In a nutshell: The Samsung F490 is a beautiful touchscreen
phone with a large screen and slim body. Equipped with a 5 megapixel
camera, 3G video calling, a music player, plenty of onboard memory
and a fast HSDPA internet connection, it's a very stylish and well
specified phone. But texters should be aware that a touchscreen
phone can never match a conventional keypad for speed.
Review:
May 2008. Updated June 2009.
The
F490 (nicknamed the Samsung Nerva) seems to be Samsung's answer
to the massive-selling LG Viewty.
Like the Viewty, it has a full-size touchscreen user interface,
a 5 megapixel camera, and high-speed 3G HSDPA which enables fast
internet access. The Viewty and the F490 look very similar. The
F490 also seems to be a development of the Samsung
Armani. It looks like Samsung removed the Armani branding and
made the F490 do everything that the Armani should have done! Read
on and all will be made clear ...
The
F490 is a touchscreen phone using Samsung's Croix user interface
that first appeared in the Samsung
Armani.
We liked the Armani, but the trouble with the Armani is that it's
just too small for a touchscreen phone. If you're relying on the
screen to control everything from making calls to writing texts,
then you want the screen to be big - like the iPhone
at 3.5" or the Viewty at 3". The Armani's screen is just
2.6". The F490 has a 3.2 inch screen, and this makes all the
difference. It's a much easier phone to use than the pocket-sized
Armani, although text addicts please note that that texting on a
touchscreen phone is never going to be as fast as on a conventional
keypad. The
screen has a 16:9 widescreen format when turned sideways, so is
perfect for watching videos & movies too.
The
F490 has a much higher spec than the Armani too - it's directly
comparable with the LG Viewty. Don't even mention the iPhone - the
F490 blows the iPhone out of the water in terms of features! First
up, this is a 3G phone, with a high-speed implementation of 3G called
HSDPA delivering broadband internet speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps. It
also has a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash - as usual,
don't expect this to match a dedicated digital camera for quality,
but as phones go it's in the top 20 of camera phones. 3G video calling
is possible too. The F490 has a well featured music player capable
of playing nearly any common digital format, and produces high quality
audio. It's missing an FM radio though, which is a shame.
Memory
is reasonable, with 130 Mbytes of onboard memory plus a slot for
adding a microSD memory card. Connectivity is good too, with USB
2.0 and Bluetooth, although there's no 3.5mm audio jack and no WiFi.
Physically
the phone is very attractive, with its minimalist shiny black exterior.
It's very slim too at just 11.8mm, making it significantly slimmer
than the Viewty.
Overall
we like the F490, but it doesn't quite match the Viewty. The Viewty
user interface just seems to have the edge, and the Viewty's camera
is better too. An excellent phone, but if you want touchscreen then
the new Samsung Omnia should
be your first choice.
Features
of the Samsung F490 include:
5 megapixel camera with autofocus, 3x digital
zoom and LED flash
Video recorder & 3G
video calling
Display: TFT, 240 x 432 pixels, 262,144 colours
Music player (MP3, WMA, ACC, ACC+, e-ACC+ formats,
OMA Digital Rights Management)
72-voice polyphonic ringtones / MP3 ringtones
Speakerphone
Voice memo recorder
Messaging: SMS, MMS, email
Java games
Memory: 130 Mbytes plus microSD memory card
slot
Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB 2.0
Internet: WAP 2.0, web browser with Google search,
GPRS, Edge, 3G (HSDPA 3.6 Mbps)
Triband (900/1800/1900 MHz) plus 3G (UMTS 2.1GHz)
Offline mode
Size: 115 x 53.5 x 11.8 mm
Weight: 102g
Samsung F490
Consumer Reviews
Love
your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other
people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review
this phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a
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Average
rating from 77 reviews:
Reviewed by meroaz mumtaz from england
on 24th Jan 2010
i say itz good bcuz the battery lasts a long time the only bad thing
is the camera Rating:
Reviewed by olivia from england on
2nd Dec 2009
i think its a realy good phone with a great camera most of my friends
have got it and they think it is wonderful the only problem is that
it takes a few days to get used to it other than that its a great
phone :) Rating:
Reviewed by Paul from Bolton ,England
on 25th Oct 2009
I've had tis phone for 17 months and i fisrt i thoughts it was good
but after about a month i started to relise the faults of which
there are many! I'll start with the good things. The video is good
quality and its a nicely styled phone it has a 3.5 mm earphone jack
the screen is very responsive when you're texting and that is about
it. The faults. It is incredibly slow the toouch screen doesn't
respond anywhere near fast enoughsi i'm constantly sending empty
text because the reply button and the send button appear in the
same place. So you get a text press reply and i just sits there
so you press it again and it responds to both presses and sends
and empty text that you then can't stop in time beause the response
is sooooooooooo slow. when you are texting the response and each
button press is fast but then the predictive text is utter rubbish
and doesn't seem to have althat many words but will spell words
that don't even exsist! It won't save words that you use alot that
ar n't in its dictionary so your constantly having to type word
in manualy defeating the point itn predictive text. I had a SE k800i
before this and the camera was great at 3.2 megapixels. This has
5 megapixels but the picture quality is worse that the k800i. And
its mindnombingly slow at taking a picture. I mean literally 12
seconds to take a photo which is rediculous so you can't take a
phto of pets of or animals or anything where people are moving and
when you taking a picture of people stood still everyone says are
you gonna take the picture and you have to say i am doing. The internet
in 3g is really fast but its constantly changing back and forth
between 3g and gps so one second it fast the next its really slow.
Its stupidly hard to answer a call and then hang up so i now know
what to do but if anyone else tries to answer it for me they can't
figure it outmy girlfriend recently tried to answer a call because
i was driving and she pressed all the buttons on the sides to no
availy because she couldn't unlock it then when i told her how to
unlock the screen she still couldn't answer it because its so bloody
badly designed. And then when you do get to answer or make a call
the person on the other end can't hear you because reception is
constantly failing so they can'yt understand what you're saying.
