Among the devices announced by Samsung earlier this year at CommunicAsia 2009, held in Singapore, was a midrange model called the Omnia Lite, or B7300. Like most of the other Omnia devices, it's a Windows Mobile (WM) smartphone which comes with a touchscreen display. Let's take a look at some of its features.
Satellite navigation is also included. With built-in A-GPS, the Omnia Lite will direct your path as long as you have the right software installed.
With dimensions of 107 x 51.8 x 12.9mm, the B7300 is quite compact. That's an important factor for an entry-level smartphone as it is more likely to appeal to regular mobile phone users.
For those who use their handsets as media players, the Omnia Lite includes a microSDHC slot which supports up to 32GB cards. The phone even comes with an FM tuner in case you prefer radio.
According to its original specs sheet, the B7300 will ship with WM6.1. The good thing is Samsung has committed to upgrading all its Omnia devices announced this year to WM6.5 when that becomes available.
It sounds odd to ask for less, but the common QVGA (320 x 240) screen may be better for compatibility purposes even though it has fewer pixels. Or Samsung could have just gone all the way with a VGA screen instead. This is getting more common, so it doesn't seem too strange to include it in a midrange set.
On the other hand, if you are going to buy a basic WM smartphone in October, the Omnia Lite might fit the bill. Going by how competitive the prices of its Omnia II and Omnia Pro B7320 are, we think the B7300 will be a steal.
Upside
Even with its "Lite" moniker, the B7300 sports quite a number of connectivity features. These include HSDPA for high-speed data transfers over the cellular network, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.Satellite navigation is also included. With built-in A-GPS, the Omnia Lite will direct your path as long as you have the right software installed.
With dimensions of 107 x 51.8 x 12.9mm, the B7300 is quite compact. That's an important factor for an entry-level smartphone as it is more likely to appeal to regular mobile phone users.
For those who use their handsets as media players, the Omnia Lite includes a microSDHC slot which supports up to 32GB cards. The phone even comes with an FM tuner in case you prefer radio.
According to its original specs sheet, the B7300 will ship with WM6.1. The good thing is Samsung has committed to upgrading all its Omnia devices announced this year to WM6.5 when that becomes available.
Downside
The Omnia Lite comes with a 3-inch 400 x 240-pixel display. This is the same resolution found on the original Omnia SGH-i900, but the diagonal length is shorter by 0.2 inches. This WQVGA resolution is an odd one that may not work with some third-party applications.It sounds odd to ask for less, but the common QVGA (320 x 240) screen may be better for compatibility purposes even though it has fewer pixels. Or Samsung could have just gone all the way with a VGA screen instead. This is getting more common, so it doesn't seem too strange to include it in a midrange set.
Outlook
The B7300 shares a lot of features with the original Omnia i900, though it does offer two advantages--OS update to WM6.5 and the newer TouchWiz 2.0 user interface. For those already using the Omnia, there's no point in looking at this device because of the similarities.On the other hand, if you are going to buy a basic WM smartphone in October, the Omnia Lite might fit the bill. Going by how competitive the prices of its Omnia II and Omnia Pro B7320 are, we think the B7300 will be a steal.
