2: Bada + Android
In the event that the Bada OS functionality is not enough to perform modern tasks, you can use the option to install the Android operating system in the Wave GT-S8500. Enthusiasts ported Android for the smartphone in question and created a solution that allows you to use the device in dual boot mode. Android is loaded from a memory card, but Bada 2.0 remains intact and starts up when needed.
Step 1: Prepare the memory card
Before proceeding with the installation of Android, prepare the memory card using the capabilities of the MiniTool Partition Wizard application. This tool will create the partitions necessary for the system to work.
and then "Yes" in the request window.
you get a memory card prepared for Android installation.
Step 2: Install Android
Before proceeding to the Android installation, it is highly recommended to flash BadaOS on the Samsung Wave GT-S8500 by following all the steps of method # 1 above.
The efficiency of the method is guaranteed only if BadaOS 2.0 is installed in the device!
- Download from the link below and unpack the archive containing all the necessary components. You will also need the MultiLoader_V5.67 flasher.
- Copy the image file to the memory card prepared with MiniTool Partition Wizard boot.img and patch WI-FI + BT Wave 1.zip from the unpacked archive (Android_S8500 directory), as well as the folder clockworkmod... After the files are transferred, insert the card into the smartphone.
- Sewing the section "FOTA" via MultiLoader_V5.67 by following the instructions of Method # 1 for S8500 firmware above in the article. For recording use the file FBOOT_S8500_b2x_SD.fota from the archive with the Android installation files.
- Go to Recovery. To do this, simultaneously press the buttons on the switched off Samsung Wave GT-S8500 "Increase the volume" and "Put the phone down".
- Hold the buttons until the Philz Touch 6 Recovery environment loads.
- After entering the recovery, you clear the memory from the data it contains. To do this, select item (1), then the cleaning function to install a new firmware (2), and then confirm that you are ready to start the procedure by tapping on the item marked in the screenshot (3).
- Wait for the inscription to appear "Now flash a new ROM".
- Return to the main recovery screen and go to the item "Backup & Restore", then choose Misc Nandroid Settings and uncheck the checkbox "MD5 checksum";
- Enter again "Backup & Restore" and run "Restore from / storage / sdcard0", then tap on the name of the package with the firmware "2015-01-06.16.04.34_OmniROM"... To start the process of writing information to the sections of the Samsung Wave GT-S8500 memory card, press "Yes Restore".
- The Android installation process will begin, wait for its completion, which will be indicated by the inscription "Restore complete!" in the lines of the log.
- Go to puknt Install Zip main screen of the recovery, choose "Choose zip from / storage / sdcard0".
- Return to the main screen of the recovery environment and tap on "Reboot System Now".
- The first launch in Android can take up to 10 minutes, but as a result you get a relatively fresh solution - Android KitKat!
- To start BadaOS 2.0, you need to press on the switched off phone "Make a call" + "End call" at the same time. Android will launch by default, i.e. by pressing "Turning on".
Method 3: Android 4.4.4
If you have decided to finally abandon Bada on the Samsung Wave GT-S8500 in favor of Android, you can flash the latter into the device's internal memory.
The example below uses the Android KitKat port, specially modified by enthusiasts for the device in question. You can download the archive containing everything you need by following the link:
- Install Bada 2.0 by following the steps of method # 1 of Samsung Wave GT-S8500 firmware above in the article.
- Download and unpack the archive with the necessary files for installing Android KitKat from the link above. Also unpack the archive BOOTFILES_S8500XXKL5.zip... As a result, you should get the following:
- Run the flasher and write three components from the unpacked archive to the device:
- Add files in the same way as in the instructions for installing Bada, then connect the phone, which is switched to the system software download mode, with the USB port and click "Download".
- The result of the previous step will be to reboot the device into TeamWinRecovery (TWRP).
- Follow the path: "Advanced" — Terminal Command — "Select".
- Return to the main TWRP screen by pressing the button three times "Back", select the item "Reboot"then Recovery and slide the switch "Swipe to Reboot" to the right.
