Samsung F480 Cell Phone

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UPDATED 15/7/2008 !!! CHECK OUT BELOW!!!!

I'm sure you've read about this phone so I'm going to focus on everyday usage annoyances that I've come across.

It is - after 2 failed tries with the Samsung F700 and then the F490 - Samsungs third attempt to bring out an iphone clone.
And this time around it is worth getting IF you can live with some annoyances with this phone.

I've used this phone for 2 weeks now and the following things I've encountered:

-> As with all Samsung phones, you CANNOT use your own MP3 tone for text messages/MMS/email etc, ONLY for incoming calls. You'll have to rely on it's built in 5 corny tones.

-> You cannot just install new JAVA games via the PC without extensive modification through 3rd party tools available on certain forums.
On Nokias or Sony Ericssons for example you can upload new java games via the PC software to your phone or just put the JAR/JAD file onto the memory stick.

-> The new touchscreen and widgets are brilliant, but you cannot change the default widgets or add your own. You also cannot change the main menu style or define shortcuts. This means that some things like Alarms you have to touch 3/4 times to get to that menu point.

-> The scrolling with the new touchscreen - apart from scrolling down contacts - in the settings menus is VERY cumbersome as it won't always scroll. I was trying to set an alarm for a calender event I had set up and couldn't do it because that option is at the very bottom of that menu page and no matter how hard or soft/fast or slow I tried to drag my finger vertically down the screen the page hardly scrolled at all.
UPDATE: I've found a method to minimise this annoyance - you can also scroll using the sound volume buttons on the side, much easier!

UPDATE: It seems the reception on this phone is worse than on my old one, it keeps cutting the conversation.

-> Size: The F480 is small - much shorter than it's predecessor F490/iphone, but roughly equal width. This means its just a bit too short to hold whilst making a call. Basically, it's about as long as the distance from your thumb to your little finger (ie the entire width of your hand)

-> Connections: If you own another recent Samsung phone like the X820 or the D900, I'm afraid your chargers and USB connectors will NOT work on the F480. The Tocco has a new connector that looks exactly the same but is wider so it won't fit into your old phones and vice versa.

-> Sound quality: The person who's calling you sounds unnatural, like speaking through a tin.

-> For some reason, you cannot search by surname. When I uploaded my outlook express contacts to the phone it stored many of the names as surnames as opposed to first names. I could not find them through the search anymore, only if I scrolled through the entire contacts list.

Bottom line: If you are used to the vast customization options of say a Nokia N95 then this phone is NOT for you.
If however you are a fashion slave then you definitely need to get this phone! It's infinitely sleeker and more stylish than the LG viewty/Prada and not nearly as expensive/geeky as the iphone.

PLEASE CLICK WHETHER YOU THOUGHT THIS GUIDE WAS HELPFUL OR NOT. THANK YOU!

It's very expensive, however, I found www.freeiphoneforme.co.uk and got one for free!

As you probably know, it's an expensive item for what it is... But, I didn't exactly pay for mine because I found a totally legal way of getting gifts like this for free!

Visit: www.freeiphoneforme.co.uk

I'm still receiving gifts like this, simply by completing just one offer like the LOVEFILM free trial. There are many other offers that you can also complete. I personally think that the Coral Bookmakers offer is the best to choose as it is quick and fun!

There are many other gifts on this site aswell, not just this product, you can get any consoles, HDTVs, iPods, iPhones, you name it, you can probably get it. You can even get cheques or Bank Transfers!
Take a look as I found it very helpful:

www.freeiphoneforme.co.uk

As a previous owner of the original iphone I was not impressed with the lack of many basic features.
Here is my take on what I consider to be a cheaper alternative of the Iphone (cheaper in the long run):

ASTHETICS
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When I first unpacked my Samsung Tocco, it looked and felt very much like the LG Prada (which I have also owned). However it performs much better than that.

