Samsung S8300 Tocco Ultra Touch Review
Written on 3/11/2009 03:21:00 PM by poison_ivy
So if you can't wait for the Samsung Omnia HD to be launched, then the Samsung S8300 which will soon be launched in the UK in a few days might just satisfy your appetite for HD content on your mobile phone.
Design
The Samsung S8300 Tocco Ultra is a very sleek mobile phone. I have to admit, this is a step up from the plastic slider phones that Samsung previously released. Sure, there are still plastic materials used but it's very high quality and combine that with the black metallic frame and you got yourself a drool worth, head-turning phone. The back reminds me so much of my white Sony Ericsson W595 because both phones features a different back color from the rest of the phone. The effect is very pleasing to the eyes. The screen is only 2.8 inches but put in an AMOLED display and 16 million colors and the display is just--wow! Colors are vibrant and pop up at you. The Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch is not the slimmest slider phone but it's thin enough yet have a solid feel to it.
Design
The Samsung S8300 Tocco Ultra is a very sleek mobile phone. I have to admit, this is a step up from the plastic slider phones that Samsung previously released. Sure, there are still plastic materials used but it's very high quality and combine that with the black metallic frame and you got yourself a drool worth, head-turning phone. The back reminds me so much of my white Sony Ericsson W595 because both phones features a different back color from the rest of the phone. The effect is very pleasing to the eyes. The screen is only 2.8 inches but put in an AMOLED display and 16 million colors and the display is just--wow! Colors are vibrant and pop up at you. The Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch is not the slimmest slider phone but it's thin enough yet have a solid feel to it.
Performance and Features
Okay, first, the Samsung S8300 Tocco Ultra Touch has a CAPACITIVE touch screen. It means it should rely on the heat of your fingers rather than its pressure to respond. I've always equated capacitive touchscreens with multi touch but sadly, that's not the case with Samsung. I don't really know how multi touch technology works but hopefully, a firmware or software update might make the Samsung S8300 multitouch capable in the future??!!! Anyways, as to the touchscreen responsiveness, I was actually surprised. From the videos at the MWC 2009, I can see some lags and unresponsiveness but it seems that Samsung was able to fix that issue--slightly. While the capacitive screen is much more responsive and fluid compared with the videos you see of the Samsung S8300 UltraTouch but there are times when you have to press the screen twice before you can get a program to open. At times, there's also a noticeable lag when you switch anywhere from the widget homescreen. But anyways, I'm used to slow that's why I don't use the iPhone so touch screen responsiveness is still okay in my book. It's not LG Cookie slow but it's not iPhone fast either.
The good news is that you can now download new widgets for the homescreen, something which has been missing from my Omnia (which reminds me that I have to google to find out if Samsung already released new widgets for the latter). I REALLY like the notepad widget which lets you actually see what you write on the homescreen unlike the notepad widget of the Omnia which just opens up the Notes application. I hope Samsung will be able to incorporate this widget in the future widget releases in the Omnia.
The Samsung S8300 Tocco Ultra Touch also features an 8 megapixel camera with LED Flash, and all the other goodies you can find on the Pixon. As usual, image quality is good though I can't compare with with other 8 megapixel phones since this is the first 8 megapixel phone I've handled . There's a nice picture browser wherein you can browse through using either sweeping motions or the accelerometer.
Even though the S8300 runs on Samsung's proprietary OS, the good news is that business users can view PDF, excel and word files using Picsel Browser. I have to say, unlike other java based applications, Picsel browser can open up a large PDF file without any problems. Again, you can make use of the capacitive touchscreen to "flick through" using finger swiping action. This is actually my favorite application on this device.
And now comes the video quality. The Samsung S8300 Tocco UltraTouch is able to playback DivX videos and watching high quality videos on this device is REALLY amazing. Sound quality is great too when using the speakers. I was first torn about converting my divx files into smaller files for viewing on the S8300. I was so used converting my video files to smaller files since I know that watching uncoverted videos straight up would result in blocky videos but that's not the case with the Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch. I was able to watch a 600MB DivX video without so much as a hiccup. Really amazing. I don't know the largest file that the S8300 could take before videos become blocky but if it can play a 600-700MB file then I'm happy with it. On the downside, if your videos has a 240x320 resolution, the S8300 won't make it fit on the display so expect to see a lot of black borders.
As for the music player, it has a much improved interface than the music player on my Omnia. You get rich sounds when using the speakers and even the headphones. As with the Omnia, you can use your other 3.5mm headseat jack but you have to make use of their proprietary converter. The Samsung S8300 Tocco Ultra definitely makes for a nice multimedia phone.
