Samsung Omnia Pro 4 B7350 Hands-on @ Microsoft Office 2010 launch event

This morning I was fortunate to attend the local Microsoft Office 2010 launch event for consumers, after the Microsoft Office 2010 launch event for businesses back in May.

One of the cool things for me as a Windows Phone enthusiast was a demo of Microsoft Office Mobile 2010 on the Samsung Omnia Pro 4 B7350, which was announced today on the CommunicAsia 2010 event.

Samsung Omnia Pro 4 – Hands-on pictures !

In the picture above you can see the Samsung Omnia Pro 4 at its full glory. I really love this category of Windows Phones, with a frontfacing physical full QWERTY hardare keyboard (just like the HTC Snap, which is one of my all time favourite devices).

The Samsung Omnia Pro 4 has a nice black business-style finish. Furthermore you can see that the Samsung Omnia Pro 4 features a 2.6″ 320×320 touch screen. The screen continues the tradition of the Samsung Omnia Pro B7330.

In the picture you can see that the Samsung Omnia Pro 4 has Microsoft Office Mobile 2010 pre-installed, that I reviewed a while back. Windows Mobile 6.5.3  powers the Samsung Omnia Pro 4, which brings a set of new features and functionality in comparison with previous Windows Mobile 6.x devices.

 

 

The right sideview of the Samsung Omnia Pro 4 features three buttons: (1) dedicated camera button, (2) dedicated lock  button, and (3) microSD slot. (from left to right).

A big hooray for the dedicated camera button, which was one of the comments in the review of the HTC HD2 where you fully control the camera and album application via the use of touch.

 

The bottom side-view of the Samsung Omnia Pro 4 has a clean surface without any buttons or connectors. Furthermore you can see in the pictures that the hight of the hardware keys gives a good typing experience where you can feel the differences between the keys.

 

 The left sideview of the Samsung Omnia Pro 4 shows the well famous volume-control buttons. Even when you are on a phonecall you can adjust the volume to your needs.

 

The picture above shows the top side-view of the Samsung Omnia Pro 4. Remarkable is the position of the micro-USB connector, which might require some clever solutions for carkit holders atc. In addition you can see the 3.5 mm. headphone jack, that combined with the microUSB connector is perfectly fits the adopted standards in mobile industry.

 

 

The most remarkable hardware part on the backside of the Samsung Omnia Pro 4 is the lens of the 3.2 megapixel camera. Furthermore the battery cover on the backside hides a 1500 mAh battery, which is pretty powerful.

 

Concluding thoughts and first impressions

During the local Microsoft Office Mobile 2010 launch event for consumers I only had limited time to play with the Samsung Omnia Pro 4.

My first impression was a very responsive Windows Phone that combines the versatality of a touchscreen and Windows Mobile 6.5.3 with a full QWERTY hardware keyboard, that makes e-mail, sms and text-input on Twitter, Facebook or other social media clients extremely easy.

Since I love my HTC Snap this is certainly a device that fits my personal needs. Furthermore I’m happy to see that hardware partners continue to build Windows Mobile 6.x devices, despite all the pressure of the new upcoming Windows Phone 7 (mobile) operating system.

If Samsung plays a tough retail game they are able to grab some marketshare in the BlackBerry-like segment of devices, with the ability to make optimal use of Microsoft Exchange 2010 infrastructure running in the backend of a corporate environment.

What do you think of this category of Windows Phones, since the complete market is geared towards full touch control ? Do you prefer a sliding keyboard, a candybar style Windows Phone like the HTC S740, or a fully touch controlled device ?? I’m looking forward to hear your thoughts.