Wave of the future

MANILA, Philippines - Let’s see. There are so many kinds of waves. Usually, it means something that moves, or something that’s big expressions like “wave of the future” describe a trend that signals the state of things to come.

For instance, I’ve often thought of the incoming administration of president-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III as a new wave of sorts. I like to think that with all the hope that over 15 million Pinoys put on it, his presidency can bring about a giant wave of change for the better that we have been waiting for — and have long deserved.

And then, there is the wave in a computer game. If you’ve ever played the game Plants vs Zombies, you’ll be amazed at how prepared you have to be for the big wave. The object of the game of course is to prevent the zombies from attacking your house. So, you defend your home by planting flowers, mushrooms and pee shooters and other cute plants that kill the zombies. You then have to always be prepared for the big wave; that is, the last wave of many zombies attacking the house at the same time. There’s also the wave of technology. A wave that is always surging forward — always coming up with something bigger, better and more technologically sound. Indeed, there is the Samsung Bada, which means “wave” in Korean.

When Samsung Electronics Philippines Corp. (SEPCO) launched Samsung Wave (or its robotic name S8500), it knew that it had introduced Pinoy cellphone lovers to yet another new reason to get a new handset. The Bada is the first Samsung cellphone to be released on Samsung’s new, open mobile platform. Matter of fact, the Korean company has called the Bada the cornerstone of its commitment to give its customers a smartphone that fits every user.

“The Samsung Wave truly demonstrates our commitment to deliver rich, connected and innovative smartphone experiences to everyone,” said Glenn Glinoga, SEPCO mobile communications business head. “Samsung Wave sees our platform vision become a reality. For the first time, developers have the freedom to create applications across multiple platforms for consumption on a huge range of devices. In the Wave, our developer partners can see the ocean of opportunity that is offered by the Bada mobile platform and our device technology.”

Hit the wave

If there’s one thing that Samsung has really made a mission out of, it is the creation of a cellphone that fits every market and every lifestyle. Already, Samsung has made touch-screen cellphones available for every market in Pinoy society.

No matter the age range, Samsung has a cellphone that can mix and match it. When I first got hold of the Bada, I knew that I was holding a Samsung cellphone that was created with the smartphone users in mind. Smartphone users are those who like to be connected all the time. Not just through text messages and calls because as we all know, that is so passé. There are so many more ways of staying in touch, and good Internet connections are a must to stay in touch with people, no matter where they are or what time it is.

The Bada seems to be Samsung’s answer to an all-in-one cellphone. And that is Samsung’s strength — it likes to develop cellphones that are loaded with almost all the useful functions — no matter the niche markets that the handsets were created for.

Take a look inside

I really like the Bada’s large screen. I also like the way the keys are located under the screen. The diamond-shaped central button is easy to press and responds easily when pressed — there are no delays when touching the Samsung buttons or even the screen for that matter. If there is one thing that irritates me the most, it is when my cellphone takes a few slow seconds before it responds to the touching of the keys or the screen. This is not the case with the Bada; it’s truly a touch-and-go cellphone. An extra is the way the Bada exudes an air of elegance. It is not flashy or attention-grabbing, but calls attention because of its simple elegance.

I also like the fact that Samsung has developed an interface that makes it easy to set up and personalize. If you have ever owned a Samsung cellphone, then getting an upgrade and fixing it up to your personal specifications is a synch. Of course, the AMOLED screen that is a Samsung trademark cannot go unnoticed. The Bada’s screen has displays, shows photos and captures pictures that are crisp and clear. I use my cellphone a lot when I’m out in the sun — and the Samsung Bada screen is just perfect for that. I did not have to twist the Bada in all sorts of angles to see the screen. It makes it just great too when I had to read a few text messages as I was walking to the car. The clarity of the super AMOLED screen is something that the Bada has going for it.

Time to transfer

If there is one thing that I have noticed through the years of using cellphones, it’s that the exchange of data using Bluetooth technology is no longer as easy as it used to be. Blame it on version of the Bluetooth on the cellphone.

The Samsung Bada is one of the first models with the Blue-tooth 3.0, which I was told makes file transfer faster. All I can say is that when I transferred my directory and other photos and a few tunes from a different-brand cellphone to the Bada, it was easy — and it was quick. With the Samsung Bada ready to use and easy to set up, it’s time to hit the Net.

Making connections

The social hub on the Bada has been designed to seamlessly integrate all major e-mail accounts, IM and SNS services directly into the Samsung Wave. With its TouchWiz 3.0 UI, it provides users easy-flow integrated experience of messaging, managing contacts and viewing calendar events. Social Hub is powered by push technology to deliver e-mail messages, calendar events and SNS updates in real-time.

I set up my two e-mail accounts, added my Twitter and Facebook accounts, and the Samsung Wave was ready to go. The Bada platform made it easy for me to download all the apps I’m familiar with. It helped that I logged on to Samsung Apps store, an integrated application store accessible from the device. Connecting to the Samsung App store was fast — and downloading my fave apps even faster. Speed is important when connecting to the Web on a cellphone. For those of us who like to stay in touch through social networking sites at all times, the Samsung Wave allows us to personalize the layout of the homepage to allow instant access to Twitter, Facebook and a host of other social networking services. For those who love music, the device homepage can be turned into an intuitive media player, while for those who take and share a lot of photos, the homepage can be customized to feature favorite images. Of course, the Samsung Wave has a great 1GHz processor, which offers users one of the best graphic performances available today. Its speed makes the touch-screen user interface incredibly responsive.

Samsung also thought of the little big things that matter, like anti-smudge technology that keeps the fingerprints at bay.

All of these, plus the fast Net connections and the super crisp AMOLED display, make the Samsung Wave truly one of the most must-have, elegant and top-rate cellphones today.

There are waves and there are waves — but the Samsung Wave is one we don’t mind being swept away in.