- After Recovery restarts, connect your smartphone to your PC and press the buttons: "Mount", "Enable MTP".
This will allow the device to identify itself as a removable storage device on the computer.
- Open File Explorer and copy the package omni-4.4.4-20170219-wave-HOMEMADE.zip to the internal memory of the device or a memory card.
- Tap the button "Disable MTP" and return to the main recovery screen using the button "Back".
- Then click "Install" and specify the path to the firmware package.
After sliding the switch "Swipe to Confirm Flash" to the right, the process of recording Android into the device's memory will begin.
- Wait for the message to appear "Successful" and reboot Samsung Wave GT-S8500 to the new OS by pressing the button "Reboot System".
- After a long initialization of the installed firmware, the smartphone will boot into the modified Android version 4.4.4.
It is quite a stable solution that brings, let's say openly, a lot of new possibilities to an outdated device!
In conclusion, I would like to note that the three methods of flashing Samsung Wave GT-S8500, described above, really allow you to "refresh" your smartphone in terms of software. The results of executing instructions are even a little surprising in a good understanding of the word. The device, despite its advanced age, after the firmware performs modern tasks very worthily, so you should not be afraid of experiments!
2 years ago 0
excellent build quality removable battery the brightest and clearest screen (brighter and clearer on nokia n8 and brighter than on an iPhone 4) sits nicely in the hand (not big not small) the call speaker is on the side and the call is always audible EVEN I PHONE OWNERS admit that the sensor response at least not worse than theirs, and this says a lot.The phone takes amazingly fast panoramic shots and it can be done more easily than on a camera, it holds for quite a long time (about a day with active use and full brightness of the display) for me, this is actually a lot of H 8 enough for the same amount of time but there is a less bright display, I phone 4 was not enough for a day. an understandable menu is very easy to switch to it from any phone convenient to dial a number and send sms in one movement a very fast browser is more convenient than nokia n 8 is less convenient
2 years ago 0
Amoled superfood. I bought it only for the sake of amoled. To use it. All expectations were met. The screen is really great. Photo of very good quality, even with indoor lighting. Really intuitive interface.
2 years ago 0
all the same as listed in the comments below. And that no one uses the functions of blocking spam sms directly from the menu? I opened the SMS, I read it, I realized that the spam was just another and poked "Options" \u003d\u003e "Block by address" and goodbye sms from this address))) I already have a decent list of spam sms numbers and other spam Internet hosting sites from which sms arrive !!! I think this + on other axes have not seen this like \u003d)
2 years ago 0
Great phone! Good build quality. Very often the phone fell, got off with only a few scratches on the back cover and a little on the glass. True, the last time I could not stand it .. She takes pictures of texts well. For study, the very thing. Bright screen. At night I had to clean up to a minimum, but still bright) It's good to watch the video, even though the screen is small. Ideal in the hand, light enough compared to other smartphones, beautiful design, pleasing to the eye) Not easily soiled, metal body. Loud enough. And if it's also in headphones, then it's generally gorgeous) The set included excellent headphones, but, unfortunately, they quickly fell into disrepair. Very nice phone) The memory card is far away, under the battery. With sufficiently strong falls, it cannot fall out. (Other phones had such cases
2 years ago 0
The phone is super! First I bought my wife (I lost my Nokia n 86) Then I fell in love with it myself and bought myself a takoyzhe. As for typing, I can do everything (maybe some fingers ...) No glitches, everything tried
2 years ago 0
1.Design. Holds well in hand. 2.Video camera HD1280. 3.The speaker is very loud. 4. Display and its resolution. 5.Video player. No kodak needed. 6. Memory 2 gig. 7. Normal flash. 8. Call log. 9.10 working. tables. You can immediately from 1 to any. 10. The menu is convenient. 11. The display light is responsive to the ear. 12. Battery indicator like on an iPhone. 13.Very smart. 14.Mechanical buttons. 15.High screen sensitivity, etc.
2 years ago 0
1) Super screen, SuperAmoled rules 2) Performance, no brakes at all, 1GHz percent, 512 RAM 3) Playing and recording HD video 4) A good camera with autofocus and flash. 5) TV out 6) Iron body, tempered glass screen. 7) 3G Internet distribution mode via Wi-Fi.