The Tocco that I own is the Carphonewarehouse exclusive 'Luxury brown' variant which looks almost like a very dark bronze in the light. It has a nice stainless steel brushed finish on the back.
The front of the handset is very similar to the Prada. The only buttons on the front are the accept/hang up call buttons and a center short cut menu key.
There is a volume rocker switch on the upper left side and a micro SD slot for a memory SD card (up to 8GB) I'm not sure if this is expandable any higher).
On the right side there is a camera button and headset and charger port.
Now the charger port/headset port is some odd connector a bit thinner and wider than a standard mini USB port. So no normal headphone jack.
At the top is a key lock button.
It's also smaller than the Iphone.

PERFORMANCE
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Navigtion through menus flow at a good speed and I've not encountered and noticable delay.
The main home screen have widgets' or icons that are short cuts to the main apps' like the media player, calendar, games etc. They can be moved around the screen or placed in a 'tool' bar along the side.
The internet browser is almost as good as the iphone, the layout can be zoomed in and out by using the volume rocker switch.
With 3G and HSDPA speeds are good.
Sound through the loudspeaker is actually quite good and the volume is loud enough. Speaker quality is better than that of both the Iphone and Prada.
There is an effect option in the media player so you can give sound more bass, etc.
Photos with the 5MP camera, don't display very clearly, it's only when they are displayed on a PC or printed out, that you can see the true quality which is very good.
This handset also has A2DP bluetooth profile so it can be paired up with a bluetooth headset or other bluetooth speaker systems for stereo quality sound.
In response to one of the other reviewers, it is possible to change your ringtone AND the text message tone to your own MP3 song.

OVERALL
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Overall think of this as an LG Prada with better sound quality and better performance which outstrip the Iphone in many of it's features.

After looking at numerous other Samsung mobile's before I bought the F480 all I could think was Boring...... The same thing just a slightly different spec, Eg Better camera, bigger screen...blah blah blah..... then I stumbled across the Samsung F480....Wow.... I had not been excited by the Apple I phone even though I have 2 ipods, it was just too big and only available on 02 that was enough to steer me clear of it (another story), When I first had a play with this phone I did worry that I would get really frustrated by the touch screen not being sensitive enough, or the opposite toooo sensitive, but its ok when you get use to it and that can depend on you... the camera is amazing and is really clear although I have to wonder about the flash, doesnt really do much, but then again it's only for chance shots if you want proper photo's use a camera..., the memory is good, and the added advantage of the memory slot is great, although considering the price of the phone you would expect one to come with it, I just moved mine from the G600 into the F480.....I find that it fits into the pocket without being really bulky (something the iphone cant say). It really isnt a I phone.. so if you are thinking of buying this as a substitute, I would'nt, but for a really good play thing.. and something to show off to your mate's then this is the phone for you. All I can say is well done samsung since the launch of the D500 this has to be the best one since the D500 all the rest have just been stepping stones till this came along.
So if your wondering wether to buy this I would say go for it, you wont regret it, since I bought mine 3 of my freinds have ungraded to this... COPY CAT'S...X
Also, if you dont want to use the bulky battery cover with the flap to protect the screen, invest in a Invisible Shield cover from The Carphonewarehouse £14.99 ish, thin as anything does not interfere with the touch screen and you wont be constantly worried about scratches, I have one on my ipod nano and ive dropped it twice on concrete and no damage as come to my nano, the protective cover is fantastic.

Fantastic phone! The touch screen and widgets are amazing!
Camera quality is astonishing for a mobile phone, the sound quality is extremely clear, and surprisingly, the phone is amazingly light. It has no weight to it what so ever!

It's a very nicely built phone, and so far, I've had no crashes or slow downs at all. And although it may not match up to that of the iPhones, the web browser is very nice to use also :)

A definite 9/10 for this phone

Easy to use, good interface sharp 5mp camera and music playerreally to much to write about top phone. I have used an iphone before and in comparison it interface is slow.

Susan

The design of the Tocco is credit card-like in size and it is portable enough to slip into your pocket or bag the phone is also so slim that it fits comfortably into your hand.

