Review: Samsung Transform
I was surprised by what did and did not accompany the social networking Sprint ID pack on the Samsung Transform. Official apps for Twitter, Facebook and MySpace were all left out of the mix, even though those apps are free downloads from the App Market. Instead, the pack loads only Tweetcaster, and offers a download link for Facebook. Tweetcaster is fine, but it doesn't grant the phone Twitter contact sync capabilities, so you'll probably want to download the official Twitter app as well.
In fact, the Socially Connected ID pack is not very social at all. You get Bump, which is a cool way to transfer files and information between two smartphones. But otherwise, Sprint seems to confuse social networking with celebrity watching. Thus, you get a Celebrity Tweets app, which is as bad as it sounds. Also, Fandango, IMDB, Horoscopes and Wikipedia mobile. Oh, and of course there's a small selection of completely unnecessary games. This is social? Sprint blew a big opportunity here. With rumors that Facebook is working on its own phone, and with Microsoft (with Windows Phone 7) and other Android manufacturers integrating social networks deep into their operating system, there is clearly a demand for a dedicated social experience on a phone. On the Samsung Transform, though, you get one useful app, a bunch of non sequitors, and a lousy smartphone experience.
CTIA Fall 2010
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Samsung Transform