2 years ago 0
A very bright screen in the sun can see everything, 1 battery holds a battery for a long time, glass and metal everything is reliable, very cool design, GPS catches perfectly, you just need to learn how to set it up, an excellent camera.
2 years ago 0
Excellent photo and video The display is excellent Mechanical end / call buttons, camera Life-long battery Plays unconverted video
2 years ago 0
1. Display - bright, vibrant colors, fast response time, no "glare" 2. Camera - justifies its 5 megapixels at 100% 3. Pretty good sound. 4. Dimensions 5. Attractive appearance 6. Metal body 7. Capacious battery. 8. Quite smart at work. 9. Build quality - monolith. 10. Promising OS ... - although at the moment this is its main disadvantage. Limited series))
2 years ago 0
Slippery - yes, there is little, but very thin and pleasant to hold in hand.
Opera is not installed, a standard browser for an amateur. For those who love a bunch of programs, there aren't many of them here. More like a phone, not a communicator.
2 years ago 0
there are not very many applications, although to be honest, you cannot say that something is missing, there are simply fewer of them
Navigation on the N 8 is better in essence
The camera when viewed on the phone is great when viewed on a computer with the nokia n8
2 years ago 0
Of course they are. But I haven't found it yet.
2 years ago 0
After reading the comments, I found out that there is such a lag with vibration when an incoming SMS.
Do not believe it on bada 2.0 for about a year and only after reading the lag noticed)))) I note that I liked the 1.2 version of the firmware better. I often use my phone to watch videos, clips, movies, etc. etc. it had a function to adjust the brightness when viewing. And in 2.0, you often have to climb into the settings and add brightness there (And with the default brightness set to half, the battery runs out in half a day (if not less)
2 years ago 0
The biggest drawback is bada (mind you, I'm not the only one who thinks so). There are very few applications, there is no way to watch videos on the Internet, since there is no flash player for this OS.
Unfortunately, I did not buy a film for the screen, so soon after the purchase, the first scratches appeared. However, after falling on the tile with the glass down, the phone could not stand it. More precisely, the screen is cracked. The glass does not crumble, it is glued very well.
The built-in mp3-player is not very convenient. You cannot add a folder to the list at once. We have to get out through the "last additions", "performers", well, and so on. Of course, all this, for sure, is solved by installing / buying another player, but I'm used to that. But these are trifles.
I couldn't find how the front camera turns on. Be m
2 years ago 0
1. Multi-tasking. Nap: you read a word and want to go to the Internet.
2.Can't change word files.
3. Doesn't open large PDF books.
4.Hot swap memory card.
5. The phone is really very slippery.
6. No "quiet" during a conversation.
7.No auto-rotate in many applications. Nap: opera.
8. Sizes of widgets. They are big.
2 years ago 0
But as soon as I needed to write an SMS, I was very upset .... insanely inconvenient ... and I had to get very nervous before finding the text input settings .. very few keyboard choices ... it's impossible to type a word normally ... ((((I do not know what to do((((??
2 years ago 0
There is no built-in good navigation with maps, although this is fixable.
2 years ago 0
No skype, no light sensor, no video playback from the Internet.
2 years ago 0
Insecure signal reception, far from the city it is easy to be disconnected (which was what happened to me in Karelia)
Few sensible applications
App store is terrible and inconvenient
The regular music player is inconvenient
It seems that ICQ still does not work normally (in the background)
Music player. The MP3 player in the Samsung S8500 Wave has a Disk UI that first appeared in Samsung Jet after a firmware update in late 2009. The album cover is displayed as large as possible, under it are the playback control buttons. To see the rest of the controls, you need to click once on the album cover; the next click on it hides them back.
