As more Samsung cell phones become digital Swiss Army knives, the Samsung Smiley stands apart. It has some smartphone features, but it falls under the category of budget cell phones. Samsung released the Smiley -- technically called the Samsung T359 -- in 2010, and T-Mobile is the phone’s carrier. You won’t find anything unusual about the phone’s look and feel, but unlike the high-end Galaxy, for example, the Smiley runs on a proprietary operating system, not Android.
Android
Android is an operating system that Google launched in 2007. The OS is different from other operating systems in that Google designed it expressly for mobile devices, such as cell phones and tablets. Google even has a special store where you can find Android content; it’s called Google Play, formerly Android Marketplace. A phenomenon with Android is that when new versions come out, Google gives them somewhat whimsical code names, like Honeycomb or Ice Cream Sandwich. The latest version, as of October 2012, is Android 4.2, which is code-named Jelly Bean. Apps made for Android won't work on the Smiley.
Smiley Operating System
Although bigger Samsung brothers run on Android, it may come as a surprise that Smiley doesn't, since Samsung’s phones are known for having the latest Android update even before other phones. Nevertheless, the Smiley uses a nondescript proprietary OS, meaning it's something that Samsung itself provides. However, the electronics maker doesn’t supply any additional details on the OS.
Smiley Features
The Smiley has a vertical slider as well as a QWERTY keyboard with text on nine keys, or T9, predictive texting functionality, so you can text using fewer keystrokes. It supports Short Message Service, Multimedia Messaging Service, email, push email, instant messaging and Really Simple Syndication messaging. It also has Microsoft ActiveSync Exchange, which enables you to synchronize the phone with your Exchange email account. For audiophiles, the Smiley comes with an MP3 music player. The device also has a Web browser.
Other Smiley Specifications
The Smiley is 3.92 by 2.34 by 0.59 inches and weighs 3.98 oz. Picture takers will discover the device has a 1.3-megapixel, or 1,280-by-1,024 pixel, camera, which is hidden when you close the phone. Regarding batteries, the Smiley uses a standard lithium-ion 1,000 mAh battery that can last up to 5.5 hours. The phone comes with 50MB of internal memory, which you can expand to 32GB with a microSD card.
