michelle
08-21-2004, 11:10 AM
i know that kinetic2k3 already did a thorough review http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48553. here's my spin after 2 days of play.
http://images6.fotki.com/v97/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2351-vi.jpghttp://images6.fotki.com/v101/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2359-vi.jpg
http://images6.fotki.com/v102/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2358-vi.jpghttp://images6.fotki.com/v103/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2352-vi.jpg
http://images6.fotki.com/v101/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2360-vi.jpghttp://images6.fotki.com/v101/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2356-vi.jpg
The Camera
the pics are impressive coming from this phone; good color saturation and detail. kinetic says that he isn't way too impressed w/it though. i just think we've come a long way so far. from the 8100's pitiful 320 x 240 to this? ya, i think it's a good step ahead. there is slight purple fringing/halation on very bright areas on photos but it's not terrible. do keep the phone steady when you shoot as this helps to keep photos sharp. as you know, shooting in adequate light always helps. i like the a600-esque rotating lens, which rotates 180 degrees. helpful for taking self portraits but unfortunately the cam doesn't work w/the phone closed. i like to keep the cam rotated facing me because if i leave it the other way, sometimes with the way i grab the phone, my finger causes the lens to rotate forward and then i drop the phone. launch the camera by hitting the OK button on the d-pad or the camera button the side of the phone.
http://images6.fotki.com/v104/photos/3/32745/383534/pinecone-vi.jpg
http://images6.fotki.com/v101/photos/3/32745/383534/34221933573_330-vi.jpg
click here for a larger view http://tinyurl.com/6gcly
careful on rotating the lens all the way to the bottom front or you get this (see bottom corners):
http://images6.fotki.com/v101/photos/3/32745/383534/lens-vi.jpg
make sure it's a click above the bottom to avoid this.
there are several camera controls: flash, self timer, fun tools (frames/color tones), controls (brightness, white bal.), settings (resolution, quality, shutter sound, auto erase). custom settings remain, i.e. flash or daylight white balance stay active with every camera launch.
camcorder controls: movie light, self timer, color tones, controls (wht. bal/bright), settings (quality), 5x digital zoom.
camcorder is a little smoother than the other video cams. i haven't taken much footage to give a good opinion yet. video screensavers are interesting.
picture review lets you see 4 shots at a time. i like how you can upload/delete a selection of photos/videos. upload time is fairly quick. when pictures are taken, it takes about 2 seconds to save--a bit slow. i can't get rid of the annoying chime that plays after uploads. you can take 13 hi quality photos until you run out of memory.
Streaming Video
i am a fan of this. i've tried several channels and really liked what i saw/heard, regardless of the choppy video and occasional buffering. i mean, having the E! channel/CNN/ABC News/etc. on your cell? come on! :D i love it. some channels are choppier than others but i don't think it's terrible. i am trying out the 2 month trial of Sprint TV ($9.99/mo.) and E! ($4.95/mo.). i purchased them via the phone's multimedia menu. launch the media player and you are taken to the channel listing. from there, you have "My Channels" (free) and "Available Channels" which you can buy (and are billed to your account). at first, i called CS to add the Sprint TV option but they told me it would alter my vision code. so i went w/adding it via the phone itself. confusing i know but i hope my grandfathered vision is safe. sometimes i experience "application error" when i launch the player but maybe this will go away as soon as bandwidth can handle streaming better.
http://images6.fotki.com/v103/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2363-vi.jpghttp://images6.fotki.com/v104/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2366-vi.jpg
http://images6.fotki.com/v103/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2367-vi.jpghttp://images6.fotki.com/v103/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2372-vi.jpg
Design
i am so glad samsung finally designed something other than the cookie cutter shapes of the a500, a620, vi660, a680. all those phones looked so similar. this phone looks like a mini i500, squarish with rounded edges and duotone colors, silver and purplish-grey. the flip does not click into place but seems sturdy. the angle when opened is much like the a600; it doesn't open completely like say a sanyo 8100. the antenna sticks out a bit too much; i wish it were half the height. the size is very pocketable, lightweight and not too thick. it is a bit wider than other phones but looks very sleek nonetheless. closing the flip diverts you back to the standby screen, which may or may not be a good thing. i preferred the way sanyos/toshiba kept the current application open when the flip closed.