The quality of music playback in Wave is quite pleasant, the phone has a bass and collected sound. I listened to it with a variety of mid-range headphones - both with Sennheiser CX300-II, Philips SHE9500 and AKG K330 earplugs, as well as full-size Sennheiser HD215 and Grado SR60. With all these “ears,” the Samsung S8500 Wave sounded pretty good, the phone's volume reserve is simply excellent. In my opinion, among modern phones, Samsung devices are confidently leading in sound quality.
Of the pleasant trifles, it is worth noting the fact that now, when you pull out the headphones, the phone does not yell at the whole street, but intelligently pauses the music playback.
Video player. The phone out of the box can play videos in a variety of formats (WMV, H.264, DivX / Xvid), even a rather exotic MKV container is supported. The maximum video resolution is 1280x720 pixels, while scrolling even files with HD-resolution is carried out without the slightest brakes.
The player allows you to adjust the color settings (if desired, the image can be made warmer or colder), stretch the image to full screen or output it in the original format, etc.
FM radio. Samsung S8500 Wave is equipped with the most common FM-receiver with the most common interface. One of the pleasant features is the ability to record radio broadcasts, the recording is made in MP3 format with 192 kbps bitrate, the maximum recording duration is limited by the free space in the phone's memory.
Camera
The phone is equipped with a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED backlight.
The camera interface has changed a little compared to Jet, the main difference is support for Touch Focus (by clicking on the screen, you can focus area). The user can manually set the sensitivity, white balance, etc.
In daylight, the quality of the images obtained can be called good without any discounts on their telephone nature. Thanks to autofocus, the camera shoots well in macro mode.
Click on the picture to go to the gallery of test shots taken with Samsung S8500 Wave
In addition to photographs, the camera can record video in a resolution of 1280x720 pixels with a refresh rate of 30 frames per second.
Although fast-moving objects in the video look a little jerky, the overall video quality is very good.
Wi-Fi
The phone is equipped with a Wi-Fi module of the 802.11b / g / n standard, WEP, WPA / WPA2 and WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK encryption is supported. In general, working with Wi-Fi has become much less problematic compared to Samsung Jet, I only once had to face the fact that the phone could not connect to the network.
Another nice thing is the ability to work as a mobile hotspot. In this mode, Wave acts as a 3G router for other devices (such as laptops).
In the dry residue
Samsung S8500 Wave is one of the best mobile phones of 2010, there is no doubt about it. It combines a powerful hardware platform with an exciting new operating system and unrivaled multimedia capabilities. Of course, it was not without some rough edges (such as difficulties in setting up Exchange ActiveSync), but they will certainly be fixed in new firmware versions. The phone's biggest drawback is the fact that the complete navigation software comes with a 1 month license. After this period expires, access to the maps is retained, but the functions of navigation and routing are disabled; to enable them, you need to buy a subscription to Route 66.
It is worth noting the fact that Samsung S8500 Wave is very pleasant in everyday use due to the successful implementation of telephone functions, high-quality screen and responsive touch controls. It is the telephone part that is the weakest point of devices based on the Android OS - I personally have the impression that Google engineers first of all made the OS for Internet tablets, and added telephone functions only later, in a hurry, without caring about the convenience of their implementation. This is not the case with the Samsung S8500 Wave, as Samsung remembers that a phone has to be a phone first.
With a price of around 4000 hryvnia, the Samsung S8500 Wave is a very good purchase (especially considering that its predecessor, Jet, cost about 5000 hryvnia at the start).
Considering all of the above, we have decided to award the mobile phone our highest award - "Editor's Choice".
Unstable communication level
There is no fast charging
An excellent smartphone in its price range. Screen with good color reproduction, large battery capacity, high performance.
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Fingerprint scanner
Fast 4G
Design
Price
Non-removable battery
Weak cameras
Heats up a lot in games
A model for those who do not play top graphics games and are not fanatical about selfies. The rest of the characteristics are at their best. Especially the performance of the apparatus. And the display.
The time lag between project announcement, demonstration of the first test samples and the launch of ready-to-sell options varies greatly in different examples. In the case of the Bada platform, a proprietary development of South Korean Samsung, these terms were not extended.
