My previous phone was a lot of work. So much setup every time I wanted to do something: Add an email account, send a text message, upload a photo to my favorite social networking sites, scrolling through contacts, even making a call. But I accepted that this is the way things are with a smartphone. Although, I didn’t feel like anything I was trying to do on it was smart.
Enter the Samsung Focus 2. I have to admit, going from my previous phone to a Windows Phone, was a bit daunting. A different operating system, different features, different everything. But what I found was that while it was all different, it quickly felt ‘just right’. The live tiles that welcome you upon unlocking the screen are information from the get go. I can see in an instant if I have any new emails, text messages, status updates from social networks (just to name a few). Flipping through the tiles to drill down further in information just ‘flowed’.
Microsoft really nailed the social integration with the Windows Phone 7.5 software. After signing into my facebook account, I can quickly pull up a contact (or even pin it as a live tile), and the phone has already linked the phone contact info with my friends facebook profile info. From one screen, I can call, text, facebook chat my contact. With another quick swipe of the screen, I can see the latest status updates from that contact, and I can interact with the contact from that very same screen. No launching of apps… it’s all right there. And with the hardware inside the Samsung Focus 2, it brings it all to me quickly! Not to mention, beautifully with the awesome 4 inch Super AMOLED screen.
Something else the Samsung Focus 2 does that I love, I can hold the external camera button, and within a few seconds, the screen comes on and goes directly to activating the camera. No unlocking the screen, no navigating to an app….it goes straight to what I wanted, to quickly take a picture. Now that is a ‘smart’ phone, giving me what I wanted without making me jump through hoops to get it. The same smooth flow applies to setting up email. I work in an IT department. It is a must that you have a smartphone, and that you can get your corporate email on it. With Windows Phone & the Samsung Focus 2, I was checking email within a single minute of setting it up. I gave it my corporate email address and password, and it auto-detected the Exchange server settings and I was ready to go. My co-workers in iPhones and Android phones have several screens to go through to accomplish this very same task.
After the first day with my Samsung Focus 2, I wondered to myself, “where has this phone been all my life?”. It is truly the phone I never knew I needed. AT&T service has never let me down, but this phone takes the crisp, clear calls to another level. After trying out other services in our area, we found that we had a lot of dropped calls. I tested out a phone for AT&T and learned that this was the only service that was clear in our area. Score! We switched to the AT&T service and this Samsung Focus 2 makes the service even that much better!
The screen is so bright and clear! This is what you see when the phone is first turned on. Time, date and any upcoming calendar events.
When you unlock the screen, you see these menus. You can see how it pulls images from Facebook and puts them on the screen.
I love how it pulls your photos and uses them on different screens. I went into the photos and look, there’s my 6 year old as Nacho Libre! :)
Back of the phone is pretty standard, but shiny and pretty!
Showing the side of the phone so you can see how thin it is.
Bottom of the phone shows the plug. It is a standard micro usb.
Top of the phone has the ear phone jack. It is standard, so easy to find ear buds if you lose yours…like I ALWAYS lose mine!
Samsung Focus 2 Specs:
- Carrier: AT&T
- Form Factor: Bar, Touch Screen
- Size: 4.79 x 2.47 x 0.43
- Weight: 4.3 ounces
- Battery: Standby up to 10.4 days, Usage up to 6 hours
- Platform: Windows 7.5
- Display: 480 x 800 pixel, 4.0″
- Camera: 5.0 Megapixel
- Digital Optical Zoom: 4x, Auto Focus, Camcorder, HD Recording, HD Playback
- Memory: Internal 8GB
About Amber
i love that color- windows software phones are the best!
Looks really nice! I would like to have one!