If innovation comes in sleek packages, then the SGH-E760 is probably one of them. Equipped with a unique motion-recognition sensor technology, the Samsung clamshell lets you access the onboard media player and play games by simply waving the phone in the hand. Motion gestures can also be used to control music playback functions such as forward, rewind and pause.

Design
At 88.4g and measuring 88 x 45 x 22.5mm, the E760 is probably one of smaller and lighter clamshell phones in the market today. But the Samsung offers more than just a tiny form factor. It also comes with a black rubber finish that's comfortable to hold while providing a better grip of the handset. A metallic faceplate on its flip cover adds a touch of class. Overall, the simple, yet sporty, design should appeal equally to users of both genders.

As with most Samsung phones, the internal LCD screen is very sharp with good horizontal and vertical viewing angles. It also comes with adjustable brightness settings for optimal viewing in daylight conditions.

What's not common in the E760 clamshell is the circular external display. This 0.8-inch OLED screen is used in conjunction with the motion recognition sensor so you can activate the MP3 player, camera (for self-portrait shots) and motion Beat Box (which is a fun motion control sound beat game/ application), without having to flip open the phone.

Our biggest gripe about the E760 design is its tiny recessed directional pad. While the rest of the buttons are large and intuitively well-spaced with good tactile feedback, the directional pad is a tad too small, particular for those with bigger fingers.

A pair of twin speakers strategically located at the back of the E760 provides good sound reproduction whether the phone is folded or flipped open. While Samsung has bundled a pair of earphones (which double as a handsfree headset), the proprietary audio jack means MP3 fans won't be able to plug in their favorite earbuds, unless the company decides to offer a 3.5mm jack adapter in the near future.

We were disappointed that Samsung chose not to offer memory expansion options on the E760. That said, it is understandable that the inclusion of a media slot would have added more bulk to the phone design. There's also a risk that the memory card would drop out with the kind of vigorous movement expected on the handset. However, with just 90MB of onboard memory, the multimedia functions will be severely limited.

Features
Samsung camera-phones have traditionally offered good shooting functions. Thus it is not surprising to find the E760 came with camera modes to handle up to 15 high-resolution multiple shots, 3 x 3 mosaic shots as well as ISO settings and spot focusing. Also noteworthy are the 11 effects modes that include sepia, sketch, emboss and black-&-white, as well as 30 fun frames (which place a nice little frame round your photo) and a self-timer function for self-portraits. The onboard 1.3-megapixel camera produces decent images at resolutions of up to 1,152 x 864 pixels.

According to the company, the SGH-E760 is probably one of the first commercial terminals that incorporates a motion-recognition sensor. In games, this technology is used to enhance the interactivity element by allowing the user to tilt and shake the phone instead of pushing buttons or using the directional pad. We can't help but notice that in addition to the Beat Box game which should appeal to the younger audience, the other two pre-installed motion games (Dice and Lottery) are targeted more at the gambling-inclined crowd.

As mentioned earlier, the motion sensor can also be used to activate other features such as the MP3 player, camera and Beat Box.

In addition to video playback in .3gp format, the E760 supports video recording of up to an hour. This should please those who prefer capturing video to shooting stills. The captured footage can then be transferred to the PC, either using the bundled USB cable or via Bluetooth connectivity. We generally find .3gp movie playback on the phone clear and smooth. However, the handset does not support playback of the clip in full-screen mode. The E760 also does not come with an FM tuner, which would have made up for the limited storage space for MP3s.

Performance
Where phone performance is concerned, the E760 did not disappoint with good reception and clear voice calls even in noisy environments. Sound quality from the speakers was also expectedly loud. Overall, the battery 800mAh lasted more than two days on daily use that included occasional playing of the motion-sensor games, listening to MP3s, watching .3gp movies, on top of the standard SMSing and voice calls.