The company first announced its plans for Bada in November last year, the first device based on it - just monitored by Wave - was shown in February this year. Access to the SDK for third-party software developers was opened in two stages: preliminary - in January and in full force - in May. At the beginning of the summer, sales of Bada-von started.
Perhaps this gradual development cannot be called rapid, but against the background of the leisurely "maturation" of Windows Phone 7 and the already snail-like steps of projects such as OpenMoko, Samsung's actions seem very dynamic and effective.
Formally, Wave is the next flagship among the company's touchphones (non-smartphones). Indirectly, this positioning is indicated by its alphanumeric index (S8500), which slightly differs from the previous top Samsung touchphones - Jet S8000 and Ultra Touch S8300. In fact, the number of changes compared to its predecessors brings the reviewed model to a qualitatively new level.
Appearance
Structurally, the Wave does not offer much innovation. Perhaps, it is rather difficult to come up with any specific form factor for a touchphone without harming its ergonomics. Therefore, as before, this is a candy bar, the dimensions and proportions of which are largely determined by the size of the screen.
The phone has rather big dimensions, or rather, considerable length. The combination of minimal thickness and small width makes it easy to carry in your pocket. Holding the phone in your hand, you don't pay attention to its weight - it is evenly distributed.
The body materials left mixed impressions. I was pleased with the use of metal in the design, especially considering that this did not affect the weight of the device. Most of the body is metal - almost the entire back side, ends and part of the front panel (framing the screen area). In fact, the body is a metal frame. This solution is not only stylish, but also practical in terms of the durability of the device and its resistance to damage.
The actual display area has a glossy plastic rim, which is expected. It turned out unexpectedly that a similar glossy plastic is placed along the edges (top and bottom) of the case. These areas become a real bait for fingerprints and small scratches. They are unlikely to be avoided with prolonged use of the phone.
The build quality raises no objections: the case is assembled tightly, without a lot of detachable elements. Surely after some time there will be no backlash. The only detachable element is the battery compartment cover on the back side, it is clearly fixed and does not wobble.
There is a SIM card and a microSD slot under the battery. None of the cells can be removed without first removing the battery.
As for the other details, their location is as follows: the volume rocker is on the left side, the screen lock and camera control keys are on the right.
Under the display on the front panel there is a navi-block typical for touchphones - the buttons for receiving and ending a call, as well as a central function button. The latter in this case serves to go to the main menu with a short press and to the task manager with a long press. I was glad that these keys are physical, not touch-sensitive.
At the top there is a microUSB and a 3.5mm jack, as well as a main speaker. It should be noted a well thought-out plug for microUSB: it does not snap off to the side, but slides into the case and, accordingly, does not hang out. This elegant solution simultaneously prevents dust from entering the hole and maintains aesthetics not only when closed, but also when open. Unfortunately, manufacturers use it much less often than they would like.
The main speaker, on the contrary, does not allow to leave flattering reviews about itself. The sound emitted is slightly distorted, especially at maximum volume. Wheezing is added to the disadvantages of the dynamics.
In general, the appearance does not produce a wow effect. The touchphone is designed in the recognizable Samsung style. When you look at it, associations with some of the manufacturer's models arise, some elements are borrowed from their predecessors. Calling the Wave design its strength or weakness is problematic: neither the strong nor the weak side obviously outweighs.
Display
The most outstanding feature of this matrix is \u200b\u200bits Super AMOLED technology. The model is the first phone to have such a display. Due to the fact that the matrix components are combined into one layer (AMOLED has several of them), the Super-edition managed to solve several problems at once: the thickness of the matrix itself was reduced to a microscopic value; eliminated the problem of peeling elements from each other; improved touch sensitivity. In addition, the service life of the screens and the margin of their brightness are increased.
The display is hidden under a glass surface that has an oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating. Fingerprints practically do not remain on the surface, only finger marks are noticeable. Compared to glossy plastic inserts on the case, the display area is significantly less soiled.
With a diagonal of 3.3 ″, the screen resolution is 800x480 pixels, which implies high image clarity. The display sensor is capacitive (its sensitivity is excellent, the lightest touches are recorded), multitouch technology is supported.
