Ever since we witnessed the slew of accusations and bad reviews plaguing Microsoft's latest mobile operating system, Windows Mobile 6.5, we've been dying to get a chance to try it out for ourselves and see whether there was any truth to those reports or not. So, when the opportunity presented itself at a local Samsung-related event, we quickly took the smartphone the respective OS was running on, the Omnia II, for a brief spin, in order to see what the device and its integration with the Microsoft OS is all about.

First of all, we'll have to tell you that we can't help but analyze this device from two different points of view, namely that of the hardware itself and the user interface (TouchWiz 2.0 UI) added by Samsung, and a second one, related directly to the underlying operating system, Windows Mobile 6.5.

From the first point of view, we can say that the Omnia II has left us with a very good impression. I mean, the device has a very large AMOLED touchscreen display (3.7 inches), which is able to both render colors at a very good quality and resolution (480 x 800 pixels) and respond very fast and accurately to any commands. Plus, its external design is elegant, despite the fact that the black rear-side can be described as way too fingerprint-friendly.

While we won't go into any details regarding its other hardware options (you can check out more info on this subject right here, on Softpedia, within our Mobile section), we'll have to say that the overall experience with the Omnia II is a pretty pleasurable one, the TouchWiz 2.0 user interface having a very good behavior and moving quite “smoothly,” regardless of the circumstances. Plus, the icons are quite well defined and the navigation is seamless and intuitive, which means people who stick to the basic functions accessible via this interface should have no problem whatsoever.

Unfortunately, the second point of view in analyzing the Omnia, namely that related to the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, delivered a less pleasant experience. The first feeling we had when taking a look at the UI was something along the lines of “Boy, does this look old.” Indeed, while we can't state that there's something particularly wrong with the OS, it's still far, far away from what the competition (Android, especially) has to offer in terms of usability and design.

All in all, we can say that our short time with the Samsung Omnia II smartphone has been a very pleasurable one, the smartphone representing, in our opinion, a good choice for those lifestyle-conscious users who tend to use their smartphones for a lot more than just making calls.


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