Samsung has had another go at the fashion-branded phone with the launch of the Armani Night Effect, and has dropped the touchscreen in favour of a more standard design.
The thing most people forget when looking at branded phones is this: they're not supposed to be GOOD.
Anyone remember the Motorola RAZR Dolce & Gabbana? It was the same phone. In gold, with a logo on the casing and on start-up. And this model sold very well!
So, when we look at the Samsung Armani Night Effect, we should see past its minimalist styling, 3.2MP camera and 120MB of internal memory.
Pas de jesting
Jest we not at the basic keypad layout, or the decision to drop the touchscreen. It's even got HSDPA connectivity, for ultra-fast Facebook updates, probably.
Because people who use this phone want the name, and they want it to LOOK good. Hence the blue LED flashes around the edge with dedicated music keys.
Gawp at the 2.2 AMOLED display that makes the screen look nothing less than drop-dead gorgeous.
And suddenly you realise that this handset has been designed well for its demographic. Yes, that demographic might be those who care only for the surface impression and probably would run screaming from the room if they ever met us geeky TechRadar journos. But who are we to judge?