And now for the downside, first it has no WiFi though it's 3G/HSDPA compatible. Second, it comes with Samsung's proprietary OS so Exchange mail is a no-no so you can scratch the Samsung S8300 Tocco Ultra from replacing your business phone. Third, the included browser sucks and you're better off downloading the Opera Mini or Bolt. And Fourth, you would have thought that since it comes with a keypad there would be no learning curve but we thought wrong. Since there's no physical erase button (back button on the middle would take you out of the messaging application) the only way to erase something while writing a message is through the backspace on the screen which is really a far reach for my thumb, besides if I accidentally press the backspace button on the screen a second longer, it would erase all of my written message. Also, since there's no directional keypad, if you want to go to the first word on your message, you have to touch the screen and when the S8300 Tocco is having one of its unresponsiveness moments, it would take you a lot of pressing the screen at just the right pressure to take you back to the first word.
Conclusion
If you're looking for a multimedia mobile phone, the Samsung S8300 Tocco UltraTouch has all the makings of a great multimedia phone. The AMOLED screen makes watching vidoes enjoyable, sound quality is GREAT, picture quality is also great. What more do you need? WiFi? Well, yeah but what would you need WiFi for if you can't really use it for desktop browsing? The Samsung S8300 Tocco Ultra Touch is a multimedia phone and a good one at that. The S8300 is now available at Germany and will be available on Vodafone UK starting March 12th.
Sample Shots Taken from S8300 Ultra Touch
Alternatives to the Samsung Tocco Ultra:
Samsung Lucido (Samsung S7220) - This mobile phone sports the same design as the Tocco Ultra except that the Samsung Lucido is a candybar phone. Both phones have AMOLED display and GPS and although the Samsung S7220 only has 5 megapixel camera, it also has smile shot, face detection, autofocus, anti-shake, etc. However, the Samsung Lucido does not support DivX videos and only plays MPEG files. For those not into touchscreen phones, the Samsung Lucido mobile phone is a good alternative.
Nokia N86 - The Nokia N86 is Nokia's first mobile phone with 8 megapixel camera. Nokia has been churning out great camera phones and from other reviews on the Internet, the Nokia N86 doesn't disappoint in terms of picture quality. If you prefer a better camera phone, the Nokia N86 is a good choice.
Sony Ericsson C905 - Another 8 megapixel cameraphone this time from Sony Ericsson. The C905 produces better picture quality, however, there have been reports of a lot of returns for this mobile phone, a firmware issue, I think. It's not a multimedia powerhouse like the Tocco Ultra but it is a good camera phone.
Sony Ericsson W995 - Another 8 megapixel shooter from Sony Ericsson and may be a direct competitor of the Tocco Ultra. It's a great music player but the picture quality isn't as great compared with the C905. The good news is that it has WiFi, something the Tocco Ultra lacks.
OTHER SIMILAR PHONES:
Samsung Jet Ultra
Samsung i8910 HD
Sony Ericsson Vivaz
.
Posted in
Samsung mobile phones
|
Did you order yours straight from Germany?
Nope. It's a friend's phone and yes, he got in from Germany.
How does it do under direct sunlight? Screen still okay?
legibility under direct sunlight is not as bad as my Omnia (which I couldn't see anything at all). It's okay though of course, not as clear when you're indoors.
how good is the GPS system on it?
Wasn't really able to test the GPS function. The Samsung Mobile Navigator on this device only has a map for Germany so I didn't bother testing the GPS.
can anyone tell me if there is Opera Mini browser can be installed for this?
Though I don't know if my friend was able to install the Opera browser, since Samsung's OS can run JAVA apps, you can probably download the Opera Mini straight from Opera's website using your mobile phone's browser. Just head on over to mini.opera.com and follow the instructions. It would probably say that if your phone is not listed, it would give you the JAR/JAD files.
Alternatively, you can search the net and download the JAR/JAD files and install Opera Mini yourself.
Does this phone have Smart Dialing? Also, pictures of call logs after dialing to same person's home/office/cell will be helpful. I want to make sure the call logs log numbers by their type like Sony Ericsson phone's do. If I dial to Tom's Home, Office, and cell numbers. I want Tom to show in Call logs three times with a home icon, office building icon, and a cell phone icon.
