News - Samsung SGH-P960

Samsung SGH-P960 (Singapore Trial)

The Samsung SGH-P960 was announced at this year's Mobile World Congress alongside the Soul. Although the two handsets have some similarities in the design and use of materials, the P960's ultimate selling point is its onboard DVB-H radio which allows people to watch TV-on-the-go in places where the service is available.

Beginning in August, a mobile TV trial spearheaded by Singapore's national broadcaster MediaCorp and three telco operators is being carried out over three months. We recently got hold of the Samsung SGH-P960 test unit from M1 and came away with some impressions of the new service.

For a start, only six broadcast channels (we noticed an additional 7th channel recently: 98.7FM radio station) are available during the trial, which honestly isn't a huge palette. The service is still only in its trial stages, so things are likely to change down the road--that much we can say. Unlike regular videos, in order to watch TV on the move, you'll need to have DVB-H reception. We tested the broadcast service at several locations and found that the service works best if you are in an outdoor environment, or near to the window with a line of sight to the sky when indoors. It didn't work when we were in an underground train station. So much for TV on your mobile while commuting.

A SIM card based on the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA)'s new BCAST Smartcard Profile was provided for testing the service. According to Alcatel-Lucent, this is a SIM-based service protection system that enables content providers to offer flexible subscription models. Regular SIM cards wouldn't work for the mobile TV trial.

After the initial startup screen, you'll see a list of channels available and you can add those which you watch frequently under Favorites. For each channel, there's also a TV guide within the menu that shows the program lineup. This is useful if you don't want to waste time loading the program to view what is on. The user interface is utilitarian and nothing to shout about. It works but the software could be improved.

In use, the mobile TV experience on the P960 was a mixed bag. We turned up the brightness level to its maximum (which could potentially drain the battery more rapidly) and the 2.6-inch QVGA screen held up well under sunlight, though we found the reflective surface distracting. We also liked the separate antenna for improved reception, but it felt flimsy and we were constantly worried about breaking it. This makes other DVB-H-enabled devices like the Nokia N96 with embedded antennas comparatively less worrisome.

Design-wise, the P960 isn't the smallest handset, but has its own appeal with a combination of metallic and plastic finish. The build quality, apart from the antenna, is also top-notch. You get the feeling of a very reliable device once you pick it up. The keypad is generously sized and, although it uses a single-slab design, the buttons are clearly defined and provide reasonable travel for comfortable typing.

Other features onboard include HSDPA, hot-swappable microSD expansion card slot; Bluetooth, FM radio, 3-megapixel camera with LED flash, and TV-out connection via the bundled cable.

Depending on how much time you spend commuting daily, mobile TV may or may not appeal to you. For example, due to the short travel times in Singapore, watching a full episode of a drama serial may not be feasible. What might work are news, sports and variety programs which are best watched as they are aired. Subscription rates and the pricing structure will also swing early adopters either way. On the hardware side of things, our concern lies with the battery life.