The battery is good lasting about 2-3 days...if you don't use the
phone at all but everything drains the battery so fast so it lasts
about a day. I can't wait til next month when i get to change upgrade
it!! :D . Next i think i will get SOME phone, ANY phone. Anything
is better than this. It has completely put me off samsungs phones.
One thing i will say for it. its a tough little thing. I've tried
to breake it i really have and nothing harms it. If i could give
it no stars i would Rating:
Reviewed by Rehan from Afghanistan on
20th Oct 2009
f490 is very good mobil phone but i have one problem that is about
batery of this mobile. i m still using this mobile phone i cant
find batery for this Rating:
Reviewed by jon from england on
2nd Oct 2009
good at first but started to freeze alot and mess up. also it took
along time to load files and often vibrated with out loading. Do
not get this phones. i would get a newer model eg. samsung jet,
or tocco ultra edition Rating:
Reviewed by dhruba from bangladesh on
2nd Sep 2009
hey!it has a 3.5 mm jack!why is it denied here???? Rating:
Reviewed by Tommo from UK on
29th Jul 2009
I've had this phone for the full 18 months, and I've loved it for
95% of that time, the full 16:9 touchscreen is large, and responsive
when you persevere. The proper headphone jack makes it great for
music/video. The Battery is awesome, I'm sure I've gone a full week
without a recharge, people who have complained either have a duff
battery or didn't charge it properly when new (Ie: continue charging
a few hours after it says it's full). Only downsides are; when calling/texting
there are more options to go through to complete the task. But you
get used to it. It looks the biz too. Rating:
Reviewed by Jmar from United Kingdom
on 25th Jun 2009
My F490 been a great fone , now start to go funny, reboot itself,
you put it off and the phone switch on automaticly, i have no idea
, great to use but very bad on service. Don't buy it. many better
option outhere. Rating:
Reviewed by Shahariar Omar from Bangladesh
on 9th Jun 2009
Smart but something is short by display theme. Rating:
Reviewed by Kal-EL from Guyana on
31st May 2009
good phone problem with it is when receiving call u got to press
camera button to unlock screen to answer and again to end call and
the phone when idle u got to press camera button again to get in
fixed that and the phone will be perfect and how about adding a
phone case in to the accessory 's Rating:
Reviewed by Andy from UK on 3rd
May 2009
Terrible! Looked good at first, touch screen, ooh that looks nice......
Nope, it's sooooo slow and the touch screen just decides to give
up occasionally. The camera is complete rubbish! Every time you
take a picture, it comes out blurry. Unless of course you're stood
under a flood light. I've had a few Samsung phones and I have always
found that the speaker breaks after a very short time, this is no
exception either. And I don't walk around town like those idiots
you see either so it doesn't really get used that much. Anyway,
it's really slow, most frustrating thing about it i'd say. Takes
about a week to acknowledge the fact that you've pressed a button
or tapped the screen or whatever! Only good thing so far is that
the battery lasts about 4-5 days. Rating:
Reviewed by Shezzy from uk on
8th Jan 2009
Fails as a phone, it rings you then remove sock, then u unlock,
then u have to press camera key to bring up accept or reject on
screen then u press accept and if your lucky the caller will not
have given up, turned off divert due the above and costing me money
to access voice mail Rating:
Reviewed by Tom from Wales on
4th Jan 2009
I have had this phone since summer, and this is the "smartest" phone
I have ever owned. My previous phone was a K850i. I'm not going
to lie, I only keep it because it looks smart and thanks to the
large screen is great for looking at videos/pictures/internet pages.
The camera is similar to that of the 3.2mp U600, which is no compliment.
Whether it be in ANY conditions, it will NEVER take a good picture,
even with all the settings on. The speed is also shocking, even
with all the settings off, you're looking at at least 3 seconds
before it actually takes, so forget about taking pictures of anything
that moves. Richard Bell's review is very accurate, and I agree
with everything he says. Texting will be slow, and the pen is completely
useless, you're nail is faster and steadier. It also has the Samsung
problem of saving words/combination of letters that you never ever
EVER use, such as wnt, instead of "you". Also forgets those that
you do word, such as ur. Having said all that, I like the phone,
and i won't give it less than average, however given the oppertunity
I will not refuse a better one. For whom might this phone be useful?
no one specifically, its no fun, its not *really* that practical,
no good for photographing, the calendar is ok, even calling is tricky!
(see Richard Bell's review) Rating:
Reviewed by Jamie from Bell on
18th Nov 2008
Pretty good phone, but the battery and the camera are a bit rubbish
but apart from that great phone! Rating:
Reviewed by Richard Bell from UK on
1st Nov 2008
The Samsung F490... if I had to sum this phone up with just one
word it would have to be 'irritating'. No really it's the MOST annoying
phone I've ever owned or used, and I've had some rubbish phones.
For the first month or so I was wowed by the phone's touch screen
functionality and vague good looks but that really was short lived.
This phone is quite simply a pig to use and live with! I've had
to learn to text with one finger as this seems to be the only way
of getting semi coherent sentences out of it. Answering and hanging
up a call involves the pressing of a side button then the screen
- sounds simple but it just doesn't work. If you call someone by
mistake be prepared to expect a call back from them as by the time
you're able to disconnect the call you WILL have rung their phone!