Hmm, sadly, I wasn't able to notice if the call logs is able to log calls differently from different numbers from one contact but I did notice that aside from the call log, it also has a data log and a message counter.
i got this phone and its amazing!
10/10
What memory is it without a memory card or does the momory card automaticly come with the phone ?
Only 90MB of user memory and it ships with an 8GB memory card though the capacity might change depending on which country you're in.
what is a widget
A widget is a small application on the samsung's homescreen which allows you to access programs on your phone.
Hi, brilliant review.
Just two questions if I may, as your review covers everything else.
Firstly, does the phone come with free web browsing like the iPhone's? May be a stupid question, but one I'm not sure of.
And are there enough features on the phone to really justify me spending £350 on buying it unlocked, as it sure is a fair lump of money.
Thanks a lot!
I only got a 1GB MicroSD card from Samsung Philippines
No, the browser on this device can't be compared to the iPhone. It's inferior as it is only java based.
If you're after:
1) The rich colors of its screen, AMOLED screen technology really rocks, it's like having a miniature HDTV in your hands
2) A great music player
3) An 8 Megapixel camera phone
4) You want to watch high quality HD resolution videos on your phone
Then I think you're justified in spending £350 for it.
Install Opera Mini and your browsing experience will be excellent.
Yep, Asian version also no picsel browser, only access netfront browser.
"poison_ivy | April 5, 2009 6:17 PM
No, the browser on this device can't be compared to the iPhone. It's inferior as it is only java based.
If you're after:
1) The rich colors of its screen, AMOLED screen technology really rocks, it's like having a miniature HDTV in your hands
2) A great music player
3) An 8 Megapixel camera phone
4) You want to watch high quality HD resolution videos on your phone
Then I think you're justified in spending £350 for it. "
Ah ok, sounds brilliant actually.
What I am looking for is basically a phone which is easy to text on, a good music player, a good video player, and a good camera, and have narrowed my option down to this, and the Sony Ericsson C905.
I imagine it's whether you want:
C905- Better camera than the Tocco Ultra
TU- Better screen (eg. Richness of colour, video playback, etc) than the C905.
Correct me if I am wrong please, that's just what I am assuming.
Thanks a lot.
Hey, same guy who's just left a comment about comparing the C905.
Was just wondering if it is possible for you to upload a picture taken by the phone so we can see the quality of the camera?
and is the screen really unresponsive, like you literally find it hard to use?
and how good is the battery life?
Sorry for all the questions, thanks a lot!
Does it have an on screen qwerty keyboard in addition to the keypad?
I can't really compare it with the C905 but as far as a music player goes, I don't think the C905 has what it takes to be a music player. I've already posted some sample shots emailed to me by my friend. As for the unresponsiveness of the screen, I don't know whether it's the screen or just me because I'm so used to resistive touchscreens that it's natural for me to press a touchscreen really hard in order to get it to respond. But no, the s8300 is really not hard to use, I'm just saying that don't expect it to be AS responsive as the iPhone. Responsiveness is really more on the opinion of the user so I suggest you try to get a feel of the s8300 in an actual store.
Battery life, according to my friend who actually owns the device is only 1 day because he uses the music player a lot and has the vibration feedback in on mode so I guess that drains a lot of the battery.
For the other guy who asked if it has a QWERTY keypad on screen, on my friend's device which is one of the earlier versions, it has one though you have to put the device in landscape mode in order for it to appear but I've been hearing that on other versions of the phone, there's no QWERTY keypad, only a phone pad.
Ah ok thanks a lot.
Finally (and I mean it this time, sorry for all of the questions), you say:
"Third, the included browser sucks and you're better off downloading the Opera Mini or Bolt."
How do you do that? Can you do it via your computer or do you have to do it on the phone?
And I've been hearing you can add more widgets? Any insight to how you do that? Thanks a lot!
While comparing C905 to S8300 don't forget to weigh in the convenience of making calls and texting with the phones. From what I read so far S8300 has no speed dial nor Smart Dialing. C905 have both these features and once you get used to smart dialing you will go crazy with a phone that doesn't have this feature. Right now, I am going insane with my new iPhone 3G which doesn't have this feature either.
I am surprised that Smart Dialing is not a standard feature on phones. After all, all these devices are first phones.
You can download Opera using the Phone or your Computer. Opera has a tutorial on their website. You can add more widgets also by downloading them on your phone. Samsung has another widget that allows you to download other widgets.
As for the smart dialing, no, the phone doesn't smart dial by matching numeric numbers with words, say "mom" when you type in "666" but it brings up all your contacts if their numbers have "666" (in succession) on them, something like that.
