The success of the BlackBerry in the world of the business traveller has
inevitably led to other manufacturers bringing out their own versions.
Samsung, which has developed quite a following with its touchscreen Tocco
and Omnia models, is the latest to do so with the C6625v, available in the
UK through Vodafone.
The C6625v is slim enough to slide into your suit pocket without ruining its
line and wears its own suit of respectability thanks to a clean black and
chrome design.
Typing using the C6625v’s thumb-board is pleasant. The slim profile means that
the handset sits nicely in your palms while the rounded design of the keys
One oddity of the keyboard is the function key, which is shaded grey, as are
all of the letter keys that double up as number keys. Pressing the function
key gives access to these numbers but also to all of the other special
symbols on the other keys, which are not shaded grey.
At the centre of the front side, there is a four way navigation pad with a
central select button which all have a satisfactory clicking action. This is
flanked by four function keys and two chrome send and end call buttons.
The C6625v runs under Windows Mobile 6.1 but has a more fathomable user
interface laid over the top of the menu-based operating system. You can
access the home screen, contacts, music, photos and other program shortcuts
from a ribbon of icons is draped down the left hand edge of the screen.
Contacts allows you to select eight of your most commonly called contacts onto
a quick call screen. Otherwise, you can just access all your contacts
through the Phonebook.
Overall, I found navigating around the device somewhat confusing. Sometimes it
seemed like you had to press the cancel function key to exit a screen while
at other times you had to press the end key. A back key might have been a
better solution.
Journeying around the handset, there’s a port on the right hand side which is
used for charging and also to connect a headset. The left hand edge is home
to the microSDcard slot and volume buttons. On the rear face, you find a
2.0MP camera which can be used for both stills and low-res video.
As you would expect, the handset is compatible with IMAP4, POP3 and Microsoft
Exchange email.
One worrying omission for a modern business-focused smartphone is the lack of
wi-fi, although if your company is paying the phone bills then maybe you
won’t worry too much. It does come with built-in GPS though but without any
native maps application. However, you can easily download Google Maps for
the device.
The other issue for the C6625v is battery life, which is far from spectacular.
I found that with only moderate use the battery lasted around a day and a
half.
The C6625v has a similar target audience to Nokia’s E63 and BlackBerry’s Bold
9000. The E63 has a very similar spec but is slightly heavier. The
difference comes from the battery which lasts considerably longer on the
E63. The payback is the C6625v’s slim profile. BlackBerry’s Bold, meanwhile,
is also heavier but has the edge over the C6625v with its better screen and
more aesthetically pleasing design.
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