Using the phone in any kind of sunlight, or ANY light at all is
very difficult - if you must use this phone do so in a darkened
room with a heightened level of patience! At least it has a 5MP
camera though right? Well no, again the camera is shocking unless
you have the steady hand of a surgeon and a glorious sunny day (obviously
you then can't see the screen, but you can't have it all right)
then your photos will be blurred. The flash is also useless, you
can't take pictures when you're out of an evening - don't bother,
it won't work. I am now going to fork out an extra £30 a month for
a new contract so I can get the SE C905 and flog this beast to some
poor unsuspecting ebayer. If you should be this unlucky person,
I am genuinely sorry! Rating:
Reviewed by Amber-Valetta from England
on 28th Oct 2008
I am 11 and i dropped my phone and the inside of the screen cracked
DO NOT DROP THIS PHONE and i know it's expensive and it's sort of
on 1 side of the crack it's black so u can't see anything but on
the other side u can see the colour. I can only see an 8th of the
screen and it's the bottom half Rating:
Reviewed by J Snowden from UK on
3rd Oct 2008
I've had my F490 for almost 4 months now and it has succeeded in
driving me to the brink of insanity. In fact I have finally had
to face the terrible truth about my Samsung's inadequacies and have
just ordered an Eriksson C902 so that I can have a ceremonial 'stamping
on the Samsung' event sometime next week. Like a heavenly Siren
sitting on a rock in the water luring sailors to their deaths the
F490 is a beautiful looking piece of equipment, has some excellent
accessories including fast and easy internet access and an excellent
MP3 player... however instead of buying an 'excellent phone with
accessories' you end up with 'excellent accessories with a truly
rubbish phone'. THE PHONE IS AWFUL. There are way too many options
to select just to answer the d**n thing. The same goes for hanging
up, too. It really takes quite some getting used to. On the numerous
occasions when a friend or family member tried to answer the phone
for me NOT ONE OF THEM could work out how to answer it. It is a
nightmare. My best advice is DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE. If you are looking
for a phone with a touch sensitive screen then opt for one that
slides open to answer and doesn't immediately lock all your screen
options the moment you answer (so maddening when you are negotiating
automated answer phone systems "press 1 for blah, press 2 for blah-blah".
I've invited all friends & family, who happily have somehow managed
to maintain their sanity after trying to use my F490, to come to
my ceremonial Samsung bash. Everyone will get time alone with it
to 'do their worst'. Sadly I don't have any pigs to feed it to .
Open to suggestions. Jules Rating:
Reviewed by Frankie from UK on
11th Sep 2008
Hate it! when i first saw it i was like omg i love it to pieces
i want it! and when i signed up for a 18 month contract i didnt
realise how conmfusing and annoying this phone could be! and know
im so annoyed i have to out up with thisn stupid touch screen phone
which has the occasional freeze! for antoher 16 months not impressed! Rating:
Reviewed by Katy from england on
3rd Sep 2008
the phone is great. outstanding. the best phone i have ever had!!!
all the people who say that you can see it in the light. you can
just change the theme or download a new theme and get a new one.
its sooooooo simple. really good phone!!!! Rating:
Reviewed by a person from a country
on 30th Aug 2008
really good phone had it for over 4 months now - no problems with
the touchscreen and have dropped it on concrete oon numerous occasions.
camera takes to long to take a picture though so if its a moving
thing you have no chance haha. Rating:
Reviewed by Claire from United Kingdom
on 30th Aug 2008
I came upon this website when googling my phones fault to see if
anyone has ever experienced it also. My samsung F490's touch screen
freezes or is always quite a bit behind and for the past few days
i have no idea why but the touch screen wont work at all! To make
it all worse I have only had this phone for a week and a half! If
i could go back in time i would no doubt about it choose a different
phone. Rating:
Reviewed by frankii from united kingdom
on 29th Aug 2008
ive had my samsung f490 for just over 2 weeks and the touch screen
has broke twice already. Apart from this its a really nice phone,
camera is a bit too long to take a picture and if you havnt had
touch screen before takes quite a while to get used to but i find
it easy and the best phone i've ever had :) the phone memory is
huge and it comes with a memory card which is even better. if it
didnt lock during a call then you'd probably end it half way through
so i think its a good idea it locks :) Rating:
Reviewed by Telide from Uk on
27th Aug 2008
I got the F490 On contract had it 2 months and cracked the screen
(being repaired now) I love the idea with touch screen technology
however the F490 does not to much for me with slow answering times
(about 10 second longer than a normal kepad) does not accept Vcard
from other phones a feature that should be standard with our level
of technology and it is just generaly hard to use Summery: If you
are thiking of upgrading to one of these save your money and go
for an erricson or nokia or another good brand I just wish i had
never got mine :( Rating:
Reviewed by Andy from UK on 23rd
Aug 2008
I've had the phone for 3 months and i'm very pleased with it, it's
a change from my U600. My only gripe is that the camera does take
it's time in taking a photo. The screen responds impresivley fast
when texting, as quick as using buttons. Accesing files on the memory
card is instant, a lot faster than the U600. Video and photo quality
is really good as is sound. Seriously recomended. Rating:
Reviewed by peter from scotland on
21st Aug 2008
the phone really good but after a few days the phones touch screen
doesnt seem to work. Rating:
Reviewed by Samarah from LA on
21st Aug 2008
worst phone ever i can't believe i spent my life savings on this
electronic piece of junk. i first bought my first phone that was
the nokia 6020. i bought that with my life savings as well but then
i had to work three jobs to get my money back to how much i had.