Where can I get new widgets?
Mine is on Orange contact in UK, It came with only 1Gb memory card.
I comes with "Orange Maps" installed (permanently?) in the menu even though it is not compatible with the phone! I've now downloaded google maps, but it puts some virtual buttons on the touchcreen (left right etc) because you can't drag the map around with the touch interface :(
I used the built in feature to find more widgets, all that came up was two yahoo things (finance and something)
Is this all there is? I can't find anything on the Samsung site
So to download widgets does it cost money if you don't have unlimited mobile Internet access, or do you get it free if you have opera, as mine will be on pay as you go?
Cheers.
Brilliant, I have had a look and it looks simple.
I've just looked on the Carphonewarehouse website, and something concerned me, apparently the phone has none of these features:
Bluetooth
Wi-Fi
WAP
GPRS
USB
Infrared
3G
Voice Dialling
Email
Smartphone
Internet Browser
Calendar
Speakerphone
Compatibility (PC/MAC)
MMS
Could you clear up what it does and doesn't have of those if at all possible? If that's too much work it's no worries, you have kindly answered all of my questions beforehand so i thank you for that.
Something which makes this seem probably false is that it apparently doesn't have:
Vibration alert
Works in USA
SMS
Touch Screen
Made me laugh a little haha.
To download widgets, yes, it would cost you money, so is downloading Opera, if you're on a pay as you go. However, you can always download everything on the Internet and then upload it to your phone if you really don't want to spend on the data charges. I'm still not sure whether you can download the widgets directly from Samsung's website using your desktop PC since I haven't tried it yet. Like what one of you anonymouses said, right now, there's only two widgets available for downloading and those widgets are not that useful.
As to what was said in carphonewarehouse, I don't know where they get their information, but the S8300 Tocco Ultra Touch HAS a bluetooth, I was able to test my Sony Stereo Bluetooth headset on the device.
Bluetooth - Has a bluetooth
Wi-Fi - No WIFI
WAP - has WAP, GPRS, 3G, EDGE, and HSDPA/HSUPA (for European networks, that is. May not work in US)
USB - it can connect to your PC using the included USB connector
Infrared - no infrared
3G
Voice Dialling - not sure, will check
Email - has email support
Smartphone - not a smartphone but a multimedia phone
Internet Browser - has an internet browser though it sucks
Calendar - has calendar
Speakerphone - as I've mentioned in my review, this has a speakerphone and a pretty darn good one at that
Compatibility (PC/MAC)- can connect to PC, don't know about MAC
MMS- has MMS
As for working in the US,the GSM part will work in the US no doubt so long as you have a T-Mobile or AT&T SIM, the 3G network I'm not sure. Maybe that's why carphonewarehouse said that it doesn't have 3G. If you want to use the 3G feature, better wait for a North American version but if 3G is not that important, the GSM band will work.
I purchased this phone as present for my daughter as Christmas present. I’m very disappointed by the security on the phone, you can protect everything, but the short fall is call can still be made if you simply go to the dial button and directly put your number in any call can be made. As my daughter is on a contract god help us if it is pinched, as our service provider said it can take sometime to bar calls. Very disappointed with this phone
Got the TU 2 weeks ago and installed opera mini. Better than the original, but still far from the Safari on IPhone.All in all I am very pleased with the unit.
2 questions:
a.Is it possible to get rid of the Widgets bar. I don't need it
b.When using the "favourites" it dials to the default number of that contact. How do I dial to a non default number, using the favourites screen?
samsung phones have these existing drawbacks
1) screen not visible in sunlight
2) battery drains in a day
3) earphone volume very low. You cant hear in noisy roads
4) The led flash is just a Toy. It gives no light for clear pictures.
5) The camera has a long click-lag time. meaning if the object is slightly moving or your hands shake, then the picture is blur.
Can you please comment on LED flash power, battery and sound ?
LED Flash is not a toy on this device,it's actually very useful in low light conditions. Headset volume is pretty clear and loud camera shutter is okay, faster than my sister's N70. As I've mentioned, screen visibility is not as bad as my Omnia and battery life will last for a day if you use media player most of the time.
@Paul, I don't think you can get rid of the widgets bar, but you can sort of put it away by clicking the left arrow on the widget bar so it will remain hidden. As for your other question, I'm sorry but I don't know the answer to that one. :)
does anyone know how to set the speed dail?
