Samsung GIO

In the spring of this year Samsung introduced three new models of relatively inexpensive based on the Android operating system, the Ace, Gio and Fit. The first two models of a processor whose speed is clocked at 800MHz and 320x480 pixel display. Samsung Galaxy Gio model represents an interesting offer, considering it comes with a 3.3 "screen, casing made ​​from high quality materials, well made​​, functional user interface, and a loud speaker.

Positioning
the spring of this year Samsung introduced three new, relatively inexpensive model based on the Android operating system: Ace, Gio and Fit. The first two models of a processor whose speed is clocked at 800MHz and 320 x 480 pixel screen. However, Ace model has a 5MP camera with autofocus and a large 3.5''screen. Fit Samsung camera features the same as with the Ace, but the processor running at 600MHz and the resolution is less than the minimum standards for an "Android" - 240 x 320 pixels. The difference in price between Gio and Fit models is small.
The design, size, controlsPhone characterized by small size (110 x 57 x 12mm) and weighs 102 grams. The front features partially transparent black plastic, black color is noticeable on the sides of the device while the glossy back cover made of corrugated plastic and dark gray in color. Housing design is such that the phone provides easy to use and provides a pleasant feeling to the touch so that it fits easily Galaxy Gio in hand.Fingerprints are visible on the screen.

The build quality of the device is ideal because of the large numbe rof fixing points on the back. When you press the device no creaks, while all elements of clinging tightly to each other.

Proximity sensor is located on the top front panel. Speaker volume is characterized by the average, a caller will hear you well. Below the screen are two touch-sensitive buttons: right click menu and "Back" buttons which are lit by strong white light LED.Among them are the "Home" within a rectangle with rounded edges. The key is almost absorbed into the body, a slight pressure is sufficient and there is the famous "click" sound.








On the left is the flat keys for volume control. Is slightly above the holes for phone straps. The right-hand side is the microSD slot with a small connector and on / off button. The top end is a standard 3.5mm headphone jack while the bottom are the microUSB slot and a microphone.
On the back of the device is the camera lens and two slots below which the speaker.
The appearance of the Samsung Gio (left) and Samsung Star II:

Appearance Samsung Gio (left) and Samsung i9000:

Appearance Samsung Gio (left) and HTC Mozart:

ScreenUnlike the Galaxy Fit, which surprisingly (considering the low resolution), has a 3.3''screen, while Gio features 3.2''(physical dimensions are 68 x 45mm).Resolution 320 x 480 pixels, TFT-LCD matrix, shows up to 16.7 million colors. The display features capacitive technology, and are supported by two simultaneous pressure (multitouch). Sensitivity is average, and often absent, ie. screen does not respond to light touch.


Viewing angles are excellent while at an angle slightly reduces contrast, but the colors remain the same. The brightness is at a high level is adjusted manually since the device does not possess sensor ambient lighting. During the conversation, a proximity sensor turns off the screen, everything works fine. This model also has MBA220 accelerometer with three axes of linear acceleration sensor and sensor rotation.

BatteryThe device uses Li-Ion 1350 mAh battery, tags EB494358VU. These are exactly the same battery used in Nokia Ace and Fit. The manufacturer claims that this battery can provide 610 hours of standby time in 2G network and up to 460 hours in 3G network. Talk time is 10 hours (2G) and 6 hours in 3G.

If you use the phone about ten hours, the battery will fully discharge by 20 - 30 minutes of calls a day, three hours using Wi-Fi internet (Twitter, e-mail, download and install applications) for about three hours using the mobile internet and a few hours listen to music. Longer work can be provided by using a smaller phone.
The USB charging takes about 2.5 hours while the power supply over takes about 1.5 hours.

CommunicationTelefn uses 2G network (850/900/1800/1900) and 3G (900/2100). Speed ​​for HSDPA up to 7.2 Mbps. In the presence of Blutooth with A2DP version 2.1, it is possible to transfer files and speech.

The device supports wireless 802.11 b / g / n standard. The device can be used as an access point (WiFi hotspot). The setting is a special menu available.

File transfer and synchronization is performed via the USB 2.0 standard. When connected to a computer Gio is defined as the USB Flash Drive or USB modem.