the camera was pathetic and the reception was absoluty dreadful
and im not just kiding here tottaly bad and i thought the olsen
twins were ugly! i rate this phone -1 out of 10000 Rating:
Reviewed by joshua from India on
1st Aug 2008
Ihave bought it 3days ago ang its exellllllllent mind blowing. No
need to compare f490 to any other cell,coz they r no worth it Rating:
Reviewed by Sajid from U.K on
29th Jul 2008
Camera Quality is not good. Rating:
Reviewed by Lucy from England on
16th Jul 2008
I just bought this phone and think its awesome!The touch screen
is really easy to use - got used to it straight away! The cameras
okay - but if the main feature you're looking for is a good camera
- this probrably isnt the phone for u.. theres nothing majorly wrong
with the camera - its just not amazing. Txting is easy and for those
who dont like the fact that the phone locks when your on a call
- if u want a touch screen phone that has to happen, or your calls
will always be cut off! (and it isnt exactly a big deal tbh - u
have to be pretty lazy to worry about having to press one extra
button!) so overall i would recommend this phone! Rating:
Reviewed by Daniel from England on
11th Jul 2008
I have had this phone for nearly a week now and so has my dad, and
I think it is pretty good. I did want an iPhone, but this was not
possible as I can't get the damn thing on Vodafone, and the fact
it is so expensive... Anyway, the F490. I love the touch screen,
especially when you use the music player. I just need a bigger memory
card, the 1GB one supplied is enough for taking a few holiday snaps,
but I want to replace my iPod with this thing, so an 8GB card is
on the way. The 5MP camera takes some good quality snaps, and the
LED flash is brilliant. The only problem I have found, and by the
looks of it so have others, is that it takes ages to actually take
the picture. OK if you're taking pictures of still objects, or your
subject can stay still for long enough, but if it is a pet or your
kids then oh dear... The battery life is variable, my dad has charged
his on Monday morning, left bluetooth permanantley on, and it is
still at least half full. I have used mine a little bit more, exploring
the 3G functions and the music player and it has been charged twice
since Saturday (averaging 2-3 days battery life) which I think is
terrible, my old Moto Z3 lasted 2-3 weeks in some cases under the
same conditions, but now I tend to turn my phone off at night, or
when I leave it in my locker at work and after charging it on Wednesday
it still has a full battery. My only other niggle is that you have
to press the camera key when you want to use the in call functions,
I can see why they did it, so that you don't mess the call up when
you put it to your ear, but it is annoying when you are trying to
end the call. My dad hates all of this, he says the touch screen
is OK but he is a heavy business user and he has chopped it in for
a Nokia 6500 Classic, a lower spec phone but it will work better
in his car, and is simpler to use. But I say it is great, apart
from one or two minor faults it is almost the perfect alternative
to the far more expensive, and on paper at least, inferior iPhone.
If you are in the same boat as me, wanting a touchscreen phone which
you can use as an MP3 player instead of your iPod but cannot afford
an iPhone, then get this. If you are considering an iPhone, don't
bother, get this as its cheaper and better specced. But if you are
a heavy user who requires imnmediacy and simplicity then don't bother. Rating:
Reviewed by J McLean from UK on
26th Jun 2008
Good phone, best I've had in a while. A few niggles though. When
you receive or want to end a call you have to press the camera button
on the side to unlock the keys. Second is the manual, with a high
spec phone you'd expect a weighty manual, but no, only 85 pages
(not including troubleshooting section). I've had problems find
text on 'how to' on the phone and ended up just sitting for a few
hours just going through each application on the phone. Third is
the camera, it takes AGES to take a picture, a good 3-4 seconds.
I found this a real issue due to my kids never sitting long enough
at the best of times. NOW THE POSITIVES....and there are many !!
general ease of use with the touch screen. Once you get the hang
of running you finger of the screen to move the icon about it's
a dream to use. I liked the 1GB Micro SD card supplied, this is
pretty good for pictures and video as the internal memory is pretty
low. All in all it's a great phone. Highly recommended. J Rating:
Reviewed by Ali Hussein from UK on
24th Jun 2008
No doubt this is the best phone I have ever had. After about 2 years
now of running 2 contracts; 1 for myself and 1 for my wife, and
collecting all the freebies that come with them (such as a free
PSP with one contract, Xbox360 with another, and a Wii with another)
I was questioning what other freebies can I get with a contract
since I already have them all. Caphone warehouse is offering some
free low-spec Acer laptop at an over-valued suggested retail price
to get you locked into an 18 month contract with a garbage little
phone, so that was out of the question. So what else was on the
market that was free and could compete with my spoiled expectation
of getting something amazing along with my phone contract? Enter
the Samsung 490!! My little PDA, media system, phone, camera and
"satnav"! All be it, I'm stretching the terminology here, but I'll
explain how it is all these things... First thing's first...got
a £23 8gig memory card (instantly on par with the iPod!) The iPod
by the way is £169 with a contract for the 8 gig model. The F490
is free on Vodafone with a £30 contract!!! So eat that Apple. How
it is a PDA: Memos, neat calender, alarm, converter, calculator
and all the usual bits. Down side is memo has a character limit
so you can't go nuts and write epic notes to one's self. In this
way it can't truely be a PDA as it doesn't have a word processor.
None the less it does a damn good job. How it is a media centre:
Grab a video converter off the web to convert videos to 3gp format.
I currently managed to pack 28 Full length movies I ripped from
my DVD collection!!!! Each one is about 100 to 150 meg, taking up
a total of 3 or so gig. I also packed on about 3 gig of music; standard
MP3 format will do. It also has a subscription service like iTunes
but I can't be bothered with that personally. There are other ways
to get an MP3 file if you ask me. For £5/month I also picked up
a TV 30 channel subscription from Vodaphone with about 8 Sky channels,
2 music video channels, and 2 kids channels, plus more. In the car
I plug in the earphone jack and we end up having a little in-car
TV and movie player on the stereo speakers! Also, the F490 has full
internet webrowsing, but sadly doesn't seem to support flash content
such as used by Youtube. iPod seems to have won on this front. Keep
an eye out for a Flash plugin. Also, crucially, it has amazing screen
resolution and when viewing webpages that dont seem to fit on the
screen either vertically or when flipped horizontally, you can also
force higher resolution page viewing, essentially shrinking the
text and page to fit!!! This is limited by how much you care to
squint. I usually set my resolution to view a full hotmail page
horizontally laid at about 80%, i.e. I can read the font and see
both the left hand side folders list as well as read the email subject
headers. The dates get cut off though. However simply drag your
finger across the screen to pan anywhere on the page. In terms of
viewing images, it not only has a nice viewer with scroller, but
also views PDF files, for all you who need it for business on the
go. I'm still searching for a CAD viewer plug-in for my professional
needs though! The downside here is no FM radio though! Very little
downsides when it comes to media! How it is a phone: This one is
pretty obvious. It has great reception, great clarity, and easy
to use menus. Downside's here are only mentioned becuase as a phone
it has so many other features, the phone aspect suffers slightly.
Due to its touch screen nature, bright sunlight makes it hard to
see the touch screen key pad. Also due to the touch screen, it gets
locked out during a call, so you have to press a button on the side
to activate the screen again for keying in anything such as when
checking your messages. This can be a bit tricky at times with one
hand. Seems to ergonomically work best when using the left hand.
