[whitj]

Who's going to go check it out? I personally did today, and here are my thoughts:

Overall I'm pretty impressed, I LOVE the idea behind the optical mouse, automatic fix to the stylus problem. I even find it better for picking small links than the cursor method on the BB.

Obviously the camera kicks ***. I had a fun time taking a panoramic picture of the entire store. Almost got a 360 degree picture, lol..

I'm a bit bummed about the lack of 3.5mm jack, but I'm hoping to get some Jaybird bluetooth headphones to replace my crappy S9s, so that should be a moot point.

Yea, screen resolution wasn't as great as the BB, but I don't really see a time when I really NEED to have an HD phone... watching videos is nice, but my multimedia needs are mostly going to be for music playing, which the Omnia does quite well (and with some free winmo software, supports more formats of both music AND movies than the storm).

I WAS bummed about the OS speed though... and started to see what all this winmo hate is about. I wouldn't say it was really Sluggish... moreso just clunky and not well thought out. Could never figure out how to raise the task manager to close all programs at once, but I know that the omnia has that feature, which is definitely a plus. I also realized after youtubing some great clips of customized roms on the Omnia that the winmo clunkiness could (for the most part) be disposed of. In particular, the ifones skin made the phone very streamlined and easy to navigate. Basically, I feel that if I WERE to get the phone and hated the winmo OS... there should be a way to get around it so it navigates well.

Browsing was SO MUCH BETTER on the omnia than the storm.... their Opera kicks the panties off anything the storm has right now... it really was a pleasure to use. with the Wifi I connected to (from a dunkin' donuts about 5 stores down!) the speeds completely put 3g to shame loading full web pages.

What sucks the most is that I am really starting to like my BB after the .75 update! I know it will be getting better over time... but with everything that is already available with WinMo... I don't know if the patience will ultimately be worth it. What does everyone else think? I would highly recommend everyone at least go try out an Omnia and report back their findings, because it really was an enjoyable experience, minus a few hits here and there.

[DroidExpert007]

Yeah, if the omnia was running ANYTHING other than windows mobile it might be a winner... Ive had win mobile phones in the past and didnt care for them.

[noaim]

keep in mind your seeing the bright front to winmo phones and when you actually use one.. man they are really bad.. I am not saying they aren't getting better.. but people who think rebooting a blackberry is bad with how many times you have to do it..


They have no clue honestly..

I do want to say though that most my experience with them have been in a IT environment where fixing problems are common..

They had me test drive a winmo device maybe 6-7 months ago it was horrid..

I am familiar with them too dating all the way back to the original pocket pc's all the way through current.

I will check the phone out. I do know that these devices are not for me.

[DroidExpert007]

Yeah, I agree with you.. Windows Mobile devices are like a very very bad version of having to pull a blackberry's battery.. I remember times when I had to reboot the winmo phone 3-4x per day because the memory was full, and I even used a microsd card. The phones just aren't built with as much memory as they need for nonstop smooth performance. If they actually figured that out they might be better... that and making the touch screen OS more touch friendly and less windows like (like touching the tiny task bar with your finger)

[bass]

Yeah a couple guys I work with have some kind of WinMo phones and I'd say they do a battery pull about as often as I do with my BB. They are just too clunky like you stated. I played with one of their phones, and while I can ussually figure out a phone pretty quick their phones had me guessing to just try and turn on bluetooth.

[noaim]

Yeah, I agree with you.. Windows Mobile devices are like a very very bad version of having to pull a blackberry's battery.. I remember times when I had to reboot the winmo phone 3-4x per day because the memory was full, and I even used a microsd card. The phones just aren't built with as much memory as they need for nonstop smooth performance. If they actually figured that out they might be better... that and making the touch screen OS more touch friendly and less windows like (like touching the tiny task bar with your finger)

well.. the worse thing happened when I went to reboot the phone on my test device (not going to mention which one cause I don't want to be a hater)

I reboot it and when it came up everything was gone an when I mean everything I MEAN EVERYTHING it was like I turned the phone on for the first time.

This may not be common obviously I just plugged it in and synced up got everything back..

It wasn't connected to our network.


I remember this happening way back on pocket pc's years ago I can't imagine this would still be a problem..


what ticked me off most is how often I had to reboot it.. Now if I was on a business trip and I didn't have immediate access to a computer haven the phone wipe on a simple reboot would have been a problem.