What really came of this? The picture is fully consistent with the Super prefix, it differs from other matrices in color reproduction "by eye". The viewing angles are maximum, with a deviation in any of the planes, no distortion is observed. The downside of this vivid color rendition is some unnaturalness. This is typical for AMOLED matrices in general, which we noted in previous reviews of the corresponding devices. The image literally "hits" the eyes with a riot of colors, and sometimes this brilliance is exaggerated.
A known problem with AMOLED screens is that they fade in the sun, and this significantly affects the readability of the display. This drawback can be considered eliminated in Super AMOLED: even at the minimum brightness, the information remains distinguishable, and at maximum backlight levels there is practically no loss of image quality.
Perhaps the only display that compares to Super AMOLED so far is the Retina matrix used in the Apple iPhone 4. When directly comparing the two screens, Retina is still slightly outnumbered due to natural color reproduction.
In any case, the display is one of the most remarkable things about the device, it really makes an impression. In comparison, even the top-end NTS communicators, which also feature high-quality screens, do not look so good.
Bada: interface and functionality
On the Internet (in particular, in Russian), the question of the correct name of Bada is periodically raised: a mobile platform or an operating system? A strong argument in favor of the first option is that the configuration presented in Wave (and, most likely, in the next few models) is not "from beginning to end" written by Bada separately. Its core is a proprietary system, and innovation is an add-on. The latter theoretically lends itself to porting to other systems. After such a description, some readers may get the feeling that there is not much difference between the Bada background and the previous Samsung touchphones, up to associating the entire Bada with only a new version of the widget interface. However, it is not.
In fact, in terms of visible signs (functional richness, performance, the ability to install applications, including those written specifically for this platform), Bada quite fits the definition of an operating system from the point of view of an ordinary user (the restrictions that software developers face do not apply to the end user ).
The main screen consists of several pages (by default there are 3, but this number can be increased up to 10), on which widgets from the updated TouchWiz 3D shell can be placed. By the way, Wave is the first touchphone on which you can evaluate the updated desktop interface. Compared to the previous edition, there are noticeable changes. The widget windows have become larger and more functional: the number of conditionally useful “quit smoking or went on a diet n days ago” has been reduced to a minimum, the set for managing social media profiles, viewing news, weather, exchange rates and other information has expanded.
You can put several widgets on each screen, but in practice, as a rule, one of them remained on one page, since each window often occupies more than half of the screen. Running a little ahead, we note that downloading widgets is available from the built-in app store along with full-fledged programs.
The design of the main menu repeats Corby and other simpler actual touchphones: it has several pages, there are no folders. It also contains direct links to programs. The number of pages, as in the case of the main screen, is adjustable from 3 to 10 (to change this parameter, you must work in landscape display mode; in portrait mode, you can change the order of the icons themselves). In the settings, an option for automatic sorting of icons is available: the system independently tracks the most frequently used applications and moves them to the first screen.
The top bar on the display is occupied by the system tray; it is always displayed except for full-screen applications. When minimized, it contains basic information about the time, charge level, signal reception quality, active profile, alarm clock, etc. As in the case of Android OS, the tray can be expanded (though not to full screen, but to part of it) and activate / deactivate Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules, quickly select a profile between normal and silent. From here you can view missed calls, unread messages and control the audio player.
The add-on has shown its best side: it allows you to use a fair amount of relevant functions with one touch. In particular, "hot" access to player control and profile change is convenient.
In the case of Wave, it is very difficult to avoid comparing its interface to that of the iPhone. Since the release of the Apple smartphone, we have had devices based on most of the available platforms - WinMo, Symbian, Android, as well as proprietary systems from Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson. Each of them, perhaps, acquired features similar to the Apple interface, but before we got acquainted with Bada, we did not have to meet with so many common touches.
The fact is that the similarity is observed not only in external features - in the organization of the menu (at the first and only level there are links to applications), the recognizable effect when the image is rotated (from portrait to landscape mode and vice versa) or keyboard design. In this case, Samsung borrowed from the iPhone the very way of organizing functions, which is not, for example, in Android, which can be described as more technical.