When using my right hand, reaching that button with a spare finger
requires holding the phone in a certain way that may lead to dropping
it, and this is one phone you don't want to drop!!! My previous
Sony walkman phone was a tough little phone that could take a beating,
this one is a bit of a jewel you want to cherrish and baby! Texting
is a tad slow due to the software's lag, but I'm not some flirting
teenager to really care much. 3G video phone calls are all but dead
these days until someone makes them inclusive in the contract. Who
has the money to pay 50p per minute to call someone who may or may
not have a video call phone?!? So like me, you can use your 3G camera
(mounted on the screen side) as a mirror!!! Vanity bonus points!
How it is a camera: 5 megpix sound great but I must admit my old
Sony Walkman's 3megpix produced better images. The F490 pictures
lack due to the following: Autofocus is markedly slow! From the
moment you snap the picture, at least 2 seconds pass before the
image is captured. Which means NO ACTION SHOTS. You will not get
what you see. For example, you snap a shot of a car passing you;
what you get will be no car, as it is 50m down the road from you!
Also it tends to be grainy in low light conditions and lacks the
white balance capability of the Sony Walkman phone. Autofocus is
poor in low light conditions and often produces a blurred image.
This hower ever is also true my my middle of the range Canon SLR
as it is a typical downside of autofocus on any camera under £700.
If however, its well lit, and stationary it will come out as pretty
good picture. One feature I miss from my Sony Walkman phone was
that the camera's flash could be used as a light and a damn bright
one too! G reat for a dark parking lot, or finding your seat at
the movies. The F490 has a flash though lacks that feature. Admittedly
few other phones provide this very handy tool. How it is a SatNav:
It's not in the true sense as instead uses its bundled Google Maps
program and what appears to be mobile mast triangluation to find
your location. Open the Google Maps application and tap the location
icon, and a blue dot shows you where you are within 100-200 meters.
Out in the country side this can stretch out to 1km. This is why
it isn't a true SatNav. But it does find routes and does give written
instructions at various junctions on the route. It has both map
and sat image views as well! It won't however give you a driving
view and oral instructions like a true SatNav device. The net package
was unlimited and part of the contract on Vodafone which matches
the iPod, and allows for the an essentially free "SatNav" tool,
as opposed to some other devices which charge an additional terrif
for that feature. The over all package is a slick sexy phone. Due
to this I am possible in love with it and it can tend to irriate
me as after I use the phone my greesy man face sullies the slick
elegant facia of the phone and I obsessively wipe it down with the
handy carrying pocket. The material also serves as a great lense
wiper! Pull this phone out and table it at a meeting and you will
have instant kudos and respect. With the knowledge you got it for
free while those iPod suckers shelled out nearly £200, you will
also have the confidence of a business accumen that will inspire
in said meeting. You can also sneak off the the loo/can and catch
up on Sky sports or a movie! Last but not least, the battery life:
As you can guess, if you run every last feature on this phone for
3 hours a piece the phone will be flat by 5pm! The first couple
days I ran it down doing everything I could on this phone and calling
everyone to tell the about it. Now I have settled in a bit and I
run it like this.... -60 mins MP3 usage in the morning on the way
to work (30mins of which on the speaker while im in the bathroom,
shower, and getting changed. The other 30 mins on the earphones
on the way to work). -At least another 60 mins MP£ at work -Another
20 mins TV or video vieweing at work -Quite a lot of Google Mapping
and time wasting -10 to 15 full webpage vieweings (i.e. 5 pages
each or so) per day (hotmail, weather, whatever -40 mins MP3 on
the way home -5 or 6 pictures over the day -constant use of memos
and calender (screen use) -6 to 8 calls (short 5 mins a piece) -Once
at home a couple more calls -Maybe an hour or so of movie watching
while I wash the dishes or do something dull as hell and need some
mobile entertainment. and by the end of all that I put it on the
charger at bed time with about half its battery left! The one or
two times I ran it down to flat was a total of 2 hrs video watching,
1 hour MP3 on speaker, 4 hrs MP3 on headphones, 5 (20 min calls),
downloading of 8 (3 meg) PDF files for checking and issueing over
email to a client, 200 pictures or so, and heavy Google Maps usage
to find my way to and from a site I had never been to a couple hours
outside London. I hope you enjoyed my informal ranting review and
it helps you out. To be honest I can't really imagine what could
make this better! It is a 10/10!!!! To want more is bordering greedy.
Just think back to 286 computers, Nintendo NES, those brick cell
phones in the 80s, and what they forsaw as the future of communication
in Startrek, and if you think this phone is less than a 10, you
got issues! I certainly didn't think when I was 6 years old watching
breakdancers out on sheets of cardboard in the streets with their
"ghetto blasters", that by the time i was 29 I would have (in 80s
terminology) a ghetto blaster, camera, cam-corder, diary, rolladex,
TV, VCR, (internet, WHAT? that wasn't until I was 15), computer,
game player, map book/globe, calculator, photo album, alarm clock,
watch, calender, notepad, and a damn phone (with call tracer like
the cops had, also post 80s). If all that stuffed into 102 grams
in your pocket doesn't make you wet your pants with glee, I simply
don't know what will. [Editor's comment: What a review! Way to go,
Ali!] Rating:
Reviewed by anna from hong kong on
21st Jun 2008
I have this phone and think it's really good, touch sensitive is
easy and practical, a big thumbs up from me and it looks good to!
i am not going to be a geek and write an essay, in one word OUTSTANDING! Rating:
Reviewed by Jude B from Scotland on
17th Jun 2008
Had my phone for nearly a week and overall I love it. Pros - it
looks great, love the touchscreen which I have had no problems with
so far. Picture quality and graphics great. Cons - hard to see the
screen outside, having to unlock before answering and hanging up
calls, it is quiet even when turned up, I had trouble figuring out
how to send texts at first. The user manual wasn't much help but
saying that, maybe that's just me!! You'll never be completely happy
with any phone and the few things I've mentioned here haven't put
me off. I would recommend this phone to anyone Rating:
Reviewed by Richard from uk on
13th Jun 2008
I agree with Josh about the locking key. Great phone, excellent
features, I actually find texting with pretext and using the pen
provided is quicker than my old Nokia. Not used the camera much
yet, but looks impressive so far. Touch screen is fantastic and
very easy to use. Looks very stylish, feels great to hold and use,
only draw back I can see is that the phone really needs to be kept
in the pouch provide to avoid the large screen getting scratched.