Same question how on earth do you set the speed dial - all I've got so far is this favourites thing on the widget that has to be dragged out to cover up my screensaver in order to function!
Otherwise great phone. More responsive than the XDA orbit2 touchscreen I also have and far more intuitive.
There is no speed dial option with this unit, just the favourites.Same as on Iphone.
There is something called "shortcut numbers", which is being set through the New PC Studio which comes with the unit, but no one, even Samsung UK support team, know how to use it.
I got the Tocco Ultra yesterday morning.. I spent a good few hours playing around with it and am still undecided whether I like it or not.
I found it didnt have as many applications as I had hoped for, and is extremely annoying when the screen decides to not respond to your touch - i find tapping it lightly rather than pressing hard helps in this situation.
However I cannot complain about the camera or wap capabilities of this phone.
I came from an N95 to this, so maybe my expectations were a tad too high as I felt the N95 was an amazing mobile.
When you text on the phone is it just on the actualy keypad or can you type on the touch screen also?
thanks
i've read some reviews that say that when you get a text message, only the person's number shows up and not their name. is this true? if so, how can it be solved?
@Beccy, you can type both on the screen and on the physical keypad although keypad on the screen varies as some device owners report having a QWERTY keypad while others only have another phonepad on the screen.
@Anonymous, maybe the owner wasn't able to input the number of the person whom he received a text message from or he has the same number on two contacts. My friend's Tocco Ultra shows the names of contacts he gets the messages from.
can any one say wifi is there
r not & about the browsing
Can someone please tell me how to read a long text message, at the moment to see the whole message I have to press more then forward !
Can anyone tell me how to read a long text message to see the whole message on the screen I have to press more then forward !
What options do I have if I want to use GPS with voice guidance?
Anyone tried Garmin XT? Route66? .....?
I'm bit disappointed that the GPS is there but there is no good application for it. What a big let down.
Just downloaded opera and google maps onto my phone but I can't get them to install. Most of the java apps seem to have a bar at the bottom of the screen that you touch for directions, OK, back etc but when I open Opera or google maps I just have a blank grey bar at the bottom of the screen so I have no way to OK my way through the installation process. Would this be a firmware problem and if so where can I find updates? Cheers
@Chris: Maybe I'm wrong but I distinctly remember scrolling through the messages using the touchscreen. Can't you do that or is it not working?
@Kartic: there is no wifi, included browser isn't really much, Opera is a better browser though I don't know if it will work on this device since some report not being able to use opera.
@Blue: The earlier versions have some sort of software but I think the GPS software will depend on your wireless carrier. There are reports that the Orange one has a GPS software?? But yes, most users report not having a GPS software but there are rumors that Samsung would probably release one.
@Sam: Yours doesn't have Google Maps? Yes, it's a bit disappointing that the Tocco Ultra doesn't have a directional button. Try using the number pad to get Opera to work. I wasn't really able to test Opera on the device.
I got mine on Orange contract. It come supplied with several useless apps. One of which is Orange Maps. This is not compatible with the Tocco ultra and you can't delete it from the phone! How stupid is that!
Anyway, i found a great app that uses the GPS, does directions etc (not voice) and can even track your phone (and friends phones) on the web.
It is called Mobile GMaps. You can choose to get data from all of the online mapping sources like microsoft live, google, yahoo, ask.com, etc. You can also drag the map around with your finger unlike in google maps.
After I set the radio station, the radio icon appears on the mainscreen. I just can't get rid of it! How can I get rid of it?? Thanks!
Re Browsing: I installed Opera Mini on my Tocco Ultra and it works w/o any problem.
Re Sat Nav: Turn-by-turn Sat Nav software is available for this mobile from Route 66. For details go to http://www.66.com/samsung/index.php?cid=UK&act=1 I have not used it and would like to hear from others once they start using it.
@Sam, my friend told he was able to install Opera and it works great. There's a black gray bar at the bottom for directions and two soft keys. Maybe you need to reinstall Opera Mini. Try installing the Opera mini directly on your phone by using the phone's native browser and pointing it to opera.mini.com
hey i got the phone a couple days ago i love the phone and everything about it, but i just gatta ask two questions how do you turn the answering machine off cause i looked everywhere couldn't fint he options for it, and 2ndly is there a code to increase the speaker volume for it ?
i want to get this phone can anny1 tel me does it have any faults in it
A helpful review, but I would clarify a few things about this and would say think twice before buying this phone. I've had mine for five days now, most of which have been frustrating.
