The SGH-i450 is one of the models that make up Samsung’s Live Loud series. Although branded as a music phone, this model runs on the Symbian S60 platform version 3.1, making it a smartphone as well. It is also the only phone in the series to use Symbian.

With ICEPower amplifiers and Bang & Olufsen audio technology, the SGH-i450 provides users with good, clear sound.

This solidly built handset measures 101 millimetres by 52mm by 18.4mm and weighs about 114 grams. It is bigger than most music phones, but the advantage is that it provides a good grip. Plus, it has a large display, about 2.4 inches in size with 240 by 320 pixels resolution.

The SGH-i450 slides in two directions to reveal a 12-key number pad on one side, and a speaker with a red semi-circular rubber strip on the other. The keypad is ergonomic and easy to use.

The touch-sensitive semi-circular strip, interestingly, has its other half completed on the screen’s user interface. Users can choose to control or scroll their music with the touch-sensitive pad, or use the navigational wheel on the other end of the phone.

To increase the volume, users will need to slide their fingers clockwise, and the semi-circle on the screen will move in the same direction. To pause or resume playback, just tap the middle of the strip, and to scan backward or forward, tap and hold the upper or lower part of the strip.

The only issue with this touch-sensitive strip is that it is not always a smooth experience when using it. At times, a little touch gets it moving too fast; at other times, it needs extra effort.

But it’s a good thing that users are able to control music with the navigational wheel as well. For convenience, music hotkeys on the front and side of the phone are available to control volume, play, pause, fast-forward and rewind.

I will give the thumbs-up for the music player on board the SGH-i450. Good, clear sound is provided with the aid of the audio technology supplied by Bang & Olufsen and its ICEPower amplifiers. The phone supports MP3, AAC and WMA music files.

As for music management, the standard fair such as playlist, music library, tracks and sorting based on artiste, album and genre, is provided.

One of the SGH-i450’s highlight is the 3.5mm earphone jack, which means users can listen to music with their own headphones without any adapters.

For more music, the handset includes FM radio with auto-tuning to search for radio stations. It also comes loaded with RealPlayer for video and a Flash player.

The Symbian S60 platform allows a lot more advanced capabilities for this music phone, compared to other music phones. Users can run multiple applications at the same time.

Since the SGH-i450 uses 3.6-megabit-per-second High Speed Downlink Packet Access for network access, downloading e-mail files is quite fast. Word, Excel and PowerPoint formats are supported as well.

The phone is also EDGE (enhanced data rates for global evolution)-enabled.

For those who enjoy surfing the Internet, the SGH-i450 provides a first-rate browsing experience, just as if browsing on a PC. Web pages are displayed in full and the Symbian software also allows other features such as page history, page overview, zoom and Web feeds.

The only weak point of this handset is the absence of Wi-Fi support. It would have been better if the phone is equipped with Wi-Fi so users can use free Wi-Fi networks to surf the Internet.

Also, the two-megapixel camera on the SGH-i450 is rather basic. Very little features are available, and picture quality is nothing to shout about.

For video conferencing, the video graphics array camera is available in front of the phone.

Although the SGH-i450’s internal memory is only

35 megabytes, it has a slot for

a Micro Secure Digital card, which supports capacities up to four gigabytes.

And it connects to headphones and computers using Bluetooth and USB 2.0, including A2DP for stereo Bluetooth headsets.

The review unit pack contained a 1,140mAh lithium-ion battery, travel adapter/charger, PC data cable, headset, PC Studio CD and Quick Start Guide.

For those who want to have the best of both worlds – music and business features – in their hands, the SGH-i450 will provide the right fit.

Product: SGH-i450
Manufacturer: Samsung
Enquiries: Samsung Malaysia Electronics (Toll-free:1-800-889-999)
Price: RM1,599

SPECIFICATIONS

• Dimensions: 101mm by 52mm by 18.4mm
• Weight: 114g
• Network: HSDPA 3.6Mbps/UMTS/EDGE (900/1800/1900/2100)
• Display: 2.4-inch VGA TFT (262,000 colours)
• Camera: Two megapixels, VGA camera
• Features: Symbian v9.2/S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1, ICEPower audio technology, Bluetooth 2.0 (A2DP), USB 2.0 HS, OMA DRM v2.0/MTP, FM radio, 3.5mm earphone jack, touch-wheel navigation
• Connectivity: Bluetooth v2.0 EDR (A2DP/AVRCP)/USB 2.0
• Memory: 35MB internal memory, microSD
• Colour: Dark blue, onyx black, white