I would highly recommend it. Rating:
Reviewed by Josh from UK on 12th
Jun 2008
I dont know why every1 is so annoyed with the phone locking during
calls, if it doesnt lock then u might turn it off with your cheek
accidently! Fantastic phone, no faults BUY IT!!!!! Rating:
Reviewed by Paul from Uk on 12th
Jun 2008
This phone is so lush to use. It's easy, it is packed full of features
and all in all a really pleasant phone to use. Gripes are that it
will never replace a dedicated keypad for ease of use [tho has nice
function of vibrating everytime you touch a key for some feedback]
and teh touch sensative screen could be more accurate when viewing
smaller text links. Tho you do get a stylus for difficult navigation.
All in all top phone Rating:
Reviewed by voodoo from UK on
10th Jun 2008
should you buy this phone? yes, simple as that, ignore all these
" i've had my phone repaired 3 times in the space of two weeks etc",
if that is the case, then there is a fault with the phone and it
needs repairing. Touch screen is great, anyone insists they keep
pressing the wrong button must have fingers like bricks, the buttons
on the screen couldnt be any larger if they wanted to. Yes the camera
is good but no where near as good as the N95, but then again the
F490 isn't advertised as a *camera phone*. luckily my old phone
is the N95 :P. Very classy looking, solidly made, i would highly
recommend this phone. Rating:
Reviewed by Jericho the 14th from africa
on 7th Jun 2008
Where do I start with this phone? Well this phone has great features
such as the massive touch screen, 5MP camera, great battery life
and good internet access. As with many phones it takes a while to
get used to. (3 month to find out how to change message alert!!)
The touchscreen for texting takes a while to get used to, although
7/10 I press the wrong button. This is where the pen comes in handy
which attatches to an accessory on the top of the cell. I bought
this phone late april early may and within 1 day I had to send it
back because it had a major problem. Problem being as the WHOLE
phone is touchscreen, the touchscreen didnt work!! Yes. I could
not press anything, after getting a replacement the same day. A
few weeks later (5 minutes previous to writing this) It has broken
once more. I left my charger in my car so used the usb link to charge
my phone. Half way though sending a txt message it turned off. I
cannot get my phone to turn back on and will sort out this issue
with Vodafone in the morning unless I find a resolution tonight.
Overall its a good phone but has many techinal faults as stated
by my local vodafone outlet. I rate it 4/5i mad my dad buy me this
on the 1st day it came out,im 13 and it took me half a day to figure
how to use it...!! its a really really good phone, its loud and
the internet on it is great! i got free internet on it and im using
it everyday! i got a free pen with it so people who use it dont
get their muky fingers on it! the camera is good! The contacts management
hasn't been thought through very thoroughly its sometimes hard to
find you contacts quick enough but you get used to it if you are
thinking of getting it your making a great move! :D Overall good
phone, very clear screen, great battery life, takes a few days to
get use to the phone locking its self, makes answering the phone
a bit of a giddle to start with but once your use to it its a fine
phone, Camera is good quailty can be a bit slow in taking the picture
its self. Easy to navigate, slim design adn well worth the money. Rating:
Reviewed by James from UK on
28th May 2008
Where do I start with this phone? Well this phone has great features
such as the massive touch screen, 5MP camera, great battery life
and good internet access. As with many phones it takes a while to
get used to. (3 month to find out how to change message alert!!)
The touchscreen for texting takes a while to get used to, although
7/10 I press the wrong button. This is where the pen comes in handy
which attatches to an accessory on the top of the cell. I bought
this phone late april early may and within 1 day I had to send it
back because it had a major problem. Problem being as the WHOLE
phone is touchscreen, the touchscreen didnt work!! Yes. I could
not press anything, after getting a replacement the same day. A
few weeks later (5 minutes previous to writing this) It has broken
once more. I left my charger in my car so used the usb link to charge
my phone. Half way though sending a txt message it turned off. I
cannot get my phone to turn back on and will sort out this issue
with Vodafone in the morning unless I find a resolution tonight.
Overall its a good phone but has many techinal faults as stated
by my local vodafone outlet. I rate it 4/5. Rating:
Reviewed by mark from uk on 28th
May 2008
this is sooo rubbish WARNING DO NOT BUY IT. Y because the touch
buttons muck up all the time, it turns off without warning and whenever
i call someone or they call me it turns off.ive had it repaired
3times this month. DO NOT BUY Rating:
Reviewed by Joe from uk on 25th
May 2008
Samssung F490 is like marmite, you either love it or hate. and im
afraid i hate it. The problems are numerous, but i will start off
with the good points about this phone. The touchscreen is fanstatic,
camera is as sharp as any lastest phones out now, battery life is
good too....but, like most bad comments and one of the reason why
i sent this phone back, was due to having to unlock phone to hang
up. trying to scroll takes alot skills, and 9/10 u will press the
button by accident. overall, unless your a samsung fan, (im a sony
ericsson) you problem would love this phone. Rating:
Reviewed by gabz from uk on 25th
May 2008
i mad my dad buy me this on the 1st day it came out,im 13 and it
took me half a day to figure how to use it...!! its a really really
good phone, its loud and the internet on it is great! i got free
internet on it and im using it everyday! i got a free pen with it
so people who use it dont get their muky fingers on it! the camera
is good! The contacts management hasn't been thought through very
thoroughly its sometimes hard to find you contacts quick enough
but you get used to it if you are thinking of getting it your making
a great move! :D Rating:
Reviewed by Mark from Scotland on
22nd May 2008
Overall good phone, very clear screen, great battery life, takes
a few days to get use to the phone locking its self, makes answering
the phone a bit of a giddle to start with but once your use to it
its a fine phone, Camera is good quailty can be a bit slow in taking
the picture its self. Easy to navigate, slim design adn well worth
the money. Rating:
Reviewed by clive from uk on
22nd May 2008
Grate phone Rating:
Reviewed by Kris from uk on 14th
May 2008
Got to say i love this phone. just got it today. the menus are very
easy to navigate, the software on it is great. do not recommend
for beginners or old ppl as they wont have a clue how to turn it
on never mind use the phone, and then they will write a bad review
on here as they have done already lol. why would you hate this phone????
its cutting edge and state of the art. Rating:
Reviewed by bob from England on
13th May 2008
This phone is brilliant sooo worth its money.The best phone ever
released. Rating:
Reviewed by Steven from England on
12th May 2008
The F490 is a great phone, just takes a while to get used to it.