Memory and Memory CardGio has 280 MB of RAM, which is enough for most tasks. To install the applications assigned to the 160MB flash memory (120MB is free). If the user wants, all applications can be transferred to the microSD. 2GB of available memory card.


CameraAce and Galaxy have a 5MP camera Fit, while Gio has a 3MP (to be precise - 3.15MP). AF speed is not satisfactory - about 3 seconds. Max photo resolution up to 2048 x 1536 pixels. The absence of mechanical buttons on the side of the phone to activate the shutter is quite disappointing.
Videos are captured at 320 x 240 and 15fps. Video quality should not comment - it is completely irrelevant.
The camera moves through the menu, and the interface is as follows: the left is the shooting mode (single shot, smile detection, panorama, continuous shooting) scene (landscape, night, sport, indoor, beach, sunset, etc..), Brightness control , configuration. The right side is a gallery, with photos to transfer video.

Photo settings:
Focus mode (auto-focus, macro)TimerThe resolution (320x240, 1280x960, 1600x1200, 2048x1536)White balance (Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten)Effects (no effects, negative, black and white, sepia)Measuring the (center-spot metering, matrix)The quality (normal, excellent, best)Configuring (contrast, saturation, sharpness)

Video settings:
TimerThe resolution (176x144, 320x240)White balance (Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten)Effects (no effects, negative, black and white, sepia)Configuring (contrast, saturation, sharpness)



Photo album looks familiar. Virtually all Android devices have installed 3D gallery.

Video characteristics:
Video codec: MPEG-4 Visual, 480 kbit / sResolution: 320 x 240, 15 f / sAudio codec: AAC at 62 kbit / sChannels: 1 channel, 48.0 KHz

PerformanceAll three models (Ace, Gio and Fit) feature the Qualcomm MSM7227. However, the speed clocked models Ace and Gio is 600 - 800 MHz. However, the architecture of these models (ARMv6) has not changed. 3D-accelerator uses Adreno 200 with OpenGL ES-CM 1.1 support. This will be enough for some simple games, like Angry Birds, but more should not count.
The same chipset Skate favor ZTE, HTC ChaCha, HTC Wildfire S and other models. In terms of speed, model no S5660 in no way inferior to smart phones.During testing there was nothing unusual: restart, hang, freeze OS, etc. - one could say that everything is the same.
Information about a system:


Benchmarks:

Quadrant Standart

Antutu

Nenamark2

Benchmark RL
NavgacijaThe smartphone has GPS navigator. Its functionality is the same as with most cheap phones. For the first booting up takes about 50 seconds for each additional 6-8 seconds.


Software platform"Gio" for the Android version 2.3.3. However, costs for this segment of mobile phones are not crucial, since 2.3.4 and 2.3.5 will be available.

User interface and menuHere is the famous 3.0 Touch Wiz user interface, so no need to describe it in detail.In short, the panel "Dialer", "Contacts", "Message" and enter the "Menu". To unlock the screen you need to press "Menu" key or turn on the device and then move your finger from left to right side of the screen. Through the desktop can be assigned tags, folders, shortcuts, and widgets are different. Users can use the wallpaper's for static and animated screensavers. If you press and hold the mechanical button "Home" menu appears with the previously used applications. No task manager.



Menu is presented in the form of 4 x 4 matrix By clicking on the "Menu" and selecting "Change", the icons can be moved. Can be set in the panel on the bottom ("Home" can not be changed).


CallingAs for the keypad for dialing, it is standard for Samsung, comfortable and functional.Over it is very easy to access contact and registry calls. During the call, dial in the input field entries appear in your contacts list with these numbers. To create a contact, click on the "plus" in the "contacts". For each entry the following information available: avatar, name, phone number, e-mail address, Google Talk account, ring tones for a particular group, postal address, company name, note, alias, web site, birthday and anniversary.






PostsFor typing two keyboards are available: Samsung's, reminiscent of the iPhone OS and Swype keyboard. No it does not seem suitable for small screen size. In this case I was more resistant type of sensor, but in this case you can use the stylus to tap. The phone has an accelerometer, so when you turn the smartphone and when the keyboard comes in landscape mode and typing is comfortable.



ApplicationsTo install the software and games on the model you can use the Galaxy Gio Android Market, but below is a list of severe caps that are preloaded in the phone:
The clock on the screen showing time, date and weather information. From this screen you can switch on an album with photos,music and set the alarm.
AllShare. Program to transfer pictures and music for multimedia devices that support DLNA.