The tocco has a large 2.8” QVGA LCD which offers a full touch navigation experience as well as haptic technology which offers tangible feedback when you make a selection on the touch screen.This is great and gives you feedback on your selections.

The phone has a Widget secreen which allows user customization. The widgets are great and allow you to customize the user interface with applications that move when you drag-and-drop them.

There is no need to worry if you forget your camera when you are out the 5 Megapixel Camera takes stunning photos and video with features like Auto Focus and face Detection automatically adjusts settings when you are taking photos of people; to ensure portraits turn out great. The Tocco aslo includes some fun and convenient features like Smile Shot, Image Stabilization, Power LED and Quick View. You can also easliy edit and enhance your photos, then upload them onto your blog directly from your mobile.

Like the apple I-phone the Tocco has an embedded music player which plays all music forms and includes and FM Radio with RDS. You can easily store and organize your Music Library into folders and playlists using the large memory as well as artwork from album covers being displayed as you scroll through your music selections.

The Tocco allows you to download files quickly via USB 2.0 Full Speed, Bluetooth 2.0 or HSDPA 7.2Mbps HSDPA & Internet Experience. So you can enjoy a full internet experience with full browser support and connection speeds as fast as 7.2Mbps they claim.

The phone allows you to select vertical and horizontal views to optomize large content and comes conveniently set up with Google Search and Gmail for hassle-free web searches and email.

This is a great phone and if you do not want an I-phone as your service provider is not O2 then the Tocco is a great alternative.

This is the second Tocco I have bought, It is Samsungs answer to the I phone, in some respects it is not s good as the I phone but in others it is much better.
The touch screen is the best feature and the fact that as you touch it, it vibrates to let you know that you have hit the correct part.
It was a bit fiddly sending texts but you soon get used to it and I find I can text faster now.
Samsungs 5mg camera is superb and with face recognition it always performs well.
The only bad point I have found is with the SOS message, this allows you to pre-program a message to send to someone in case of an emergency, I recently had 3 heart attacks and I feel comfortable knowing all I have to do is press the volume key on the side and it will send an SOS message letting someone know I have a problem, (trouble is I have done it twice without realising it, I feel it could do with being less sensitive.
All in all I feel it is Samsungs best phone to date and that is why I bought one for my son as well.

I have been a Sony Ericsson fan all my life (last phone K800i - 9/10), great build quality, exceptional camera, easy interface.

But as my upgrade was due I decided to try a touch phone. I really wanted to try the HTC Diamond but too expensive.

So received the Tocco.
Good things:
Loved the looks, weight and feel of the phone in your hand. Very sophistocated. The size is great, fits in the hand and can be controlled by one hand.

With the "Samsung PC Studio 3" software donloaded to PC it is an easy matter moving files around. You have 3 options to interface with the phone. The first two are incredibly slow, forget it, but the "mass transfer" mode is great. Simple "drag and drop" in Windows Explorer. Also seems to handle sall formats pretty well.

Bad things:
5 megapixel camera? forget it! Doesn't come close to the SE K800i 3.2 megapixel camera. Messy menu but it gets there in the end.

Sound not so good with a bit of background noise.

As of time of writing there are no extra widgets available and only about 4 of the existing ones are useful.

3rd party programs? Google maps doesn't work, theres no "where am I"?
Browser a bit temperamental.

I have fixed a lanyard and find it very useful for digging phone out of pocket.

And don't even think about not using the battery cover with the flip over screen protector.

Texting? takes an awful lot of getting used to but does work OK, not a phone for big texters.

Not a bad phone, looks very cool and OK to use.

Thw phone is so easy to use and gorgeous to look at. It has amazing features like the usual camera and applications but it also has song recognition where you just have to point the phone in the direction of music and it identifies it for you! That really impressed me! It also has many secure functions for those who appreciate security codes etc.....for a phone the camera is brilliant at 5mp.
The memory is also really good as it holds 500 text messages where most normal phones (especially Samsung's) hold 200 and that has always been a problem for me personally. Overall I love the phone for all it is- it looks great works amazingly and it made all my friends jelous which was a result :).

