Quick Review: Helio's Heat by Samsung

Samsung Helio Heat

Samsung Helio Heat

Samsung Helio Heat

Helio recently added a slick new slider, the Samsung Heat, to the company's growing selection of handsets. The Heat, looking ever so much like Samsung's E900 that was released last year for the European market, provides users with an elegant and versatile choice in a phone. The Heat is available in two color schemes: black onyx and gold. With its simple lines and discreet touch sensitive buttons, the Heat definitely seems to be on.

The Samsung Heat, cloaked in a glossy black sheen, is a slider form factor handset that has very clean and ergonomically friendly curves throughout. Fitting easily in the palm of the hand, the compact 93mm x 45mm x 16.5mm (3.6" x 1.8" x 0.6") Heat is sure to be a crowd pleaser when it comes to things like pocketability. Weighing a mere 93g (3.2oz), the Heat will not weigh down anyone's pockets, either.

Helio's Samsung Heat offers users a large 2" 262k color QVGA (320x240) pixel display. The bright display provides offers easy to read screens that make it a joy to use when messaging or surfing the web. Located below the phone's main display are the Heat's main attractions, its touch sensitive buttons. Utilizing electrostatic technology, these "touch pad" buttons are used instead of the traditional softkeys and call buttons. When inactive, the buttons are obscured from view. By activating the handset, which can be done in a number of ways, the Heat's touch sensitive keys will light up. The two softkeys, the send button, and the back button are all of the touch-sensitive variety. Hidden, except when the media player is active, are the dedicated previous and next track buttons that straddle the mechanical d-pad. The downside to the controls is that the touch sensitive keys were quite a chore to use at times. Often unresponsive, sometimes requiring multiple touches, I can honestly say I am not a fan of the new touch sensitive craze that is being pushed upon us by the phone manufacturers. With no true tactile feedback, the only indication that your key presses are accepted on the Heat is when a the key flashes momentarily. A helpful hint when using the touch sensitive buttons is to not use the tip of your finger. You'll get better results when the full finger pad is placed on the buttons. Head this warning - Helio makes it very clear that hard presses are not needed on the Heat's controls, and I will add to that by saying that some functions seem to require longer presses than others. While the sensitivity of the buttons can be adjusted, they are still often cumbersome use.

Samsung Helio Heat

Samsung Helio Heat

Samsung Helio Heat

Sliding the Heat open exposes the phone's user-friendly alphanumeric keypad. The rectangular shaped keys are large and wide enough to accommodate all fingertips and provide a sturdy click when pressed. The usual green send and red end buttons are not found on the Heat. As mentioned prior, the bottom left touch sensitive key is the Send key and the Power/End key is located on the Heat's right flank. That definitely takes time getting used to since most people are accustomed to the red end key being located on the face of the phone. Just below the phone's Power/End key is the dedicated button for the Heat's 1.3 megapixel camera. The right side also houses the phone's charger/headset/USB port. On the phone's left side you will find a volume rocker and the media player's Play/Pause button. Although the Heat has 136MB of on-board memory, the lack of memory card slot is sure to disappoint some.

 

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