It is a beautiful phone and the screen is gorgeous and well, most of the functionality works. However there are some major problems.
1. There is NO QWERTY keyboard when writing SMS or emails in landscape mode. If you want that, than buy something else.
2. Even worse, there is no way to navigate in a message (SMS, MMS or email). If you need to go back and change something, you're out of luck and will have to delete everything to fix a mistake. Will Samsung fix this glaring oversight in a firmware update? According to the UK Samsung community, apparently not.
3. The PC software doesn't work. Well actually it seems to work for some people but after five days, mine refuses to work (on a normal Windows XP system). And sadly Samsung doesn't offer any insight, support or fixes for this.
4. The touchscreen really isn't that responsive. Two attempts for mostly every function are needed.
5. The documentation for the phone is vague and informative. If you need to figure something out, don't look in the manual. It won't be there.
My feeling? I regret the day I bought this and given my lackluster Vodafone service, it looks like I'm stuck with this phone for a long time.
@bl1ss
You are mistaken in some of your comments..
1. True.
2. Just touch the screen where you want the cursor to go. That works just fine.
3. The software is annoying in its odd design but it works just fine on my PC. It is possibly conflicting with something you have on your PC.
4. The touchscreen works great for me. Maybe you just need to practice with it. You just need to touch or tap lightly with the tip of a finger.
5. Yes, the manual is incredibly vague for such a high-tech device.
i,ve just had the tocco ultra and i,m taking it back. I had it from phones4u and there,s a fuction on it to have orange maps and it does,nt work with this model thats what the orange customers services said. so i don,t see the point of having that fuction on it.They said with the tariff of £35 pound or more its free
@RCM
To your 2 to my 2. :-) I just booted it up again and miracle of miracles, you can actually edit as you suggest. Didn't work before (who knows why). But still doesn't work when entering info into the phonework.
And to 3: Well, I spent two days reinstalling my system and still no luck with the program. Perhaps my system, but still, can it be so difficult?
i own this phone and i think it is amazing, the only problem i have is finding apps for it!
just 1 ques. . . . dus opera do well wth touch screen fones ??
I have been using the phone for 4 days. I can say I like the phone alots. The screen color just vibrant. I dont know why ppl want a qwrity kevboard on a such small screen. No WiFI? no problem, because I am using unlimited broadband connection. Pictures? well as usual to most of phone camera, it is only very good and clear when enough lighting, especially out door photos. Responsiveness, dont have any problem with that. There is extra function, you can increase the font size when messagging by pressing volume button. Unfortunately, my samsung phone supplie with trial version of most of the game. I cant find any fault with The new samsung PC studio, infact I feel it more user friendly then Microsoft ActiveSyn.
"just 1 ques. . . . dus opera do well wth touch screen fones ??"
Opera plays nicely with the S8300
My s8300 permanently displays the internet sign on top of screen is this normal?? as i am finding that i have to charge my phone daily which on previous phones i could charge every 2 - 3 days do i need to display this if not how do i get rid of it
Can you help??
I have had said phone for roughly one month and despite everything can't get my favourites to link through as speed dials (there is a clear section in their manual which I have followed to the letter).
Have taken it back to 3 store where purchased and they couldn't do it either, on my phone or the shop one!
It would be useful to know if ANYONE has got the speed dials to work as I am beginning to think it's a model issue and not just my dodgy mobile.
Many thanks
B
To E:
The phone does not have speed dial.
This was confirmed to me by Samsung Tech Support.BTW,IPHONE does not have it either.
The closest thing to Spees Dial is to copy the contacts you want to the SIM card, assign them numbers via the New PC Studio and recall them by dialling their nos followed by # and press SEND.
Paul,
Thanks for your help.
E
i just bought this phone in spain can someone please tell me how to change language to english please thanks
i got new one (s8300) and it sucks,im plannng to buy again another phone.. waste of time and money. I advice all of you not to amaze with these phone, theres nothing new here.. it isnt smartphone either.. if it is really for multimedia i'd better buy ipod..
How do i change the font colour and background colour when typing a number? At the moment it is a disgusting shade of blue.
No offense but:
Capacitive touch screens does not react to heat
its a fairly common mistake that it reacts to heat.
the truth is that the screen consist of several tiny "tiles" under the glass. When you touch it, a tiny amount of electricity passes through your finger, and the screen "sense" this by measuring the electric resistance in the tiles, which is lowered when the current passes through your finger
Can you switch to use the frontal-"video call" camera for taking photos and video? Or is it just active only when making video calls?