Screen
surely it's no 4050 but i think it looks great. great color, resolution and brightness. doesn't wash out in daylight. the 2 bottom bars on the standby screen take up too much space. like the toshiba, i wish there was an option to turn them off and have a true full screen wallpaper. 176 x 165 seems like the size to go with for that.
there are several preset images (cartoons, icons, etc.) available to assign to contacts/caller ID.
i guess i was spoiled by how the toshiba could assign a separate image to the main LCD and the external. with this phone you can only set photos you take w/the phone on the external which automatically gets assigned to the main too.
Rainbow LED
i like it better than the usual tiny afterthought of an LED that sits quietly at the top of phones. when you get a call/sms, you can really tell because the rainbow LED in the Samsung name flashes. it flashes during calls and can also be activated as the service light. groovy.
Sound Quality
the moment i talked on this phone i thought, wow - very clear. to me, it's plenty loud at the max setting and doesn't distort or muffle. samsung always gets their earpieces right.
Reception
i can't give an accurate opinion on this yet since it's just been a day...but so far so good. the signal seems stable if that matters any.
Ringers
64-chord ringers, however goofy, are pleasant sounding. 9 single tones, 10 ring tones, and a bunch of weird melodies (i.e. "Rock," "Jazz,") are included. i think they are loud but wish they could've been a little louder for good measure. ringers come out of the dedicated speaker on the back of the phone. too bad that's all the speaker's good for (since there is no speakerphone included). volume can be customized for ringers, sms, and alarms. vibrate mode is adequate but i've not used it much yet. i am able to download midi ringers but have yet to try aac.
SMS
sorry, this phone doesn't retain T9. at least the annoying way that samsungs did their T9 contractions (i.e. can'T, won'T, i'M) was fixed with this phone. however, a caps lock option is not available! usually when you hit the * key (shift), you can scroll through and find caps lock, but it's missing here. sending sms is fast and intuitive. you can start an sms by scrolling through your contacts and hitting "send message", or by hitting the up key on the d-pad (messaging) and selecting "send message." messages are sent quickly but you have to wait until they're sent before you close the flip, which is a bit annoying. with the sanyos/toshiba, you can close the flip while sending sms and it won't sever the connection.
Web
fast updated web browser. no cache limitation. i do agree with kinetic that it's a small step behind the 4050 but otherwise this browser rocks. one drawback: you can resize the font but only to default, large, larger. um, shouldn't it be the other way around? :eyeroll:
Games
what games. there aren't any included.
Battery
i charge every night but i expect a phone to last me through at least a whole day. this one has been good about that. i used it a lot during the day: web, streaming video, pictures, phone calls, sms. at the end of the day, the battery meter was down to 1 bar. i wish there was a travel charger included instead of the cradle. but i just picked up a generic $10 charger at target for the a460/500/620 and it works fine.
Menus
just as samsung redesigned this phone, they redesigned the menu too. and it looks damn good. you can set it either as 3 x 3 style or the wheel style which i really like; you can smoothly scroll through animated icons that look really sharp. you really have to see it to be wowed.
http://images6.fotki.com/v101/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2353-vi.jpghttp://images6.fotki.com/v104/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2354-vi.jpg
Others
in the Tools menu, you get:
voice service: call, send text, lookup, go to app, check (signal, battery, etc.). voice service can be accessed by holding down the Talk button.
voice memo, today, scheduler, task list, memo pad, world time, alarm clock (3 alarms)
calculator, countdown.
i love this phone already. i really really want to keep it and i hope i do. now if anyone wants/needs a mint condition treo 600 with leather case and original box/accessories, PM me please!!!...
