Nov 08, 2011 10:42 AM
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Samsung Galaxy Ace Android Smart Phone: Involving and Interesting
The competitive smartphone market saw Samsung pip Apple in market share
during the period Q3 2011. Samsung’s Galaxy(the flagship model) for
smartphone continues to introduce new handsets at various price points that
are packed with features to the brim and ably supported by decent
performance, thanks to the supporting OS from Android mainly.
I chose the mid-range smartphone Galaxy Ace S 5830 after scouting for a
suitable handset in this range and got it at a price tag of Rs.13, 900/-. On the
eve of the festive season(Dassera was through and Diwali about to come), the
package was also complimented by a kit comprising of a car charger kit, a
bluetooth set, an additional mobile cover and a screen guard protector.
Android based smartphones have been doing well as it is more diversified
with several applications available from the Android market. My handset
came uploaded with the version 2.3.4(GINGERBREAD).
The Galaxy Ace is a typical touch screen model that closely resembles the
Apple iPhone 4. The handset is attractive and feels solid though has a plastic
rim. The back cover has a textured plastic cover that provides good hand grip.
The QVGA 480x320 pixels screen appears sharp and crisp.
The user interface based on the Samsung touchscreen UI platform is easy to
understand once you get familiar to the handset. We do recommend
downloading the soft copy of the manual for easy reference. Address book
entries, calling are convenient while SMS gets recorded in the form of
conversations- an easy way to trail the records.
This phone features a 5MP camera with several settings that one would
typically find in an entry level compact camera. Under ideal lighting
conditions, the photos come outstanding and hard to reveal that they have
been shot from a mobile phone. The flash is also quite powerful and assists in
low light photography. Video filming is not recommended unless necessary as
it features only basic VGA quality at 15fps.
The best functionality of this phone can be tested once GPRS is activated and
you start using the mail service, browsing and enter the android market.
Email configuration is very simple and option to activate Microsoft office
exchange is also present for business mails.
The 800MHz processor provides good speed for general purpose applications.
The pinch zoom feature of the capacitative screen works well.
In the Android market, there are numerous applications available. On
priority, I started utilizing the Think Free Online to save documents(Word,
Excel, Pdf) both online and in the folder(within the memory of the mobile).
The in-built memory of the handset is just 153MB while a 2 GB micro SD
card comes shipped with the handset.
To activate ThinkFree Online, you can use your same Gmail account but
created with a different password. It is very useful and handy to store
valuable documents. I also activated the free NetQin anti-virus package from
the Android market and the Times of India(news). Overall, I will advice
users to carefully review and selectively install apps from the Android
market as they are few good ones really to make use of.
Other applications included in this handset include navigation, maps,
latitudes etc.
The KIES software from Samsung is provided in a mini CD and should be
installed in the PC to transfer files(photos, videos, music) between the
mobile and PC.
The battery life is above average and is consumed faster when GPRS is
activated. The handset does not have any light indicator as such to show that
it is getting charged. Only a written display and the colour indicator moving
on the battery icon are seen.
Overall, there is plenty to keep one involved with this exciting mid-range
smart phone that has an array of interesting features that perform decently.
The Galaxy Ace is a winner all the way for someone who is keen to enter the
Android based smartphone segment and use it optimally. A worthy buy!
-Shibu Chakraborty
