Gadgetory

there's only one smartphone I know that gives you Android the operating system at the top of the finger and then turns into a presentation tool at the top of the button I'm Jessica dual-core 4c net showing you around this quirky likable Samsung Galaxy Beam now I first saw the beam in a very crowded conference room at Mobile World Congress and I was just curious about how well the integrated projector worked as you are I have to say it works impressively well for what it is you turn on the built-in pico projector by pressing a button on the side of the phone true to its name the phone will then beam out whatever it is that's on your phone screen this is ideal for holding an impromptu slideshow or movie night on a wall on an outdoor screen or maybe even on the side of a tent and the plus side is that there's no extra bulky or expensive equipment required it's all built in the other major use case is for giving presentations in the office you can launch a presentation from any app but some apps might fare better than others the beam comes with Polaris Office so you can use that or you can download any other number of apps I launched a presentation using Google Drive it worked but it wasn't as smooth as running it off of a computer and I couldn't get the presentation to go fullscreen it did help though when I turned everything to landscape mode what I do like is the suite of tools that helps you fine-tune the projection experience you're able to adjust focus and rotation point or annotate while you talk and use what's called a visual presenter to show whatever is beneath the camera lens there's also ambiance mode which lets you time music and images to work as an intro while you warm up the crowd you can also turn on the flashlight / blinking disco light mode and set an alarm to remind you of your next briefing unsurprisingly projection works best in a dark environment on a light surface and you will have to be aware of battery drain when you use the projector you'll use more battery for longer sessions like beaming a video but luckily the phone comes with a large battery for its screen size so that should help it's 2000 mAh the phone's audio worked pretty well in close quiet settings but you may find that you want to pair the beam to Bluetooth speaker for some scenarios it's pretty apparent that the project the phones biggest draw but Samsung luckily didn't forget about the rest of the phone the beam has an attractive almost rugged design with this bright yellow racing stripe all around the rim and the same vibrant color beneath the back cover the phone is on the thicker side because of the projector especially at the top and it's also a little heavier than usual but it feels comfortable because of the soft touch finish on the backing there's a four inch Super AMOLED screen in Android 2.3 Gingerbread the phone also comes with a physical home button on the bottom and both the SIM card slot and a micro SD card slot on the sides for easy access the 5 megapixel camera takes some good shots and capture 720p HD video there's also a 1.3 megapixel camera on the front for video check now this Galaxy Beam that I have here is an unlocked version running on 3G on an AT&T SIM card the phone will be available in Europe very soon but there's no official US release date yet I'm Jessica doll 4 for CNN and this has been Samsung Galaxy Beam protector phone you'll find my full review I'm Tina