http://images6.fotki.com/v97/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2351-vi.jpghttp://images6.fotki.com/v101/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2359-vi.jpg
http://images6.fotki.com/v102/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2358-vi.jpghttp://images6.fotki.com/v103/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2352-vi.jpg
http://images6.fotki.com/v101/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2360-vi.jpghttp://images6.fotki.com/v101/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2356-vi.jpg
The Camera
the pics are impressive coming from this phone; good color saturation and detail. kinetic says that he isn't way too impressed w/it though. i just think we've come a long way so far. from the 8100's pitiful 320 x 240 to this? ya, i think it's a good step ahead. there is slight purple fringing/halation on very bright areas on photos but it's not terrible. do keep the phone steady when you shoot as this helps to keep photos sharp. as you know, shooting in adequate light always helps. i like the a600-esque rotating lens, which rotates 180 degrees. helpful for taking self portraits but unfortunately the cam doesn't work w/the phone closed. i like to keep the cam rotated facing me because if i leave it the other way, sometimes with the way i grab the phone, my finger causes the lens to rotate forward and then i drop the phone. launch the camera by hitting the OK button on the d-pad or the camera button the side of the phone.
http://images6.fotki.com/v104/photos/3/32745/383534/pinecone-vi.jpg
http://images6.fotki.com/v101/photos/3/32745/383534/34221933573_330-vi.jpg
click here for a larger view http://tinyurl.com/6gcly
careful on rotating the lens all the way to the bottom front or you get this (see bottom corners):
http://images6.fotki.com/v101/photos/3/32745/383534/lens-vi.jpg
make sure it's a click above the bottom to avoid this.
there are several camera controls: flash, self timer, fun tools (frames/color tones), controls (brightness, white bal.), settings (resolution, quality, shutter sound, auto erase). custom settings remain, i.e. flash or daylight white balance stay active with every camera launch.
camcorder controls: movie light, self timer, color tones, controls (wht. bal/bright), settings (quality), 5x digital zoom.
camcorder is a little smoother than the other video cams. i haven't taken much footage to give a good opinion yet. video screensavers are interesting.
picture review lets you see 4 shots at a time. i like how you can upload/delete a selection of photos/videos. upload time is fairly quick. when pictures are taken, it takes about 2 seconds to save--a bit slow. i can't get rid of the annoying chime that plays after uploads. you can take 13 hi quality photos until you run out of memory.
Streaming Video
i am a fan of this. i've tried several channels and really liked what i saw/heard, regardless of the choppy video and occasional buffering. i mean, having the E! channel/CNN/ABC News/etc. on your cell? come on! :D i love it. some channels are choppier than others but i don't think it's terrible. i am trying out the 2 month trial of Sprint TV ($9.99/mo.) and E! ($4.95/mo.). i purchased them via the phone's multimedia menu. launch the media player and you are taken to the channel listing. from there, you have "My Channels" (free) and "Available Channels" which you can buy (and are billed to your account). at first, i called CS to add the Sprint TV option but they told me it would alter my vision code. so i went w/adding it via the phone itself. confusing i know but i hope my grandfathered vision is safe. sometimes i experience "application error" when i launch the player but maybe this will go away as soon as bandwidth can handle streaming better.
http://images6.fotki.com/v103/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2363-vi.jpghttp://images6.fotki.com/v104/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2366-vi.jpg
http://images6.fotki.com/v103/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2367-vi.jpghttp://images6.fotki.com/v103/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2372-vi.jpg
Design
i am so glad samsung finally designed something other than the cookie cutter shapes of the a500, a620, vi660, a680. all those phones looked so similar. this phone looks like a mini i500, squarish with rounded edges and duotone colors, silver and purplish-grey. the flip does not click into place but seems sturdy. the angle when opened is much like the a600; it doesn't open completely like say a sanyo 8100. the antenna sticks out a bit too much; i wish it were half the height. the size is very pocketable, lightweight and not too thick. it is a bit wider than other phones but looks very sleek nonetheless. closing the flip diverts you back to the standby screen, which may or may not be a good thing. i preferred the way sanyos/toshiba kept the current application open when the flip closed.
