Hyper Electronics and Communication

The Samsung Memoir smart phone has an impressive 8-megapixel camera and touch interface, but other aspects disappoint.

The New Samsung Memoir Smart Phone

Until recently, phone buyers in the United States had to splurge on an expensive unlocked handset to get one with a camera offering more than 5 megapixels. Enter the Samsung Memoir, a touch-screen smart phone with an 8-megapixel camera available at a carrier-subsidized price ($250 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile). This is T-Mobile’s third high-end camera phone; last year the provider released the 5-megapixel Motorola Motozine ZN5 and the Samsung Behold. But while the Memoir’s camera certainly impresses, other aspects of the phone could be stronger.

At first glance the Memoir resembles a stand-alone digital camera more than a mobile phone. Measuring 4.1 by 2.1 by 0.5 inches, the Memoir fits easily into a pocket. Dressed in black plastic with silver trim and a leatherlike grip, it is quite light at only 4.4 ounces, but its build feels a bit chintzy.

The Memoir’s design is very similar to that of the Behold. A gorgeous, 2.6-inch full LCD touch screen occupies the majority of the handset’s face. Three physical buttons (Talk, Back, and End) reside below the screen, and the camera lens and flash sit on the other side. On the left spine are a microSD slot and a proprietary headphone jack; on the right spine you find a volume rocker, a dedicated camera button, and a lock button.

Thinking small might help Taiwan’s computer industry emerge from the global downturn as an even bigger global player.

While the worldwide computer market is suffering through its worst sales in years, one bright spot is coming from the mini-laptops known as “netbooks,” which appeal to the budget-conscious in tough times.

Several research groups have forecast that global demand for the thin, light machines could double this year — and the category is dominated by Taiwanese brands and Taiwanese contract manufacturers.

With the island’s $2.5 billion in electronics exports accounting for one-fifth of Taiwan’s overall exports in January, Taiwanese government planners hope netbooks can boost an economy that is struggling.

At 5 percent, unemployment is moderate by worldwide standards but at a five-year high in Taiwan. With exports registering two consecutive monthly drops of more than 40 percent year-over-year, economists are predicting a 3 to 6 percent contraction in the Taiwanese economy for 2009.