Most older samsung photos allow both cameras, as it's great for taking passport photos etc, as you can see what you're doing. On the old samsung's you just re-click the camera button to change over.
Feedback would be great on this!
P.s... if yes, what is the camera resolution.
I have the tocco ultra on an Orang contract. Using the standard web browser "NetFront Browser v3.5" I thought it was ok, is Opera Mini alot better? how do I go about downloading it? Also to mention I went on google via the browser and when clicking a link i got loads of boxes and 0's is that because the page isn't compatible with the browser or something? would opera fix this? Widget wise, where can you get new widgets? I've used Orange maps once, and thought it was ok... but have seen Mobile GMaps suggested here, does anyone have more info on that and is it worth downloading installing? (also how to go about that)
Cheers
Pete (if replying to me, please put pewster21 in your comment so I can Ctrl + F it to get there quicker)
Schelde,you are almost correct with what you have said, no current passes through your finger, because that would mean that the screen was conductive, and you'd have a very inefficient phone. what happens is you adjust the capacitance by decreasing the gap between the capacitive plates in the tiles you mentiond. This then creates a change in current in the circuitry of that part of the phone, so then the microprocessor knows thich part of the phone has been pressed by this change in current. Hope this helps :)
Pete (pewster)
I'm out there with Anonymous from MAY 2009 - I just bought the phone and also cannot figure out how to turn off the answering machine. As it stands now, my phone does not ring out loud, but if I happen to be STARING AT IT I can identify an incoming call and answer it - it's like it is in 'call screening' mode...what's up with that, and HOW IN THE HECK TO YOU SWITCH IT OFF?!?!
ALSO: When preparing an sms message my selected font (the larger one) appears. But when I RECEIVE messages, dang, the font is micro small and BARELY readable!!!! How to change THAT?!?
Thanks to celcom3g | May 31, 2009 6:13 AM for giving me the answer on how to increase the font size on incoming sms messages.
I have been trying to get rid of the monthly calender that is always on my display screen..is there any way to turn this setting off? Can't seem to figure it out. Thanks :)
Do not buy this phone for the following reasons - 1.The "UltraTouch" is extremely tardy and sluggish (not at all like the iPhone); 2.The screen auto-rotate does not function as it should and sometimes just locks-up (e.g. continues to display in a horizontal mode even when the screen is vertical. However, the most overwhelming reasons not to buy this phone are - the phone shuts down at random, when connected to a power source (including when connected to a laptop via the USB cable). On the rare occasion that it doesn't (shut down), you have to choose from either running the phone on a. media player mode (totally useless), b. pc suite (the memory stick does not show up as an external hard drive as it should) or c. mass storage (cannot run pc suite but the micro-sd card shows up as an external device on my computer). Oh and did I mention the haphazard menu design/organization? Some of the aspects with the menu are shockingly stupid (voicemail settings inside the Messages option and not within the Phonebook options) etc... the list goes on. If you want to buy a 8MP camera that looks sexy, it's perhaps a better idea to buy a digicam... :( This is the only review I have written ever, for any product (such is the disgust).
Is there a message counter on it? And can you use the screen you use to make video calls as a camera? x
can you tell me if there is no way to even lock the keypad in total? for when we 'open the phone', to go to menu, just like enter a safe code ?
Worst phone I have ever used. Five steps to get to a speed dial?!!! Slide motions on the touch screen impossible to get right -- always too much or too little force. Program icons unexpectedly appearing and disappearing. No indication if you are on mute or not. No intuitive exit from hold. The list goes on.I'm so glad to be rid of it.
I brought this phone a week or so ago. Took me a while getting used to the touchscreen feature... but i absolutely love it!
One problem.. the vibration has suddenly stopped working! i have been through every setting on the phone and looked through the manual.. still no help! If im in 'silent mode' and recieve a text or phonecall, its just mute.. even though i have set the phone to vibrate!
Am i missing something? Any help would be much appreciated
Really hoping to get this phone for Christmas but all I really wanted was a great camera but for not an huge price, so when I saw the c906 I Though it was perfect but firstly I found out it costs quite a lot and two, it has a lot of problems that apparently come with it which put me off getting it. So I saw te tocco ultra which has got a pay as you go deal and hardly any problems talked about and also an 8 megapixel camera. What I'm wondering is that if the tocco 8.0 megapixel camera so much worse than c905's one that I should deal with c905 problems or that the cameras are really not that different and that the extra features in the tocco ultra should make me get that?