The user interface is different to other phones especially if you
are used to non-touch phones. Cut and paste facilities are missing
- This can be useful if sending emails.... Over all I like this
phoen. MP3 player options are great and the web browser works very
well. Rating:
Reviewed by Ben from UK on 12th
May 2008
Excellent phone, menus are a bit dull but ive grown to like them
now, just have a light wallpaper to cheer yourself up. Camera isnt
great but i knew this when i bought it, i jus like the fone, its
good. Dont buy it if u intend to use musicstation however... the
backlight stays on all the time while running musicstation. Rating:
Reviewed by Amelia from UK on
9th May 2008
Ive had this phone for a few days now. At a first tour of the phone,
I wanted to send it back straight away, but I am glad that I didn't...As
a touchscreen, it has (and still is) taking quite a bit of getting
used to as it is very different from the average 'keypad' phone.
At the moment there are more negatives than positives, but I am
hoping this will change as I get used to it more. Here are a few
examples: The camera is very slow, taking about 5 seconds to actually
take a picture. When receiving or making a call, the touchscreen
automatically locks itself, so you have to press a button at the
side to unlock the screen to then be able to end a call. I am slowly
getting used to this. Compared my previous phone, the sony erricson
W850, the Samsung f490 speaker is a lot quieter. Since i listen
to music a lot on my phone, this is quite a big negative to me.
The positives of the Samsung f490 are as follows: It has a lovely
big screen with a very clear picture. This is also makes accessing
the internet on the phone and enjoyable experience rather than a
task! The touchscreen is very responsive when using the special
pen that comes with the phone. It is very sleek, stylish and as
a woman - It is beneficial that it fits very nicely in a small clutch
bag when going out! Although the camera is slow, the quality is
excellent for a phone at 5megapixels. The bluetooth is very quick.
At first I hated the texting process, but after practise, it is
very easy to use - Although I would recommend predicitive text for
this phone. Overall I would recommend this phone to more experienced
phone users. As many of the other reviews have stated - It does
take getting used to, but it does get better and better as you're
always finding new things that the phone is capable of doing! Its
worth the struggle! Promise :-) I hope that helped you decide whether
its the phone for you or not. Rating:
Reviewed by Rob from Wales on
9th May 2008
Absolutely rubbish phone, had it for 13 days, this was way too long.
I thought the camera was rubbish, k800i i had was better.took ages
to take a picture. making calls was extremely annoying, having to
unlock it to answer and to hang up. rubbish. found it annoying going
through my contacts, thought the scrolling on the phone was rubbish
2. In all couldnt wait to send this phone back. boring and rubbish. Rating:
Reviewed by Luke Wilson from UK on
7th May 2008
I had this phone for around 11 days, and that was enough for me.
I have to say without a doubt this is the worst phone I have ever
had. The interface was total rubbish. No voice activated dialling,
no built in stylus. The phone book was a total chore to use, and
very often I would not be able to select my contact, as the phone
would scroll right past it. I really tried to like this phone, but
the only positive thing I cam away with was it's aesthetics. Samsung's
backup was also poor. The phone doesn't even show on their website,
there are no software updates planned, and by god does it need it.
Stay away from this phone. Rating:
Reviewed by Paul Honeyford from UK on
6th May 2008
Rubbish phone interface is rubbish everything about this phone is
rubbish. Rating:
Reviewed by visha from england on
4th May 2008
I LOVE THIS PHONE IS IT SO EASY TO USEAND I THE CAMERA IS GOOD TO
Rating:
Reviewed by Ben from England on
4th May 2008
when i went to get a new phone i found the samsung f490. it was
to expensive but i bought it. after a couple of days it wasn't great
but when you get used to it its fantatstic. leave it a week and
you get used to it. Rating:
Reviewed by 1 from UK on 2nd
May 2008
Phone great, no problems so far, give the touch screen time to get
used to (should only take a few days).If you're scrolling up and
down pages use the tip of your finger/nail then it should be fine.