Like I said though I am not sure if that is even common or if it was just a fluke..

[pkcable]

I was totally underwelmed by the Omnia I tried in the store. I hate Winmo and this new 6.1 version did not change my mind. The touch screen was not responsive for me and was otherwise difficult to use, this was both with and without the stupid hanging stylis (it has no slot).

I DID like the specs, the wifi and the 5.0 camera, but I just can't live with Winmo. And besides since getting my replacement storm (with a MUCH better screen) and the .76 software I LOVE my storm.

[passtheflask]

i played around with the omina a few days ago... was not impressed at all. the screen is too narrow, typing is just disgusting- the keys are set up so bad. and i am not a fan of winmo at all, its way too cumbersome. sure the omina has some cool features (like the camera, and home screen, etc.) and if you know what youre doing you can customize the **** out of a winmo device but other than that it doesnt impress. im a much bigger fan of the storm and i know with time the storm will improve more and more.

[DroidExpert007]

Haha yeah I really try to not be a win mo hater.. but I know I am. I've just never had a good experience with one, so it's hard to not dislike them. I don't mind blackberry battery pulls.. I just do it 1x a day right before i go to bed so that way it's not during a time when Im expecting any calls or anything. works out well for me

[04redgto]

They actually came out online, and through CS on the 26th....I have one in hand now. I got it while I was waiting on my Storm. The Omnia will be going back tomorrow! I used them both for severial days, and I like the Storm better HANDS DOWN! Don't get me wrong The Omnia is probablly the most stable WinMo device I have had! 4 days, and no reboots, or freezes! It is pretty fast, with a 624mhz processor that can be overclocked to 800mhz! I really liked the optical mouse! It helped alot when navigating the actual windows menu's. Very Finger Frindly with Samsung's interface! I find the Screen on the Storm 100000000 times better! I also think the Storm is easyier to navigate! I have .75 on my Storm, and have just about 0 problems. I have always had WinMo phones in the past and this is my 1st Blackberry, if that tells you anything. If anyone has anyquestions on the Omnia, feel free to ask!

[04redgto]

P.S. I will repeat, I used this phone like crazy for 4 days, and NEVER had to do a battery pull! Was the most stable WinMo device I have used to date! I am keeping the Storm though!

[WDrake_98]

I'm not sure if it was a regional thing, but the Omnia's been out. Maybe not "offically" but I speical ordered mine last week and got it on Wednesday.

Overall, I'm loving the phone. Acutally spent the entire day, trying to find hacks to get our my company's exchange security policy push to no avail.

The browser is **** kicking fast on the WiFi. Still trying to master clicking for the Opera broswer. Love the ability to use tabs while browsing. Soo Cool.

The Omnia is a great phone. However, I'm a crackberry by heart, so that's why I keep coming back here. The forumns for Samsung just don't have much passion as this one!

[DroidExpert007]

Ahh very cool, nice to hear input from someone thats used one first hand, I've just seen the pictures and sort that the interface as far as the start menu etc didnt look like it was still very touch friendly. Nice to hear it doesnt have to be rebooted 24/7

[The Blackberry Veteran]

WinMo sucks Storm wind!

[whitj]

Really good input from everyone, Thanks a lot. Having never used a winmo device before, all I know are the reviews from you folks, and while of course they're biased, they're spoken from experience which is invaluable.

Does anyone know if Opera is working on a version of their browser like the 9.5(i believe) that's on the Omnia? because that was just fun to use. If they could make it work on the storm as well as that, I'd be a much happier camper.

Also, I really liked the kinetic scrolling they put on the Omnia. Not QUITE as fluid as the iPhone, but I just hate going down lists on my storm. Any insight on that possibly coming?

Probably the most convincing reason I might go to Samsung, though, is my doubts on the longevity of the Storm's screen mechanism.. after hearing stories of a little screen protector fluid getting into the crack and killing the phone, or how the screen pops off if you drop the phone from waist height... I just don't know. I don't plan on dropping it, obviously... but I know it's going to happen. I just think that maybe the screen of the Omnia, while much less fancy... could even be a Pro for it? Just for peace of mind that dust won't get under it, and it won't shatter with a drop?

