Windows Phone OS has relatively very strict requirements. Keeping that in mind, Samsung I8350 is as cheap as windows phones will get (atleast until Windows Phone Tango has arrived). 
Nevertheless it flaunts a 1.4 ghz scorpion processor, 3.7 inch Super AMOLED screen and a metal body. Not bad, Samsung!
The OS on the other hand is not as versatile as, say, Android, but it may come as a breath of fresh air to some. Simple, fast and beautiful. However over-dependence on Zune, no Bluetooth file transfer, relatively less apps and no true multi-tasking can’t be overlooked.
Samsung Omnia W I8350 Pros Pros
- Albeit being at the bottom of the food chain (for Windows phones), the cpu and gpu(1.4GHzQualcomm MSM8255Snapdragon CPU, Adreno 205 GPU, 512MB of RAM) don’t scream it. On the contrary, they are as good as any windows phone out there.
- 3.7” SuperAMOLED is one gorgeous piece of hardware (It has pentile matrix though).
- 8gb inbuilt storage.
- Mobile Office looks as good as it has ever on any OS.
- Metal back gives it a sturdy and premium feel.
- 5MP snapper does well in decently lit environments
Samsung Omnia W I8350 Pros Cons
Most cons would be due to limitations of the OS as has been listed earlier and is obviously common to all windows phones.
- Other than those, the video recording is not something to boast about.
- The speaker is relatively quiet.
Competition:
The most obvious alternative is Nokia Lumia 710. Lumia phones have an edge over other Windows phones in having nokia drive. 710, however, is all plastic and has a ClearBlack LCD(not AMOLED). But its price may fall in coming months.
HTC Radar comes with a 3.8” S-LCD and 1 ghz scorpion processor, and as of now, is priced higher than Omnia W I8350. If price is not a constraint, you can probably go all the way up to Nokia Lumia 800, if you find its polycarbonate body irresistible.
Omnia W I8350 faces two hurdles. One is the hype that Nokia has created during its launch of the Lumia duo. It is almost Nokia Lumia or any other OS sans windows. The second and as important is the presence of many Android alternatives at this price. Sony Ericcsson Ray and Sony Ericcsson Neo V from the Sony family and more importantly Samsung galaxy R I9103 with its dual core processor may well be worthy competitors.
