DesignLooking at the reflective surface of the phone, you might be reminded of LG's Shine model, which also turned into a mirror when idle. This one's a bit of a fun-house mirror though -- because of the angles, your face will look distorted when you look into it. Not great for the self-esteem, but quite nifty for blinding enemies by harnessing the power of the sun.
Even though the U700 looks metallic, it's actually pretty plasticky, and doesn't feel as solid as the Shine. When we were reviewing the Shine, we dropped it a few times -- accidentally -- and there was no damage. We'd be a lot more concerned about dropping the U700, so take note if you're someone who tends to get a bit slap-happy with your possessions.
Of course, the upside to the plastic construction is the fact that the handset weighs barely anything. In fact, the size and the weight are our favourite bits about this phone -- it's 85 grams and just over 12 millimetres thick.
Samsung has gone for a sparse approach when it comes to buttons and ports. Tucked into the bottom on the left side of the phone are a volume key and a proprietary socket for charging, USB connection and a headset. Stashed on the right are a camera shortcut key and a microSD slot. The keys on both sides are placed very low, making volume adjustment and quick camera access a bit of an awkward endeavour.
Below the 240 x 320-pixel display are two more of-the-moment inclusions: touch-sensitive keys and a scroll wheel. Menus can be navigated by rotating the wheel or by pressing its sides to move up, down or across. The centre key selects items and also unlocks the touch-sensitive buttons during a call.
A flick of the thumb reveals a flat keypad with nice big buttons, but nothing to set them apart from one another. You would have trouble texting without looking at the numbers, as it's scarcely possible to tell by feel where one key ends and another begins.
FeaturesChief among the U700's features is a flash-enabled 3.2-megapixel camera that promises fewer blurs and faster image capture courtesy of its "Rapid Focus" technology. One camera spec to take note of is the 176 x 144-pixel maximum video capture resolution, which is surprisingly low.
Another convenient feature is the Google menu icon, which takes you straight to the almighty search engine or your GMail account: handy for those times when you want to quickly and surreptitiously cheat at pub trivia.
Music hasn't been left out of the mix: sounds from the media player are swanked up with Bang & Olufsen's hoity-toity ICEpower audio technology, which aims to provide vibrant sound while reducing energy consumption. The inclusion of A2DP Bluetooth support means you can hear those tunes without wires.
PerformanceWe found that the camera suffered from a significant lag between pressing the shutter button and capturing the snap. Although images didn't show too much blurring as a result, the delay is long enough to cause impatience if you're a frequent phonecam user.
Even though the U700 looks metallic, it's actually pretty plasticky, and doesn't feel as solid as the Shine. When we were reviewing the Shine, we dropped it a few times -- accidentally -- and there was no damage. We'd be a lot more concerned about dropping the U700, so take note if you're someone who tends to get a bit slap-happy with your possessions.
Of course, the upside to the plastic construction is the fact that the handset weighs barely anything. In fact, the size and the weight are our favourite bits about this phone -- it's 85 grams and just over 12 millimetres thick.
Samsung has gone for a sparse approach when it comes to buttons and ports. Tucked into the bottom on the left side of the phone are a volume key and a proprietary socket for charging, USB connection and a headset. Stashed on the right are a camera shortcut key and a microSD slot. The keys on both sides are placed very low, making volume adjustment and quick camera access a bit of an awkward endeavour.
Below the 240 x 320-pixel display are two more of-the-moment inclusions: touch-sensitive keys and a scroll wheel. Menus can be navigated by rotating the wheel or by pressing its sides to move up, down or across. The centre key selects items and also unlocks the touch-sensitive buttons during a call.
A flick of the thumb reveals a flat keypad with nice big buttons, but nothing to set them apart from one another. You would have trouble texting without looking at the numbers, as it's scarcely possible to tell by feel where one key ends and another begins.
FeaturesChief among the U700's features is a flash-enabled 3.2-megapixel camera that promises fewer blurs and faster image capture courtesy of its "Rapid Focus" technology. One camera spec to take note of is the 176 x 144-pixel maximum video capture resolution, which is surprisingly low.
Another convenient feature is the Google menu icon, which takes you straight to the almighty search engine or your GMail account: handy for those times when you want to quickly and surreptitiously cheat at pub trivia.
Music hasn't been left out of the mix: sounds from the media player are swanked up with Bang & Olufsen's hoity-toity ICEpower audio technology, which aims to provide vibrant sound while reducing energy consumption. The inclusion of A2DP Bluetooth support means you can hear those tunes without wires.
PerformanceWe found that the camera suffered from a significant lag between pressing the shutter button and capturing the snap. Although images didn't show too much blurring as a result, the delay is long enough to cause impatience if you're a frequent phonecam user.
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