Gadgetory

hi this is Brian Bennett for cnet.com and right now we're taking a first look at the samsung active odyssey this affordable Windows Phone 8 handset is now available on horizon for just 49 99 running Microsoft's latest mobile software windows phone 8 the Samsung ativ Odyssey is certainly a capable device powered by a 1.5 gigahertz dual-core Snapdragon s4 plus processor the ativ Odyssey has plenty of power to drive its OS with authority also on board is one gigabyte of RAM and 8 gigabytes of internal storage you can add more memory via the odyssey's microSD card slot as well the 4 inch AMOLED screen is on the small side and offers a relatively low 800 x 480 pixel resolution above the display is a 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera while below it are three capacitive buttons for primary windows phone functions on the left side of the device is a thin volume rocker and flap covering the micro SD card slot sitting on the right edge is a key for power and one to engage the odyssey's camera system pressing that dedicated shutter button also kicks the phone into camera mode even when the handset is in standby a nice touch around back you'll find the ativ Odyssey zamane 5 megapixel camera and LED flash here too is a large curved grill that contains the phone speaker placed underneath the smooth plastic back cover is the phone's removable 2100 milliamp battery actually the battery cover as well as the odyssey's plastic services feel slippery and dare I say cheap frankly I prefer the metal or even higher grade polycarbonate materials used in other windows phones such as the HTC 8x and Nokia Lumia 920 as a windows phone 8 device the Samsung ativ Odyssey features a clean and clearly arranged home screen what Microsoft calls the Start screen instead of widgets or app icons like you'd find on Android or iOS products the start screen consists of square tiles which wink and flicker at you with pertinent information updated in real time for instance you can quickly see the number of unread emails sitting in your inbox any missed calls or check the weather a decline of course tapping a tile launches its associated application you can also remove resize and rearrange tiles to suit your tastes the Samsung ativ Odyssey connects to Verizon's 4G LTE data network to and has tight integration with numerous Microsoft services such as office Xbox games and music store front while the price is nice the question remains just how much of a deal this phone adds up to be sure to check back soon for a full review I'm Brian Bennett for cnet.com and this has been a first look at this Samsung ativ Odyssey