Internet.regular Web browser..
Gmail. E-mail client from Google.

E-Mail. E-mail client for different email services.

Search.
Maps Google Maps for navigation.
Social Hub. This is a comprehensive solution that integrates part of the TouchWiz 3.0 operating system. Involves mechanisms that provide support for a variety of formats and data entry via a special implementation. The device has the same directory where you can add not only telephone but also data related to social networks (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace), email or online messenger (ICQ, AOL).
YouTube. Client to review video from youtube.com. Google Talk. a chat with Google.
Locator.
Navigation.
Address Book.
News and weather.
My files. This is a file manager. You can copy, cut off, delete files and packages files.


ThinkFree Office. Work with office documents from Microsoft. Supports search, edit and create documents in Word / Excel / Powerpoint. The program is also able to view PDF documents

Calculator.
Samsung Apps. Store applications from Samsung. Some sort of Android Market.
Dictaphone.

Task Manager. See active and download applications. Allows you to empty your memory and delete the program.

Book. allows you to search and buy books directly from the phone.
Music portal. Purchase of musical content.


MultimediaMusic Player
In the main menu you can sort songs by artist, album and track. When playing a track, the display shows the album art, and the key player controls to view the playlist. In the settings you can set or select 5.1 audio equalizer. Available are 11 preset equalizer including: rock, jazz, classical, dance, pop, live audio, concert hall, range, clarity of music, bass boost, and externalization.




The volume of polyphonic ring tones is average. The sound is clean and balanced.Sound quality through headphones is very good but not perfect: there is a noticeable lack of deep bass (40-50Hz).
FM-radio
For the work necessary to connect the handset as they have an antenna. The sensitivity of the radio is bad. Operating range 85 - 108MHz, and there is support for RDS. The display is a large number of currently available frequencies, below are four fields that display commonly used radio stations. In the settings you can set an automatic timer radio: from 30 minutes to 2 hours.



Video player
The device has a very simple player with codecs installed that supports the format H2263/H264, MP4 and 3GP. Maximum video resolution is 640x360 pixels, with a bitrate of 1200 kbps in MP4 format. In the video player does not have any settings, just slide the Play / Pause button.

Web BrowserThe standard tool for viewing web pages. By default does not support Flash 10.x, as well as the basic architecture of this device is based on ARMv6. You can try to install Adobe Flash that is optimized for these chips, but the speed of browsing is significantly reduced, it is for stability.



ConclusionOverall, the Samsung Galaxy Gio has left a good impression. Ergonomic design, high processing speed in the menus and applications, good camera and a bright screen. The truth is however that this model has plenty of competitors.
Also, an attractive model for customers and the Galaxy Fit (despite having a processor running at 600MHz), but resolution of this model is not sufficient for diagonal 3.3 "and its pixel are visible. If you do not mind this detail it is a great option.
However, if you choose between either Ace, Gio and fit then I would still give the advantage of Ace model, though it is the most expensive of the three.
This model was introduced in September and represents an interesting offer, considering it comes with a 3.3 "screen, casing made from high quality materials, well made and functional user interface, loud speaker and basic dynamics.
This popular model is the LG P500 Optimus, which is slightly cheaper than the S5660. In this case you get the processor clock. However, truth be told, the speed difference is noticeable, with the processor of this model can overclock the same 800MHz.
Features:Class: smartphoneForm: MonoblockThe materials: plasticOperating system: Google Android 2.3.3Networks: GSM / EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS / HSDPA 900/2100Processor: Single Core, 800 MHz Qualcomm MSM7227TMemory: 280 MBMemory Storage: 160 MB, Memory Card 2 GBConnectivity: Wi-Fi (b / g / n /), Bluetooth 2.1 (A2DP), microUSB connector (USB 2.0) for charging / sync, 3.5mm headphone jackScreen: capacitive, TFT-LCD 3.2 "320x480 pixel resolutionCamera: 3.15 MP with autofocus, video recording in QVGANavigation: GPSOptional: accelerometer, proximity sensor, FM radioBattery: removable, Li-Ion 1350 mAhDimensions: 110x57x12 mmTea: 102 g