Samsung Tocco – Rock Star Photography and a Mobile Phone Too

I do tend to brag about being a gadget geek at times and it’s not unheard of for me to go crazy about a device that eventually fails in real world testing.  I’m certainly not going to suggest that I’ve put the Samsung Tocco through the rigorous kind of testing that I usually do before I start sharing what I find with you all, but I just can’t seem to sit on my enthusiasm for this Samsung camera phone.

Just to help you keep my enthusiasm in perspective, I want you to know that it was quite frankly, love at first sight, and I have yet to find something about the phone that would render it mere infatuation.  I’m certainly hoping that this phone turns out to be both worth raving about and has the long-term durability and functionality that we all need, too.

Here’s what I’ve found so far…

First of all, I know it’s shallow, but I just love how hip and cool this phone looks!  I feel just the tiniest bit hipper and cooler just by using it.  I know myself well enough to reassure you, though, that if this phone didn’t live up to what it promises my excitement would quickly evaporate.  Trust me on that.

I’m a camera buff and I love working in the digital medium to enhance my photos, and this 5 megapixel camera does a great job of getting me the shots I need.  It has all the beauty of point and shoot with the power of control and editing.  The 2.8 inch screen gives me a full screen display of the shot I’m getting ready to take.  The autofocus works the way it should and unobtrusively stays out of my way and doesn’t become an obstacle to the shots I want, the way it does on some cameras.  The built-in image stabilization helps me on those over caffeinated days when my hands are prone to shaking a bit.

I suppose I’m a bit of a camera snob and probably don’t get as much out of the Smile Shot as I would otherwise.  Smile Shot is designed to automatically detect smiles and shoot accordingly.  Fun feature, and automation is always a beautiful thing when it works the way I want to.  It’s also an easy feature to override, so it’s unlikely to get in the way much.

As overloaded as I usually am, you would think I would have more of an appreciation for the slim design that fits so comfortably in my hands.  It does weigh in a bit heftier than some of the phones I’ve been testing lately, at 106 grams, and that’s something actually that I appreciate.  I’m almost always on the run and its way too easy for me to misplace things in the scramble, so I’m I appreciate the solid feel.  It’s something I would quickly miss should I leave it behind after social lunches or business meetings.

I’m going to keep testing this phone, as much for the sheer joy of it as much as to make sure I put it properly through the wringer, so stay posted – if I find a fatal flaw you’ll be the first to know!