Screen
surely it's no 4050 but i think it looks great. great color, resolution and brightness. doesn't wash out in daylight. the 2 bottom bars on the standby screen take up too much space. like the toshiba, i wish there was an option to turn them off and have a true full screen wallpaper. 176 x 165 seems like the size to go with for that.
there are several preset images (cartoons, icons, etc.) available to assign to contacts/caller ID.
i guess i was spoiled by how the toshiba could assign a separate image to the main LCD and the external. with this phone you can only set photos you take w/the phone on the external which automatically gets assigned to the main too.
Rainbow LED
i like it better than the usual tiny afterthought of an LED that sits quietly at the top of phones. when you get a call/sms, you can really tell because the rainbow LED in the Samsung name flashes. it flashes during calls and can also be activated as the service light. groovy.
Sound Quality
the moment i talked on this phone i thought, wow - very clear. to me, it's plenty loud at the max setting and doesn't distort or muffle. samsung always gets their earpieces right.
Reception
i can't give an accurate opinion on this yet since it's just been a day...but so far so good. the signal seems stable if that matters any.
Ringers
64-chord ringers, however goofy, are pleasant sounding. 9 single tones, 10 ring tones, and a bunch of weird melodies (i.e. "Rock," "Jazz,") are included. i think they are loud but wish they could've been a little louder for good measure. ringers come out of the dedicated speaker on the back of the phone. too bad that's all the speaker's good for (since there is no speakerphone included). volume can be customized for ringers, sms, and alarms. vibrate mode is adequate but i've not used it much yet. i am able to download midi ringers but have yet to try aac.
SMS
sorry, this phone doesn't retain T9. at least the annoying way that samsungs did their T9 contractions (i.e. can'T, won'T, i'M) was fixed with this phone. however, a caps lock option is not available! usually when you hit the * key (shift), you can scroll through and find caps lock, but it's missing here. sending sms is fast and intuitive. you can start an sms by scrolling through your contacts and hitting "send message", or by hitting the up key on the d-pad (messaging) and selecting "send message." messages are sent quickly but you have to wait until they're sent before you close the flip, which is a bit annoying. with the sanyos/toshiba, you can close the flip while sending sms and it won't sever the connection.
Web
fast updated web browser. no cache limitation. i do agree with kinetic that it's a small step behind the 4050 but otherwise this browser rocks. one drawback: you can resize the font but only to default, large, larger. um, shouldn't it be the other way around? :eyeroll:
Games
what games. there aren't any included.
Battery
i charge every night but i expect a phone to last me through at least a whole day. this one has been good about that. i used it a lot during the day: web, streaming video, pictures, phone calls, sms. at the end of the day, the battery meter was down to 1 bar. i wish there was a travel charger included instead of the cradle. but i just picked up a generic $10 charger at target for the a460/500/620 and it works fine.
Menus
just as samsung redesigned this phone, they redesigned the menu too. and it looks damn good. you can set it either as 3 x 3 style or the wheel style which i really like; you can smoothly scroll through animated icons that look really sharp. you really have to see it to be wowed.
http://images6.fotki.com/v101/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2353-vi.jpghttp://images6.fotki.com/v104/photos/3/32745/383534/IMGP2354-vi.jpg
Others
in the Tools menu, you get:
voice service: call, send text, lookup, go to app, check (signal, battery, etc.). voice service can be accessed by holding down the Talk button.
voice memo, today, scheduler, task list, memo pad, world time, alarm clock (3 alarms)
calculator, countdown.
i love this phone already. i really really want to keep it and i hope i do. now if anyone wants/needs a mint condition treo 600 with leather case and original box/accessories, PM me please!!!...