[04redgto]

WinMo will be great! Maybe by WinMo 7.....They just have a ways to go! Als, I never had to use the stylus.....The optical mouse worked well.....only needed it in the windows menu's

[04redgto]

Really good input from everyone, Thanks a lot. Having never used a winmo device before, all I know are the reviews from you folks, and while of course they're biased, they're spoken from experience which is invaluable.

Does anyone know if Opera is working on a version of their browser like the 9.5(i believe) that's on the Omnia? because that was just fun to use. If they could make it work on the storm as well as that, I'd be a much happier camper.

Also, I really liked the kinetic scrolling they put on the Omnia. Not QUITE as fluid as the iPhone, but I just hate going down lists on my storm. Any insight on that possibly coming?

Probably the most convincing reason I might go to Samsung, though, is my doubts on the longevity of the Storm's screen mechanism.. after hearing stories of a little screen protector fluid getting into the crack and killing the phone, or how the screen pops off if you drop the phone from waist height... I just don't know. I don't plan on dropping it, obviously... but I know it's going to happen. I just think that maybe the screen of the Omnia, while much less fancy... could even be a Pro for it? Just for peace of mind that dust won't get under it, and it won't shatter with a drop?

Thats why I pay 5.99 a month.......anything happens, and I get a new one!

[DroidExpert007]

Thats why I pay 5.99 a month.......anything happens, and I get a new one!

Haha true, Ive always been stingy with paying for insurance, but I actually decided to not be a cheap arse with the storm and pay for the insurance for once haha

[TrendyProfessional1]

I saw the dummy Omnia and immediately put it next to my Storm.
The Storms has an edge on the screen width; and the asthetics of the Storm wow.. I didn't get a chance to see the features of course. But I did see a youtube demo niiiiice. But the screen size would be the deal breaker for me and the res.
Aslo coming from a winmo device xv6800 I was able to pick
up some nice 3rd party software which made it pretty cool.
Like phone suite and another app to give it the scroll capabilities.
There is also a prog I used called mem maid which I used to
clean up the mem. I didn't do a batt pull on it but I would soft reset everyday. The Omnia will be nice but for me the Storm is doing it.
I do to a batt pull on my Storm maybe once a day or every other because
I want to keep my mem at at least 26.
Oh as far as the screen width it's not much but when it comes to
all touch every little bit helps.
Still learning and getting used to my Storm but I have to say I am loving
it. I am waiting for my replacement because the outside isn't as springy
as the middle but hey I have adjusted.
Eventually they will come out with some apps for the Storm that will
make it even sweeter but this is my baby.
Believe me I was debating on waiting for the Omnia over the Storm.
Late

[mike26xl]

I had the omnia for about a week took it back got a storm. it was my first experience with a winmo device, not easy to adapt to. i have had my storm for four days now and i love stick with bb you won't regret it. the omnia was a nice phone, but the battery life really was horrible not a full day out of it. I am not a heavy texter and not a heavy internet user. I even adjusted settings to put phone in standby still battery life sucks. good luck with it

[DroidExpert007]

I had the omnia for about a week took it back got a storm. it was my first experience with a winmo device, not easy to adapt to. i have had my storm for four days now and i love stick with bb you won't regret it. the omnia was a nice phone, but the battery life really was horrible not a full day out of it. I am not a heavy texter and not a heavy internet user. I even adjusted settings to put phone in standby still battery life sucks. good luck with it

Yeah, I had thought about doing an Omnia in the standby time for the waiting list for a storm but I decided to not torture myself with the Win Mo devices again haha

[whitj]

Wow, more negativity than I expected! Definitely good to hear. I'm sticking with my Storm for now, but once exam weeks are over I'm going to look at the Omnia a fair amount more, just to be sure. I love customizable gadgets, but I'd feel terrible if i trade the storm in right before a great app or FW update comes up!

Thanks for the help guys

[DroidExpert007]

Id stay with the storm if I were you.. after all.. the omnia is a samsung. Hah hah. *Is not a fan of Samsungs or Win Mo devices*

[theSYNDICATE]

Windows mobile devices are awesome in theory, most of the time they have to much crap on them to function correctly. with 6.1 it should be better, but the Omnia's that I have seen in past 2 months haven't been any indication of that.

And if you think there is a learning curve for the Storm, man is there one on the omnia. I couldnt even figure out how to program speed dials the other day.

I was way more impressed with the Saga's that I have seen.