TO the last anonymous: I can personally vouch for the camera. Takes really great pictures. In fact, a lot of other reviews like the camera on the Tocco Ultra Touch as well. I don't know about the C905 though.
i have had this phone for a bout a month now. loving it, i live putting the widgets on various spots on my wall paper pic :)
soooooo annoyed it doesnt have speed dial but i will get over it........the only thing that really bugs me is when its locked it shows the preset images if i click a button, how do i get it to show my images????
does anyones samsung s8300 tocco switch off when in middle of talking
Hello guys,
I have a starnge problem:
The TODAY widget in my phone does not show the correct day
corresponding to a certain date. For example, it now shows: Monday,
15-Dec-2009, although today is actually Tuesday. In the setting menu one can only set the date, but not the day.
How can this happen? Does anyone have a similar problem?
does anyone else have a problem with typing a ' when writting a text. how do i resolve, currently the only way is going in and adding a character?
hi, i found a new website that has unlimited text to all network not only that you can find new friends and chat with them, here's the site http://www.txtmate.com/.
I have the same problem as someone else when I receive a message the font size has changed to tiny, it used to be readable but I must have touched something wrong, how do I enlarge it again
To eliminate the day problem where it shows Monday but it actually is Tuesday. Go to Calendar ; More; Calendar Settings and change the starting day to Sunday. Clearly the programmers need to be sacked!
This is the worst phone I have EVER used- always had nokias in the past, but when the time came to upgrade was persuaded by the girl in the shop that this was a great phone-it really isn't! No speed dial, speakerphone fiddly to activate, texting is a NIGHTMARE for SO many reasons, the accesories supplied don't work, you can't cutomise ANYTHING properly, the screen freezes ALL the time, sound quality during calls is terrible, everything takes so long to access even using the 'shortcuts', battery life is never longer than one day, do i have to go on? Because I could. ALOT! The only good thing is the camera, but to be honest it's so fiddly I can rarely be bothered. HATE IT!!!
hi when i charge the phone up it comes up with a warning say battery temp is to high or low therefore will not let me charge any solutions?
@james. Try taking out the battery and letting it cool down for a few minutes. Place it back then recharge again. If it still shows the same message, time to take it to the service center.
Oh dear - why did i listen to the guy in the orange shop. Why is creating a text message such a nightmare compared with my old Sony mobile? Is there a decent manual that will tell me how to text cos the user manual is next too useless? Does it get easier? Or have i signed up to 24 months of disappointment. Feels great tho. . .
I found a way to get Speed Dial on the Eternity, and although I have not received my S8300 yet I suspect this will work the same way. As follows:
1. Copy all address book entries from Sim to Phone Memory.
2. Delete all Sim Address book entries.
3. Switch Address book source to Sim.
3. Re-enter up to 99 speed dial entries in Sim, using a numerical prefix, i.e. "1_Jack, 2_Jane" etc.
4. Switch Address book source back to Phone Memory.
Now to speed dial just enter 1#, 2# etc for any number in the Sim Address book. You will get to view and confirm the entry and then dial.
I think it works fine, best accomplished using the free Samsung PC Studio which is a must have for backup and file downloads and editing. dk
Hi, i have had the samsung s8300 ultratouch for about a month and the font size in messages has increased in size but no where else how do i resolve this issue?
the screen stopped working last week now i have no sound either on it worse phone i have ever had
For me most important mistake done by Smasung is a battery.If You use camera expect that devise will work even vew hours. I.e. full loaded battery can record 1,5h of video with no light. It should have omnia hd battery at least.
Hi,
I've just brought myself a larger SD card for my tocco and it's not coming up. I have checked in the phone settings and then in the memory section and the memory card is greyed out? I tried placing my orginial back in and that's not coming up also.
Does anyone have any ideas please as it's driving me insane.
Thank you.
Am phone is doing the same. I only noticed it last week when i wated to lisen to music and i could not find it...and then noticed my icon had also disappearde.I have tried the memory card in other phones and it just freezez other phones.
I have nver taken it out either.I have had the phone for 11 months now.
Mine got soaked in juice yesterday comepletly and it still wotks :O
i just got s 8300 buying online .but it is in chinese font which i cannot understand ?could anyone tell me how to change the language of phone to english
i've had this phone for almost three months now, and since day one the battery life doesnt seem to last the whole day. i have to charge it everyday. as soon as i get home, i will leave it to charge right through the night, but it still wont last the whole night. could it be a faulty battery?