Samsung i8 First Impressions Review

Connectivity
Jacks / Ports / Plugs
The Samsung i8 has only one port, which serves as a power source, USB connector, A/V link, and headphone jack. It is located on the right side of the camera. Since one of the major features of the camera is its MP3 player, it is a shame there isn’t a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Direct Print Options
There is a button on the lower right of the i8’s back that allows Direct Printing when connected to a Pictbridge-compatible printer.

Battery
The i8 uses a single SLB 0937 (900mAh) rechargeable battery located in the battery slot on the bottom of the camera.

Memory
Memory specifications are not finalized for the i8 yet, but expect the camera to accept SD and SDHC memory cards, as well as MMCplus. No word yet on the amount of internal memory, but Samsung speculates it will be around 200MB. A device with so many multimedia options would do well to have a lot of internal memory.

Other Features
This is where the i8 differentiates itself from the rest of the point-and-shoot cameras on the market. In addition to the camera and video modes, the device has four other extra features: an MP3 player, a PMP multimedia player, a World Tour Guide, and a Text Viewer. Each of these modes is accessible through the "M" button, found by scrolling up to the Multimedia menu.

MP3 Player
The MP3 player mode is a simple display that allows users to start and stop songs and skip between them. It is very easy to use, though again, the buttons on the i8 are very small and difficult to press. You certainly couldn’t use it with gloves on. There are several Sound Effects available in the music player: Normal, Classic, Dance, Jazz, Live, Rock, and SEC Special Song Effect. Each of these effects changes the sound of your music. The MP3 player mode is a fun addition to the camera features, and the i8 is small enough to fit into a pocket, just like many dedicated MP3 players.

PMP Multimedia
The PMP Multimedia mode plays videos in Xvid MPEG4 format, but can play other files using the Samsung Converter S/W. Video playback looks nice on the i8, though the 2.7-inch screen, while large for a camera, made it hard to see details. The playback suffers from the LCD screen problems we mentioned in the Components section above, which include jerkiness to on-screen motion. This is particularly headache-inducing when trying to watch a movie. The screen also doesn’t have a great up and down viewing angle, so you’ll have to make sure the camera is directly facing you when you use the PMP mode.

World Tour Guide
The World Tour Guide didn’t work in the pre-production model, but Samsung says it will give travel advice for approximately 30 countries.

Text Viewer
The Text viewer allows text files (TXT extension), saved either in Windows or Mac OS, to be viewed on-screen. It supports a number of languages.