New Samsung A620/VGA 1000 User

[Mr_Slice]

Well, everyone, I finally got tired of knowing I'd have to shell out over $200 for a new phone and then wait for a rebate that might never come. Sprint hosed my eligibility date and I had to threaten cancellation just to get to Retention and have a code put in that would supposedly allow me to receive the rebate, but they stated that "there was no guarantee as the rebate was offered by a third-party." Lame.

So, I bought an A620 on Ebay cheap. It's brand new, never been used, still in the box. I've browsed these threads for weeks and what I'd like to know is...

What are the features you all LIKE about this phone? I know most of the cons, but I want to hear about the good things. Also, what software/firmware updates can I get to make it better? What can I use to get pics to and from my PC? Does anyone use MoBlog and if so how does this phone work with it? Basically, anything and everything that can make this phone the best it can be.. I want to know.

Thanks in advance. I've seen that a lot of you are very knowledgable and I appreciate that and your assistance.

[tuolumne]

Well, everyone, I finally got tired of knowing I'd have to shell out over $200 for a new phone and then wait for a rebate that might never come. Sprint hosed my eligibility date and I had to threaten cancellation just to get to Retention and have a code put in that would supposedly allow me to receive the rebate, but they stated that "there was no guarantee as the rebate was offered by a third-party." Lame.

So, I bought an A620 on Ebay cheap. It's brand new, never been used, still in the box. I've browsed these threads for weeks and what I'd like to know is...

What are the features you all LIKE about this phone? I know most of the cons, but I want to hear about the good things. Also, what software/firmware updates can I get to make it better? What can I use to get pics to and from my PC? Does anyone use MoBlog and if so how does this phone work with it? Basically, anything and everything that can make this phone the best it can be.. I want to know.

Thanks in advance. I've seen that a lot of you are very knowledgable and I appreciate that and your assistance.


A620 is a great phone...

Great, large screen. Great User Interface, great earpeice quality, and great build quality. I especially how the camera is mounted on the rear of the phone so you can hold down the side camera key while the flip is shut and use the color exterior LCD as the viewfinder... Internet browser is plenty speedy. The exterior LED is nice and big, and extremely easy to see when it is flashing away...

Camera takes decent pictures, and can be uploaded off the phone using a data cable and a program called bitpin (http://bitpim.sourceforge.net/#download-devel)...OF cource you can always just upload them to your SPCS picture account if you pay for the vision pack...

Some complain about a few bugs that can be fixed in the WJ15 software update...(push ##786 then ok, and click on system, and when you scroll down, under S:, it should say either WG09 or WJ15).

Good Choice... :)

[Jonacell]

i remember i liked the alarm, the menus styles, i like the multi-shot feature of that phone. reception was good, call quality was good too. oh and the picture quality on the a620 was pretty good to me. :)

*the web on it was quick too.

pimp your phone up! i recommend jamdat bowling on the a620 i love this game. (from sprint -downloads)

[Recluse]

the phone feels good in your hand

loud ringers

cons

ugly backlighting

horrible earpiece (infamous beeps and echoing in mines)

camera isnt that good (dont care for the camera anyways)

personally the phone should be priced at 180 rather than 230 is it?

[p©l§k@2180]

One of my favorite features is...when you press and HOLD the volume buttons on the side you will send the caller straight to voicemail.

[tuolumne]

the phone feels good in your hand

loud ringers

cons

ugly backlighting

horrible earpiece (infamous beeps and echoing in mines)

camera isnt that good (dont care for the camera anyways)

personally the phone should be priced at 180 rather than 230 is it?

Lets to a little comparison to the Sanyo PM-8200...shall we...?

Earpeices:

Sanyo's are muffled distorted junk
Samsung has a clear, loud earpeice that some claim have beeps present (this can be fixed in the new firmware update).

User Interfaces:

Sanyo is barbaric
Samsung is refined

Build quality:

Sanyo feels cheap
Samsung feels expensive

Keys

Sanyo's are to flush with the phone for dialing by memory
Samsung's are intented, and are larger
*both phones have the *ugly* green backlighting

features:

Sanyo offers ready link and a speaker phone, SMS
Samsung offers a better overall hardware

so is the Sanyo worth $50 over the Samsung...? I don't think so...The A620 is a steal at $229...

[tuolumne]

One of my favorite features is...when you press and HOLD the volume buttons on the side you will send the caller straight to voicemail.

yeah, I like that Samsung only feature...

press once, silence the ringer, press again, send strait to VM :hee:

[Marlon_JB2]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (MobilePhone PM-8200/US/1.0) NetFront/3.1 MMP/2.0)

Thought You Were Cured. Oh Well. Anyway, A While Back. I Had Also Considered A A620, But Decided Against It Because It Didn't Feel Good In My Hand. Good Phone Though.

[Recluse]

Lets to a little comparison to the Sanyo PM-8200...shall we...?

Earpeices:

Sanyo's are muffled distorted junk
Samsung has a clear, loud earpeice that some claim have beeps present (this can be fixed in the new firmware update).

