The Samsung Jack
This week I traded in my iPhone 3G for a Samsung Jack. I’m trying to be a PC, as I’ve been exploring some development ideas for Windows Mobile 7. Accordingly, I figured I’d turn in the 3G for a Windows phone…I wasn’t sure what to expect, I mean, as far as smartphones go it’s pretty hard to top an iPhone–even the lowly 3G.
Strictly going by the specs, the Samsung Jack should out-perform the iPhone. The Jack boasts a 528 MHz processor, while the iPhone 3G has a 412 MHz processor. The Jack has double the memory at 256 RAM/256 ROM, the iPhone 128 MB. While, as expected, the Jack’s video and screen resolution trails the iPhone’s, the Jack’s camera is a 3.2 MP, the iPhone’s 2.0. Seeing the hardware differences, I was very anxious to get the Jack in my hands and give it a try.
After having the Jack for about a week, here are my thoughts:
- I miss the touchscreen. This is not a big deal on most tasks, as the Jack’s turbo-scroll does make menu navigation quick and easy. Where the touchscreen is missed the most is when browsing the internet, which brings me to my next thought…
- I miss safari. I’m trying hard to stay behind Microsoft across the board, but I’m sorry, IE sucks, and the mobile version is not immune to this fact. The Jack’s browsing experience is sorely lacking, so much so that I have decided to downgrade my data plan with AT&T.
- To me, one of the most frustrating thing about the Windows phone is the nested menus. This is no problem, and even necessary on a PC, but it becomes a huge hassle on a phone. The ease with which a user can navigate options on the iPhone blows the Jack’s user experience out of the water.
- The iPhone is still faster. Not much else to say here…
- The iPhone still has a better camera
- iTunes, App Store, iPod…what was I thinking?
Well, all is not lost. My wife is wanting a new phone in a few months…I’ll give her my Samsung Jack and get me an iPhone 4.