In the past ive had a lot of phones ranging from basic nokias to top end sony ericssons. Of all the phones ive had the tocco out does them all. The only thing lacking on this phone is the ability to connect to my wifi network at home. The widgets work great and the camera takes good pictures after playing with the settings for a while. Definetly a worthwhile purchasewell done Samsung.

Love this phone. It does everything i want a phone to do. the camera is not 100%, but i didnt buy it just for the camera - why buy a phone just for a good camera on it when you can go out and buy a top notch camera seperatly for cheaper?? I find it strange when people judge a phone just for the camera quality...its a PHONE! Its meant for calling people (ect) not just for taking pictures...!
Anyway, the settings are good and it is really easy to use. Probably not a great phone for people with big hands but for me (a female) it is perfect. Nothing bad to say about it really...not yet anyway (only had it a week...)

I have had my Tocco for over 6 months, and love it!

This is my first Samsung, and just cant work out why people are having problems! You CAN have you own sound as the message, and it sounds great!
VERY easy to use!

I was worried at first on the missing buttons, but, its alot better when you get used to it.

Even my 9 year old can use with ease!

Not a scratch on it. Works perfectly. Really good price for a mobile of this quality. By far the best thing i have ever bought on ebay.

I wanted a phone like this for a long time and i thought the best way to buy it was to go on E.Bay. I really like the touchscreen it is very easy to use. The icons and the display are very clear.The camera has a very sharp picture that is fairly easy to operate.It looks very sleek. I haven't really got any dislikes about this phone.I would certainly recommend this phone to anyone that likes a bit of class when they are looking for a new phone.If you want the best then think this is it.

Great little phone, easy to use and looks very stylish. The camera is ok, no lense so some shots are poor,as are most samsung cameras. 8gb of storage which is awesome, you wont need much more.Definatly a cheaper alternative to the overpriced,overrated iphone.

This is the phone you either Love or Hate, some people can not get the hang of useing the touch screen but once you`ve mastered it - its a fantastic bit of technology and bang up to date.
The additional cover / case is Brill.

Good Points: Good battery life, superb screen, looks nice.

Bad Points: No voice dialling, flaky PC software, dodgy MP3 player, poor camera, grotty browser.

General comments: I bought the Tocco/F480 after losing my Vario - saw this in a phone shop and bought as a temporary replacement until I get my next upgrade (a couple of months away). On the face of it looked great I was used to touch screen phones having had a Vario (TYTN II), an MDA compact and a SE P800. First impressions seemed favorable with a very bright screen then after the first day the problems set in..... Unlike some I haven't had a problem with the dropping calls BUT I wasn't able to pair it with my old Bluetooth headset (v1.1) so needed to go a buy a new hands free for the car. The manual is truly appalling but it was now I realised that there is no voice dialing - kind of essential these days because you can now get penalty points (get enough of them and you get a pushbike!) phones from the mid/late 90s had this feature why not now? If you want to send a text you have to use your little finger to type it because the screen is just too sensitive and you can lose your text message very easily. The "organizer" why, oh why, what did I do to deserve this? - I tried to sync it with Outlook - seemed OK, but it downloaded all my past appointments took up too much memory and wouldn't download anything that was likely to happen in the near future - clear the old stuff manually off the phone, reconnect and - it downloads all the old stuff again - I've just given up! The MP3 player (OK so I shouldn't use it like that but if its there) after downloading about 1 gig onto a 2 gig card it worked OK for about a day, then it lost the music files - putting the card in my PC the music is still there but the phone can't find it. Now to reformat the card and start again! The "software" supplied has difficulty working out whether the phone is connected or not in many cases "computer says Noooo" so I've just given up using it like that. The music player will play your play list and decide to put your ringbones into the mix (why? they're stored on the phone not the memory card). If you even think about walking whilst you've got the damn thing in your pocket it'll switch the music off unless you "lock" the handset due to the touch screen being too sensitive - even with the supplied floppy thing. The camera - I use this term loosely - at 5mp just manages to make it look like you've taken all your pictures in Lego, focus takes ages (OK maybe I'm spoilt, I use a dSLR) - so I've given up and rely on a compact camera that goes everywhere with me. The browser seems quick enough but factor in the awkward touch screen and the fact that it's not as good as Microsoft's Pocket Internet Explorer (honestly Samsung ' s supplied browser is that bad! - I used Opera Mobile on my previous phones and now find myself wishing for IE as an improvement) - oh and if you want to download software onto your PC to transfer over - forget it you have to download it onto your phone and install from there - great way to pick up a virus! What's worse is a colleague has just bought the Omnia (the next model up) and is finding that it ' s just as bad. In conclusion - would I buy another? - Certainly once the lobotomy scars have healed! Probably better suited to someone who is going to use it as a phone with a couple of gadgets otherwise if you intend to use the features buy something (anything) else. The person who designed th

