Smartphone from 2010
The
Samsung
Focus
(also known as the
SGH-i917
and
Samsung Cetus
) is a
slate
smartphone
which runs Microsoft's
Windows Phone
operating system. It features a 1 GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processor, a 4.0-inch
Super AMOLED
screen, and 8GB of internal storage (expandable to 40GB with a 32GB
microSD
card). As of November 2011, it is the 4th lightest and thinnest
Windows Phone
, behind the
Samsung Focus Flash
,
HTC Titan
and the
Samsung Focus S
, a more high-end version of the original Focus.
History
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Release and marketing
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The Focus was released on November 8, 2010, along with the
HTC Surround
on
AT&T
. It was marketed by Samsung as being the only Windows Phone to feature a microSD card slot.
The Focus was also released on November 8, 2010, on
Rogers Wireless
in Canada, Rogers handsets differ in appearance as they lack carrier branding instead of having the Samsung logo appear at the top where the AT&T logo would normally appear.
[1]
The Samsung Focus is no longer available on Rogers Wireless as of March 20, 2012.
Successor
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The successor to the Focus is the
Samsung Focus S
, released in November 2011, featuring a larger 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Plus display. The
Samsung Focus Flash
is also listed as a successor in the US; in other countries, however, it is a successor to the
Omnia
.
Features
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Display
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The Samsung Focus features a Corning
Gorilla glass
,
[2]
Super AMOLED
[3]
display like its
Galaxy S
cousins. The display is much brighter than
LCDs
and reduces power consumption. The high contrast ratio between dark and light colors produces exceptional quality even in sunlight. The nature of the capacitive touchscreen can cause some issues as some have noted placing the phone on a plush surface will make the display very unresponsive.
[4]
However normal hand-held usage is very responsive.
Software
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The phone was released with
Windows Phone
and AT&T Navigator, AT&T Radio, AT&T myWireless and AT&T Uverse which can be uninstalled. The device also shipped with Samsung's "Now", also known as, "Daily Briefing" application which displays weather, news, and stocks.
[5]
The phone is capable of upgrading to Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango).
Languages
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At the time of its launch, the Rogers version supported English and French, while the AT&T version also supported German, Spanish, and Italian. The Windows Phone 7.5 update added support for Korean to both variants.
Reception
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The Samsung Focus received positive reviews. It received a 7 out of 10 rating from
Engadget
stating, "The Focus is kind of the everyman of the Windows Phone line. It doesn't really have any fancy features and isn't especially stylish... but it gets the job done ... At the end of the day, a lot of people will find that the Focus hits the sweet spot – for us, it just slightly misses the mark."
[5]
CNET
gave the phone 4 out of 5 stars and stated, "Anyone looking for an alternative to the iPhone, but who wants better multimedia features and a more organized user interface than Android offers, should look at the Samsung Focus ... which has all that plus solid performance and a sleek design."
[6]
Gizmodo
praised the phone for its
Super AMOLED
display and the thinness and lightness of the device although noting, "The glossy plastic and fake chrome isn't just tacky, it makes a phone loaded with high-end technology feel cheap.
[7]
SlashGear said that the Focus "might well be the best Windows Phone device in the (North American) market."
[8]
PC Magazine
said that the Samsung Focus is "probably the best of the Windows phones."
[9]
In its annual Readers' Choice Awards 2011, PC Magazine gave the Samsung Focus the highest overall score among AT&T smartphones, besting the Apple iPhone.
[10]
Expandable storage issues
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The Focus is marketed as the only Windows Phone that has a microSD card slot but many users found that installation can be tricky. The SD card used in the Samsung Focus must meet certain performance requirements, such as random read and write speeds, which cannot be determined with the speed class alone. When inserting a new SD card into the Samsung Focus, the phone must be reformatted and reset to factory settings.
AT&T
has informed customers to buy a "Samsung Focus approved" microSD card in order to use the slot.
[11]
After inserting an SD card, one cannot remove it as the card integrates with the phone's memory; doing so will completely erase the phone along with the card.
[5]
See also
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References
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External links
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- Telephones portal
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for GSM Handset
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for CDMA (non-Sprint) Handset
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for CDMA (Sprint) Handset
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for Global Telecommunications
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for Samsung Mobile
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