The screen can be a little hard to see outside in the sun but not
impossible. I agree that answering a call isn't the easiest as you
have to unlock the phone first, but this can't really be helped
due to the touchscreen design. This isn't a major issue either and
dosen't take long to get used to. The phone will never be perfect
for all and in every way. If you like the design i'm sure you will
be able to live with quirks. Just ask yourself do you want a touch
screen phone or a more traditional key pad design. If it's the touchscreen
then you won't go far wrong with this phone. Rating:
Reviewed by katrina kaif from india
on 2nd May 2008
i think its a good phone but it could do with a little more improvement
its not completely rubbish its ok =] Rating:
Reviewed by master from uk on
30th Apr 2008
this fone is brill absolutely amazing the people that say it's crp
are talking rubbish. total,utter uncontrolable rubbish Rating:
Reviewed by the man from england on
27th Apr 2008
i think ur just all 2 old and cant use these phones if cant use
it y buy it let the younger generation 16-24 years olds have them
they wont complain trust me this phone is amaing Rating:
Reviewed by AndyF from England on
24th Apr 2008
On the surface, the phone is a great concept as an alternative to
the iphone however it just doesn't pull it off. The menu navigation
is frustrating (the touch screen "slide" movement leads to selecting
the wrong options a number of times), the time keeps changing itself
on a Sunday morning (it thinks it's Monday morning so the alarm
goes off!), and the camera is also very poor. The 3.2mp camera on
my Nokia N80 was infinitely better quality than this on a lesser
size and quality screen. Another fault is that on some 3G coverage
areas, the phone wont let you make or receive calls, you have to
switch it manually to only pick up GSM networks which, frankly,
is pathetic. That may just be a Vodafone issue however. Overall,
it's an ok phone however I dont feel the technology is quite advanced
enough to really make it work right just yet... Rating:
Reviewed by Paul from england on
23rd Apr 2008
Although the phone looks the part and yes slim and smooth, its impossible
to do anything quicklyy texting takes ages, as does trying to take
a picture. The quality is poor on pictures other than on a bright
sunny day, the flash is poor compared with nokia and S Erik, and
the lense is in the top corner right by your finger, so not in a
good place. Gets very boring very quickly, and lost my patience
with it after 2 days. The only thing is that it fits nicely in your
pocket as its smooth, light and thin Rating:
Reviewed by James Ride from UK on
22nd Apr 2008
Great Rating:
Reviewed by David Jones from UK on
21st Apr 2008
Initially, I hated this phone. It made me want to cry. However,
having given it a few days to get used to the touchscreen and it's
grown on me enormously. It's stylish to the point of not being very
manly and although it is initially fiddly, now that I'm used to
it, it's quicker and easier to use than my old SE. The contacts
management hasn't been thought through very thoroughly (no grouping),
but overall worth the teething pains. Rating:
Reviewed by John Ratcliffe from UK on
15th Apr 2008
Absolutely unuseable. Can't see the screen in any sort of light
to see which button to press. Intuitive it is not. Can't describe
how useless it is. I've given it 5 days but goes back tomorrow. Rating:
Reviewed by John Kerans from England
on 15th Apr 2008
This is a very nice looking phone, unfortunately it suffers from
a number of significant flaws. the biggest is the touch screen,
whilst it's an excellent idea it doesn't work very well, i find
that every time i touch my finger to the screen to move down a list
in a menu rather than letting em scroll it just selects the the
first item i touch, making it virtually impossible to scroll through
menus. secondly the fact that the screen locks when a call comes
through, meaning you have to unlock it to answer, it then locks
during the call, meaning you have to unlock it again to hang up.
The camera takes about 5 seconds from pressing the button to taking
the picture which is appalling. Overall its a very nice looking
phone, but it's totally unusable Rating:
Reviewed by Ben from england on
14th Apr 2008
i think that the new samsung f490 is great but i think it is to
expensive Rating:
Reviewed by Daddy from UK on
14th Apr 2008
Great phone, (back button fine & no resetting problems) takes a
little getting used to... READ THE MANUAL ITS A MUST.... Camera
is good - you have to set the res, otherwise you think its poor
when you first get it, as it's set to low as default. It has got
Autofocus (some reviews say it hasn't) Internet is very quick. PC
software link up is a must, the samsung software is very good (if
you dont link up it would be a nighmare to manage) Screen is reponsive
(again takes a little getting used to) Would agree answering and
hanging up is a little fiddle but can't see how else they'd do it
- and the phone looks amazing!!! 5* no complaints (WARNING GIVE
YOURSELF A WEEK TO GET USED TO IT!!!) Rating:
Reviewed by JK from UK on 9th
Apr 2008
i have this phone i got it the day it came out and i love it, im
a bit disappointd on the camera because its the worst 5mp out on
the market, but its a great looking phone. The touch Sensitive is
better than sister phone the F700. Rating:
Reviewed by carole from uk on
9th Apr 2008
As with all new things it takes time to adjust to change. Got the
phone yesterday and its great. Play with it and read instructions
you will be surprised what it can do. Have fun all who buy. Rating:
Reviewed by t6o6n6y from UK on
8th Apr 2008
Top Stuff, I like this phone, have always been a nokia fan but this
samsung F490 touch phone is simply the best at this moment in time
i can not fault it and with the 8gb minisd card i have put nearly
all my favorite music on and still have a couple of gigs left for
photos and vids. Once again most impressed and i would highly recommend.
Rating:
Reviewed by harry kay from scottish
on 7th Apr 2008
superb phone lassie Rating:
Reviewed by Ste from United Kingdom
on 5th Apr 2008
Bit disappointed by this phone, got it on Thursday when it came
out and within 4 hours rang vodafone to change it but have it till
Monday when they swap. Far too much messing about to answer/hang
up a call, cannot see the screen very well when outside in daylight
even with the brightness turned right up. Quite big to hold, back
button can be unresponsive and mine one seems to reset itself after
a few hours if you dont use it. I understand that new phones do
often have "bugs" on software when first released but this phone
just doesnt do it for me. Waited to upgrade my phone till this one
was realised but not at all what I was told this phone would be.
Have had samsungs for years, the E700, E720, D900, U600 and dont
rate this one. Maybe the complete touch screen just aint right for
me? Enjoy it if you can get on with it. Rating:
Reviewed by dee cook from middlesbrough
uk on 3rd Apr 2008
I have just got the new f490 3rd april and i must say iam a little
bit dissapointed with it i cant put my finger on what it is iam
hoping its goning to grow on me otherwise it will b on ebay nxt
week Rating:
Reviewed by lema from uk on 2nd
Apr 2008
best fone eva ya gotta by dis fone so all u out der by it its bear
cool so get it ar u all dumb. Rating:
Reviewed by ***kirsti s*** from birmingham
on 12th Mar 2008
well this phone has not got a fault with it as yet i think its brill,
it looks amazing aswell as actually being one of the best phones
on the market.....best upgrade i could ask for!!!! Rating:
Reviewed by Lily from Leeds on
6th Mar 2008
Brilliant phone, great to use, and looks very nice too. Rating:
Reviewed by Ian Cook from Preston on
22nd Feb 2008
Well what can i say apart from what a fabarooney fone!!!! Rating:
