Reviewed by: Marisa Genuardi - Mar 13, 2008
Introduction
Upon removing a brand new Samsung FlipShot from the box, the user will
be greeted with a bevy of phone mysteries. How can a device so tiny function
as both a cell phone and a digital camera? Will both photo and call quality
be up to par? And, perhaps most importantly, just where does the battery
go?
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Your Price:
$49.99
with service
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The first question is left up to the experts, and the second question
to the rest of the review. As for the third question, the entire front panel
of the phone lifts off in order to provide access to the battery slot without
interrupting the seamless design of the camera face. With even this smallest
of details taken care of, the FlipShot promises to be, at the very least,
an excellent entry into the field of design.
With an innovative design and an excellent 3.0-megapixel camera, the
FlipShot should please cell phone photography enthusiasts. Others, especially
those who enjoy watching phone video, will most likely enjoy the phone's
high-quality 262K-color internal screen. The remainder of users should be
satisfied with a nice-looking phone that offers the standard Verizon phone
experience, including organizational applications, 500-entry Contacts list,
and a wide variety of messaging options.
Design
The "flip-and-twist" camera design of the FlipShot is, of course, its
big selling point. This design feature is explored in further detail in
the Camera section of this review. In this section, it is enough to say
that this aspect of the design is both easy and fun to use, and certainly
stands out as the outstanding feature of this phone. The rest of the phone's
design is more than satisfactory, combining a simple black and silver color
scheme with a compact functionality.
At 96 x 46 x 19 mm and 110 g, the phone is a little bulkier than some
of its ultra-slim contemporaries. However, the phone is in no way bulky,
and for what is essentially a two-in-one device, the FlipShot packs a whole
lot of functionality into a small package. Although it is average in size
for a cell phone, it is certainly on the smaller end of the digital camera
size range. The device fits easily into hand in either vertical phone mode
or horizontal camera mode.
 The
"front" of the closed phone (which, of course, is flipped towards the inside
of the phone in camera mode) offers no design surprises. The sleek blackness
of the front panel is interrupted only by the small external screen and
by silver lettering heralding the names of Samsung and Verizon, and announcing
to the world the cryptic message of "3.0-Megapixels." As an added fun bonus,
hidden keys below the external screen control the phone's music player.
A touch in the center of the glassy black panel illuminates a small red
play / pause button, whereas touches to the left and right illuminate the
back and forward buttons. When not lit up, the buttons leave behind no trace
that they ever existed. With its mix of black, silver, and glassy smoothness,
the front panel looks cool, and the screen and hidden buttons add to its
usefulness.
The back of the phone doubles as the front of the digital camera. Other
phones have pulled off this trick before, but usually using the smaller
external phone screen as the camera viewing screen instead of twisting around
the larger internal screen like the FlipShot. As mentioned above, although
the battery is stored under this panel, there is no battery case seem. Instead,
the back of the phone offers a smooth black plate with the Samsung and Verizon
logos engraved into two separate corners. There is no special embossing
or painting of the logos, making them blend unnoticeably into the jet black
continuity of the panel. The camera lens hovers off to the right / top,
trailed by a floating translucent ovaline flash. Since the lens / flash
are on the top when the phone is oriented vertically, users needn't worry
about them awkwardly interfering with their phone-gripping. Functional and
simple, the back panel gets the job done with a little bit of class.
The clamshell flips open to reveal the standard format of screen-on-top
and keyboard-on-bottom. There is nothing out of the ordinary here, and anyone
who's used a Samsung / Verizon clamshell before should be right at home.
In addition to numberpad, the keyboard features a 5-way navigation button,
the standard assortment of Send, Clear, and End / Power buttons, and two
dedicated softkeys. To the left of the 5-way key is a button that summons
the camera and to the right is one that controls speakerphone. The camera's
zoom key (along the side of the phone) doubles as a volume controller as
well. Headphones and battery adapter connect to ports along the other side
of the phone.
With its much-touted "flip-and-twist" camera screen, the FlipShot offers
something new to the phone design scene. The rest of the phone's design
is both sleek and functional, offering dual functionality of phone and digital
camera in a small, compact package.
Out of the box, the Samsung FlipShot comes with a standard 880 Li-Ion
battery, Power Cable, Wrist Strap, Quick Reference Guide and User Manual.
Next >
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