My Samsung Omnia Story...

A story of how i LOVE it, how i BOUGHT it and WHY i SOLD it off.

Last Tuesday, before i went to the polyclinic to do my first check up, i received a letter from Starhub.

It's the voucher i've been waiting for. However, instead of $100 its $200!!! I was jumping for joy!

While waiting for our number to be called, we went to a nearby Starhub shop to enquire how much they are selling the Omnia with 2yrs recontract on my middle tier plan and how much would they take in my k800i.

So the spanking new hp is $548 - $200 voucher - $100 for k800i. Unfortunately though, they require a FULL set of my old phone with charger as well as earpiece. and my earpiece is a gone case one!

Not wanting to limit my option, i ask whether there are any other compatible phone from diff brands. Requirements: 5MP + Wifi. There was a Nokia one but NO way m i EVER going to buy a Nokia set again EVER. Next close one was an LG i think but no Wifi no GPS.

My ex-love w960i is selling at $200+. If i get that one, i dont hafta pay anything man. But it would also be kinda outdated after 1 yr i would imagine with a 3.2MP camera. So i postpone my decision.


On the way home, we walked in Causeway POint to avoid the glaring heat of the sun. Just for fun, i asked Z, let's take a look at that Starhub shop at basement 1.

I asked the usual Question, do u have Omnia? an 8GB one? any other colour? how much? And so to check, he brought out the box that they have and confirmed theirs is a 16GB one. And this shop is worse, they dont take trade-ins AT ALL. But said that i could sell the hp later.

The staff was scanning the barcode already but i stopped him, "Wait. Actually im not ready to buy yet. I was just enquiring." He gave me one confused cum irritated look. Bcos their counter is such that its actually a queue to the "cashier" and he brought out the box already... i thought, "Oh well why not? i want this phone anyway. Today or tmrw wont make any diff." Aloud i asked Z, "Can i? Can i really buy this phone?" He said yeah sure why not.

And so i did.


On the way home, i kept telling Z, dont tell my family about my new hp ok? I will sure get it from them one. But Z was so sweet, he said for me to tell them that HE got it for me. and they cant really scold him or anything hehehe ...

I manage not to show anybody my new phone.


The first thing i did was rummage for a manual book. There was none. But there was a instructions CD. oh ok nevermind plenty of time to fiddle with the phone.


Work day dawned and i eagerly installed the samsung CD into my computer and started to synchronize some music files. I dont know what happened! Something about needing password for the Microsoft Exchange Server to synch w Outlook. Alamak what's this? Why is it not as simple as Palm? But i did manage to synch my songs thru Windows Media Player. 2 CD albums full.

But hey! Why after that it kept warning me, memory low?!?!?!?! the phone is 16GB BIG what not 16MB! Wait. Does it have something to do with "browsing ALL folders" when searching items for Media Library? But but when i look in my hp's File Explorer, i couldnt find any other docs. Damn! I deleted my songs. they are old anyway. and then the notification went away.......


Do you know that composing SMS on the OMNIA is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO troublesome???? At first i was excited with the letter recogniser and wrote myself away. But i got tired of it after awhile. Took so long ok! and sometimes got mistakes all. My spaces kept turning into dots. and my Ss into Gs, Rs into Vs, Ws into Ns. Aiyah! Then i switched to Samsung Keyboard. Its a bit bigger but too slim to use my finger to type! Still hafta use stylus and then their #%$^?&*$@ symbols are like all over the place!! So confusing one! and their numbers positions are like the qwerty keyboard positions. Aiyooo

I esp dislike the part that i hafta use TWO hands to compose smses. Not just that, i really hafta concentrate on the screen lest i pressed the wrong slim key. Sooo unlike a conventional hp where u can compose with ur eyes closed or while walking and still know when you've made a mistake!


Unlike conventional phones, i can't see when i've got an SMS. There's no unopened Envelope sign ANYWHERE! Bcos all notifications are put under one symbol and when u tap it, first it will come out the networks available (more below) afterwhich i just tap outside the box to exit (bcos there was only a "connect" option available) and didnt see the next notification!


I tried to bare with it. I psychoed myself that after awhile i will get used to it. So i fiddle with the other features that i love about this hp.

1. GPS

WOW! the map really load on ur screen! But wait. Would i be charged for using GPS? Im not sure but must be so. Better dont use first until i got firm confirmation. Dont want my hp bill to skyrocket end of the month! (Later my friend confirmed that yes it would be charged thru GPRS kilobyte usage)

2. Wifi
Firstly because i am constantly on the move with the hp, it kept beeping me to say what wi-fi networks are available. At work, when im not connected to anything cos everything's secured n i dont have the password of cos, keep beeping and beeping. Then Even at home when im ALREADY connected to my wireless at home, it kept detecting this irritating insecure and tempting Linksys network. I got so fed up i put the sound as NONE but the notification still came out! OMG SO IRRITATING!

Worse still... even after im connected to the internet wirelessly, when i opened the browser i just came out a blank WHITE screen!!! What in the world! then Z fiddled something that hides the whatever bar so dont know where to tap to get the menu some more.


ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

3. Camera

We took a total of 3 pictures. Oh yeah its really very nice and bright. even in our dim lit room. But like i said i have trouble synchronizing it to my pc.

However, one problem i could foresee is taking a self timer photo. Bcos the phone is too slim, it cant stand by itself. and By God you dont wanna ask a stranger to help take a photo using ur hp! What if they run away with it?!?!?!?!


I was soooo fed up that one day i even changed back to my good old k800i. But only for a day. I was quite adamant to get used to it.


That was before i decided to search for fun how much is it selling in the market. Let me tell you. $800 - $850!!!!! Turned out that several pple are already selling their Omnia set after a month, some just two weeks, citing unable to get used to the Operating System as an excuse. Nisa said, Yeah they are all IMPULSIVE pple like you. Damn~ Today, I am forced to admit and agree with my parent that yes, i am impulsive indeed =(


And 2nd hand for w960i was selling at $400. Wow, i thought. Why not? I'd be free from misery and even have cash to save! $$$$$ ding ding ding ding ding $$$$$


I listed my hp at www.mymobileware.com at around mid day... i got an sms at 10pm by an interested buyer!!!

Guess what? I sold the unit the next day and got CASH ON THE SPOT!!

Wow... like this i can even do such a transaction every 2 years when the contract expires... no? Nah... its gonna be a bit risky actually. Bcos come to think of it, i still only got 1 interested person asking me after 3 days... and we're talking about OMNIA like the most hyped up hp ad ever!

In any case. I'm very happy i sold away my hp. But now thinking should i save 100% for baby or do i allow myself to buy a new hp? maybe later lah. like... Dec?

My customer is sending the unit to his friend in China!