This manifests itself in several cases. For example, to take a screenshot, you must simultaneously press the Lock and Home keys - this is not an optionally configured option, but a default function. For comparison, in iPhone you need to hold down the Home key, and in Android you need to install the SDK on your computer and synchronize your communicator with it.
An illustrative example is the organization of application management. For this purpose, the Samsung Apps utility is installed, in structure it corresponds to any other mobile application store: there is a division into categories, the most popular programs are automatically highlighted. At the time of the review, only free versions of the programs were available, the section with paid applications will be opened a little later.
The search and selection of the program for downloading can be carried out both by searching and by navigating through the categories. The page with the description of the program includes the text and several screenshots below it. After pressing the "Get" button, you move to the main menu, where the downloadable application icon appears, and the download and installation process is visualized by its highlight. In order to uninstall an application, there is no need to go into deep settings: you just need to activate the mode of moving icons in the main menu and click the "Delete" icon opposite the unnecessary program.
This is not to say that the noted similarity with iOS is a disadvantage for the end user. Quite the opposite: Apple's proposed concept has already had an opportunity to prove its success, and following, perhaps, is a better solution than a dubious attempt to bring something fundamentally new. In any case, Bada will retain its own "handwriting" and proprietary features, the platform is incorrectly called a copy of iOS.
The previously mentioned task manager is activated by a long press of the center key and is a 2x3 grid of icons. If their number exceeds 6, then they are displayed on several pages. You can still find various information on the network about the implementation of multitasking in Bada, it does have some limitations.
Only one Bada application or JAVA utility can work at a time. Accordingly, if any of the built-in applications is launched, be it contacts, a gallery or a browser, the program remains really minimized - upon returning to it, you continue exactly from the "moment" at which you finished your work.
If, after minimizing the application, you open another, equivalent to it, then in fact the previous program is closed, and a link to it is saved in the task manager. After clicking on the link, this application is re-launched with the saved results of the last changes, but this cannot be called a work in the background.
Pay attention to the fact that the widgets launched on the main screen are displayed in the manager as a separate application. When you close the "Widgets" or select the "Close All" option, the main screen is completely cleared of the installed set of widgets, which is very inconvenient. This decision was made primarily to maintain the high speed of current applications. By the way, an approach similar to the iPhone OS (up to version 3) is also easily traced here.
Hardware part Wave is represented by a 1 GHz ARM processor and 512 MB of RAM. In addition, the embedded processor is equipped with a dedicated graphics processing component, the POWERVR SGX540. Judging by its technical characteristics, it is capable of processing up to 89 million polygons per second. Today, most of the top multimedia devices are equipped with graphics processors with a performance of about 30 million polygons per second (iPhone 3GS, Sony PSP). Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip, which is installed in a large number of top-end communicators, processes only 22 million polygons per second. Thus, now only the Nvidia Tegra 2 platform, which is still expected to appear in finished devices, and the iPhone 4 (the result of its core was 88 million polygons per second) can be compared with Wave (except for its Android “colleague” Galaxy S).
Despite one of the most productive fillings, Samsung considered it necessary to protect users from possible slowdowns. Due to the restriction on launching applications described above, we really did not manage to face a situation where Wave would start processing commands with a delay: scrolling and zooming were kept smooth, there were no pauses in drawing graphics in games either. In this respect, the phone certainly comes across as a smart device.
In order to give a more objective idea of \u200b\u200bthe functionality of the S8500, let's dwell on the description embedded programsthat will continue to run in the background.
Of course, these include PIM applications - contacts, messages, calendar, notes, tasks. The functionality of "Contacts" has been expanded due to several informative tabs, similar to the contacts panel in Symbian backgrounds. In addition to contact information, you can view the log of calls and messages related to this particular subscriber, his recent activity on social networks and photos sent by him to media portals such as Flickr and Photobucket. It is clear that such functionality becomes available only after synchronization with the corresponding services.
Messages in the program of the same name can be displayed either one by one or in a chat mode with a specific subscriber. In both cases, there is a quick response field.
