Samsung M1 Becomes 2nd Vodafone 360 Handset

Resistive screen is fine, you know.

Regardless, the Limo UI is rubbish. IMO. A Vodafone rep had some demo units and after 5 minutes with it I wanted to chuck it into the wall.

I've been lent an M1 by my father whilst my Sony C905 goes back (again) because the speakers don't work...

But my god, I think I'd rather have a silent Sony than this Samsung rubbish.

My dad, who is not an expert in phones, was tricked into taking this phone on his last upgrade by a salesperson at a Vodafone store who promised it was easy to use and perfect for him...

Well, he used it for 30 minutes before putting his sim card back in a 6 year old Siemens phone.

I've borrowed it now and realised just how awful it is. The first thing that I noticed was that it took ages to start up. Then I had to create a 360 account... which was easier said than done. Eventually I got into the phone and tried to bluetooth my contacts list from my Sony. The Samsung couldn't read the standard vcard file. So I had to upload from my sim card, which then meant I had to edit every contact back into a normal format that looked like a name rather than 1~smith;b for example.

Then the hell I created when I added Facebook... Suddenly my "phonebook" was full of everyone on my facebook as well as my normal contacts. Oh great. So every time I wanted to make a call or send a text I had to wade through people's facebook contacts and their updates trying to find a phone number. Eventually I managed to delete facebook off the phone and then manually remove all the contacts from it. But the phonebook is still stupid with some kind of "3D" effect... just awful and completely senseless. Every phone I've ever used has a list, but Samsung and Vodafone clearly thought this stupid rotating thing was a step forward.

Things got worse. I managed to set an MP3 as my ringtone but became stumped when I tried to use my usual MP3 SMS alert. I have now discovered that Samsung and Vodafone have clearly decided that I shouldn't be allowed to do this and that I must choose one of their three horrible little noises. None of which are audible when anywhere where noise levels are above a whisper and are quite frankly a bit fluffy. But I am sure you know best...

Ever since I have had a colour screen mobile (sometime back in the early 2000's) I have had a photo wallpaper, sometimes my car and more recently my other half. But again Samsung and Vodafone have decided that they know better, obviously all I want to look at is their awful cheaply made and clearly iPhone immitating menu. Even when the phone is locked or in sleep you only get a clock in the font of their choice.

The touchscreen itself is awful as well, it is so slow. And the text input is particularly poor. If you are using the predictive text and want to use a word that isn't there you have to come out of predictive using a backward menu system and enter it, before going back to predictive. There is no "Add Word" facility. Bad. Really bad.

The camera is poor (only 3.2mp, I had that four years ago on a Sony C series) and there is no flash, not even an LED.

The apps available are shocking and there is nothing I would even want. At least you decided that I must have your F1 app and your Time Out app. I don't know how I lived without them.

To conclude, this is a terrible phone and if you are considering buying one don't. If you don't like it and it doesn't suit you then you are stuck with it. Oh yes, Vodafone tie you into a TWO YEAR contract and refuse to accept any exchange whatsoever.

What next?

Well, hopefully my C905 will be fixed again and I can get back to a Sony. As for my dad, he's just spent £90 on a C510 Sony to replace this. And once the contract is up he'll be leaving Vodafone after 15 years as a loyal business customer. And so will I, and so will my brother and my mother and my girlfriend.

Well done Vodafone and Samsung. Job well done.