User Interfaces:

Sanyo is barbaric
Samsung is refined

Build quality:

Sanyo feels cheap
Samsung feels expensive

Keys

Sanyo's are to flush with the phone for dialing by memory
Samsung's are intented, and are larger
*both phones have the *ugly* green backlighting

features:

Sanyo offers ready link and a speaker phone, SMS
Samsung offers a better overall hardware

so is the Sanyo worth $50 over the Samsung...? I don't think so...The A620 is a steal at $229...

why are you talking about sanyos son? im giving the kid my personal review of the vga1000.

back off samsung boy

[tuolumne]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (MobilePhone PM-8200/US/1.0) NetFront/3.1 MMP/2.0)

Thought You Were Cured. Oh Well. Anyway, A While Back. I Had Also Considered A A620, But Decided Against It Because It Didn't Feel Good In My Hand. Good Phone Though.

Cured from not liking *THE EARPEICE*...? No, I still don't like it... ;)

The A620 in my oppinions is much better than even the 8200...

[Jonacell]

Wirelessly posted (my mobile mechanism: Samsung-SPHA700 AU-MIC-A700/2.0 MMP/2.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

i remember i liked the alarm, the menus styles, i like the multi-shot feature of that phone. reception was good, call quality was good too. oh and the picture quality on the a620 was pretty good to me. :)

*the web on it was quick too.

pimp your phone up! i recommend jamdat bowling on the a620 i love this game. (from sprint -downloads)

...i can't believe i forgot to mention the advanced voice dialing feature by voicesignal. it's dandy... i have pictures taken by phone on my moblog (They're in the begining of my blog) if this phone had sms i would probably still have it.

[Marlon_JB2]

Cured from not liking *THE EARPEICE*...? No, I still don't like it... ;)

The A620 in my oppinions is much better than even the 8200...

No, cured from constantly complaining about something so subjective. To the OP: Enjoy your A620!!!! :)

[tuolumne]

No, cured from constantly complaining about something so subjective. To the OP: Enjoy your A620!!!! :)'

Hey...I never said it WASN'T subjective :hee:

[Perfectance]

I don't think the pictures look that great, but they are acceptable for what it is. What do you expect then you put a tiny camera into a phone. I have pics take from an A620 on my TextAmerica site. You'll have to go back a few months to see them.

Tips I've learned:
--Use Power Save when the phone is near dead to keep it going for at least another day.
--Picture taking with the flip closed is real sneaky, people don't know.
--Can't Share a photo once it's in the Picture Wallet.
--Midi Ringers sound the loudest, and even then it's not that loud.
--Pac-Man is a good game for the A620.
--Enjoy being able to use the center key as an 'OK' button. Samsungs on other carriers aren't gifted enough for that.

(Now that I read that over, my tips suck)

ENJOY! :)

[Guy]

--Use Power Save when the phone is near dead to keep it going for at least another day.


Does Power Save mode really add on that much more battery life?? I've never really used it before, but if this is the case I will start using it on my A680. Well, I'll give it a try at least. :joy:

[chryslerfan]

I would have gotten the a600, but that's just me. :)

[Meanie]

I had A620, one of the better phones out there. Lots of TINY details thought out

-For example, phone is open and someone calls you, on other phones you go deaf when it rings full volume into your ear. A620 has a soft ring for that.
-Very fast key responses
-User Interface is the best out of all Sprint phones (well, LG has the absolutely best phonebook, but... I dislike LG after 5350 that I had)
-Locking out pictures with a password. Feel free to take nekkid photos of your gf and not risking your buddies looking through them ;)
-Loud rings.
-Very good reception.
-Voice Recognition was to die for. NONE of other phones (except other samsungs on SprintPCS) have it done this well. A real lifesaver in some situations.

Few things I hated about it...
-Lack of any type of speaker, hell, I'd settle for "Monitor" I had on LG
-Lack of MO SMS. That's the main reason I got VM4050, I can send/receive around 1000 SMS per month and with Short Mail it's extremely annoying.
-No 4 digit dialing, even that menu mentions it being there
-Phonebook entries that have numbers listed on some sort of a drop down box is a double edged sword. Nice to see the number and select which one with right/left, but hard to see who's next on the list.
-If you have big phonebook, scrolling through names could be a pain. on VM4050 I can just press left/right to select pages.
-Not counting my old 5350, slowest browser I've seen. on VM4050, pages load blazingly fast. Now if they only got rid of the stupid 35kb limit...
-people complain about faint beeping. However, I didn't notice that much, and even if it beeped, I could care less.
-Personal pet peeve: Why the hell doesnt it show time when there's no signal??? I never carry watch, and when I am in the train, I had to go to World Time screen to get the time.
-Data Mode Active.. or some message same as that. Times when I got that, I was about to throw my phone into a brick wall and enjoy seeing thousand tiny pieces. So aggravating, I cannot express it with simple words. I exit out of the browser, few minutes after, I try to make a phone call, Data Mode Active... ARGHHHH DIE DIE DIE
-Had to get it replaced 2 times, when I closed the flip, phone powered off. No matter how gentle I did that. That was 1st replacement. 2nd replacement was when people absolutely could not hear me. And both problems seemed to come and go as they pleased. I had to stand at Sprint Store at the counter, try to demo them powering off, and the phone was working perfectly. Same story was with microphone.