The "Notes" are very nicely designed. The main menu of the application contains reduced bookmarks of all available notes, sorted in chronological order; you can also expand them and continue to view them in one window or open any of them in a separate window. You can choose one of several shades typical for post-it stickers as the background color of the “leaf”.
Separately, we are pleased with the possibility of the background work of the browser. Its functionality left a mixed impression. On the one hand, it does a good job of displaying full-fledged (non-mobile) versions of sites. An excellent display and multi-touch support help it cope with this task. Among the additional features of the browser - a dedicated setting for the brightness of the backlight (separate from the main settings), navigation through the most visited pages and the ability to open multiple windows at the same time.
On the other hand, the browser also has weaknesses. Among them - the periodic appearance of an error about insufficient memory when loading "heavy" pages (this happens only with other applications running in the background). The situation with support for Flash-format, declared in the specifications, remains unclear. In the settings there is a highlighted item "Launch Flash", but in fact Flash elements are not displayed.
The Application Library did not offer any alternatives to the browser. In general, at the moment, about 500 free applications are officially available for download in Samsung Apps. Please note that this figure may differ for different regions. However, there is interest in the platform, this list will be actively updated. Bada already has such well-known titles as Layar - an augmented reality browser, NFS Shift and Kroll - games with an impressive level of graphics. Perhaps, the launch of the paid section of the store will become a serious impetus for software developers.
Of the preinstalled applications that cannot be fully minimized, the following should be highlighted:
Daily Briefing. This program, combined with the widget of the same name, as the name suggests, is a daily summary of basic information, which includes the user's personal calendar entries, weather forecast (from AccuWeather), news headlines (from Associated Press) and stock quotes (from Yahoo! Finance ).
Mini Diary. The diary allows you to save typical notes in which you can put a photo, text commentary, independently choose the current weather and location. The purpose of this application remains unclear until the possibility of synchronizing recordings with social networks is discovered (the recording is sent as a photo with comments). If the owner of Wave is an active Facebook or Hyves user, this utility will become a convenient link for uploading photos.
We have already made several references to support for various network services in the standard Wave configuration, so it's time to describe them in more detail.
The two key networks for which Samsung has written dedicated clients directly are Facebook and Twitter. Their functionality is insignificantly different for the better from similar utilities in ordinary phones. It would be preferable, for example, to be able to view more media content in the client itself, without going to the browser.
In addition, a separate menu item can be configured to synchronize with other popular services - Yahoo !, Windows Live, Google or MySpace. The phone will automatically check accounts in these services for updates (namely, unread messages) and accumulate this information in a separate section - Social Hub.
Communication capabilities The S8500 brings some innovation to the mobile segment. For the first time, we are holding in our hands a phone that supports Bluetooth 3.0 - this allows us to "overclock" data transfer up to 24 MB / s. Unfortunately, this was the only 3.0 module at our disposal, and the first buyers of the model will find themselves in the same situation. So it is more correct to consider this additional advantage as a reserve for the future.
Another wireless module, WLAN, supports 802.11 b / g / n standards. Most of all we were interested in the last letter, since today there are not so many communicators on the market with support for this version of Wi-Fi. The module is stable, the connection speed is high. In the absence of WLAN networks, you can take advantage of the capabilities of 3G +. By the way, you need to be prepared for the fact that Wave will often independently connect to the network to update various widgets and accounts.
Another wireless module is navigation. Of course, the device supports navigation using satellites, additionally taking information from base stations and hot spots. The time it takes to establish a connection with satellites and determine the location is not the shortest in comparison with competitors - about 30-40 seconds.
A more significant problem for those wishing to use Wave as a navigation device is the lack of intelligent software. At least this statement is valid for the default configuration. The pre-installed Samsung LBS shows Belarus as a blank spot on the map. There are no alternative maps in the app store, but it is possible to install Google Maps or Yandex.
Multimedia
The music player has several options for organizing information during playback. The most typical is the "Now Playing" window, where the display is occupied by album art or unpretentious visualization, and under them there are virtual design keys.