Not a bad phone all together, the touch screen buttons are very responsive and when typing a text keeps up with the speed and doesnt miss out any letters. But im not too keen on the lay out of the texting, instead of it being like a keyboard layout which i thought it would be it is just like on any other phone, i.e. if you want to type d and then e after you have to wait a second before you can type it as it will change the d to an e.
Camrea is very good quality, but is a bit tricky to use at first, but once you get use to it it is fine.
It does scratch very easily, so i always put it in a case.
Some bits on the phone are a bit tricky to use but over all a good phone.

i purchased this phone for my best friend.
the phone is really awesome with its widget n all the other functions.
its very hip n light n thin.
you won't notice its in ur pocket all along.
perfect for daily use. you'll feel unique.
i wish i had one for myself. but its ok though.
great phone from samsung

Fabulous phone, takes a little getting used to as it differs greatly from a conventional phone, but once you have mastered it GREAT!
Easy size for the pocket.

I love the Samsung Tocco F480 it's a really great and stylish mobile phone. It's easy to use after you get used to the touchscreen ( I got used to it after about 2 dayse, so I wouldn't recommend to some one who prefers buttons, as there's only three. But the touch screen is really just amazing. Theres also a new widget application which allows you to drop and drag other applications to the main screen, I think it's pretty nice to be honest. But if you're a big mobile gaming fan it's quite tricky at first playing racing games and action games as the numbers are on the touchscreen therefore it's much harder to play the games, but I got quite used to it. The camera is very good quality with 5.0 mega pixels. Texting may be an issue with some but as I said once you get used to the touch screen you'll love it. So I'd give the Samsung Tocco F480 a 9/10 there's alot of amazing gadgets on this phone, and a really stylish design.

So, being a previous owner of Nokia Nseries phones, and a current owner of an iTouch this seemed like a great phone to go for.

I didn't want the iPhone since I have an iTouch I don't need yet another virtually identical product to get mixed up with. However I did want a touch screen phone since they're so easy to use and I'm quite at home with them currently anyway.

So, the Tocco is great. I'm also really pleased I didn't go for the Tocco Ultra, strange as that might sound. The fact that the Tocco doesn't have a slide down analogue keypad is a bonus for me, since I think that the touchscreen format looks much more sleek in the candy bar form.

Using a 4x3 touch keypad for texting and writing notes/calendar entries etc is slower than with buttons, but better than trying to squeeze in a qwerty keyboard onto that screen. It's familiar enough to be easy, and modern enough to be fun to use.

The navigation was surprisingly easy to adapt to post-Nokia, and with the widgets/desktop screen leading easily to the main menu and also a shortcuts menu it's quite fast to move around.

I wish that I could adapt the widgets menu to contain alternative functions e.g. messaging or web, but it's good that I can take apps off it (I really don't need to have birthday reminders up there).

The camera is really good and compares well against the N82 (my last great camera phone), which was a relief since the Tocco doesn't have Xenon flash - the LED flash is surprisingly good!

So, yes, if you want a compact, efficient touchscreen phone without becoming a slave to the iPhone trend, then this is a very attractive and effective option.