Well, overall a good phone, with good sides and bad sides. Looks like developers tried to create a very good phone, polishing it so good that you could see yourself in it. But they neglected to remove a huge chunk of rust from the other side.

[chow22]

When ever my fiancé calls me on my 8200 using her a620 I have the hardest time understanding her, though when she uses my 8200 and calls me on my other 8200 I have absolutely no problem understanding her. Other than that problem and of course the shortmail, I think the a620 is a solid phone.

[Vanity3]

...i can't believe i forgot to mention the advanced voice dialing feature by voicesignal. it's dandy... i have pictures taken by phone on my moblog (They're in the begining of my blog) if this phone had sms i would probably still have it.

Voicedial is my FAVORITE feature. Only things I miss is SMS and speaker phone. But other than that, I LOVE my A620!

[Vanity3]

Tips I've learned:
--Use Power Save when the phone is near dead to keep it going for at least another day. :)

How do I set the "power save" on my phone? Granted I haven't read the full instruction book :o

[tuolumne]

How do I set the "power save" on my phone? Granted I haven't read the full instruction book :o

Menu-8-1-5

I love powersave...my battery lasts foreva :hee:

[tuolumne]

why are you talking about sanyos son? im giving the kid my personal review of the vga1000.

back off samsung boy

You can't handle any cross examination...?

[mcurtiss1970]

You can't handle any cross examination...?

SU isn't a courtroom.

[dougc]

I've had my a620, and Sprint, for one year to-morrow (10/19). I've had all the good experiences listed above. As to the bad, some of those are related to personal preferences on features, some to the phone's performance. I never had the beep some reported or things like that, and on the theory that if it ain't broke don't fix it never had the firmware update either. The phone's performance has been just fine right out of the box (you do need to do the tower updates, but that's any phone). As to personal preferences, the only one that affected me is no SMS. I had that on my previous phone and carrier. But I've actually come to like using full email instead, as most of my texts were email via sms anyway. Actually, the a620 can get SMS just not send them. But given all the great stuff the a620 offers, I don't miss it. So my experience is it's a terrific phone and the only reason not to get it is if it doesn't match your feature preferences.

[Mr_Slice]

I've had my a620, and Sprint, for one year to-morrow (10/19). I've had all the good experiences listed above. As to the bad, some of those are related to personal preferences on features, some to the phone's performance. I never had the beep some reported or things like that, and on the theory that if it ain't broke don't fix it never had the firmware update either. The phone's performance has been just fine right out of the box (you do need to do the tower updates, but that's any phone). As to personal preferences, the only one that affected me is no SMS. I had that on my previous phone and carrier. But I've actually come to like using full email instead, as most of my texts were email via sms anyway. Actually, the a620 can get SMS just not send them. But given all the great stuff the a620 offers, I don't miss it. So my experience is it's a terrific phone and the only reason not to get it is if it doesn't match your feature preferences.

How and where do I get the "tower updates?" That is one thing no one has mentioned yet. I'm not sure of where to get all the newest software. Also, what exactly does the firmware update do?

After reading all of these responses, I think I'll be quite satisfied. It definitely sounds like a step up from my LG 5350. And I don't text often so that's not a problem at all, nor do I use a headset. I really just got it so that I'd have the camera.

Has anyone put one of the aftermarket faceplates on therir phone? If so, was it difficult? And are the only ones available the solid and transparent colored ones?

[tuolumne]

How and where do I get the "tower updates?" That is one thing no one has mentioned yet. I'm not sure of where to get all the newest software. Also, what exactly does the firmware update do?

After reading all of these responses, I think I'll be quite satisfied. It definitely sounds like a step up from my LG 5350. And I don't text often so that's not a problem at all, nor do I use a headset. I really just got it so that I'd have the camera.

Has anyone put one of the aftermarket faceplates on therir phone? If so, was it difficult? And are the only ones available the solid and transparent colored ones?

Just bring it into any SPCS store and tell them to update the phone...

The A620 is definitly a step up from the LG :hee: Definitly :hee:

As far as the aftermarket faceplates, I am seriously considering it, but am still thinking...shouldn't be too hard...just unscrew the two screws hiding under the rubber stoppers under the screen, and it shoudl pop off when you run a creditcard through the seams...

http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=18109&stc=1

[tuolumne]

SU isn't a courtroom.

ya never know :hee:

[mcurtiss1970]

ya never know :hee:

no, i'm pretty sure it isn't. not everything has to be argued here.

sit. breathe. om.

[tuolumne]

no, i'm pretty sure it isn't. not everything has to be argued here.

sit. breathe. om.

HEY, I'm not the one who called someone a samsung fanboy...

nevertheless, the A620 is a good phone, that LG 535 looks GREAT :hee:

[mcurtiss1970]

HEY, I'm not the one who called someone a samsung fanboy...

nevertheless, the A620 is a good phone, that LG 535 looks GREAT :hee:

om!! om!!


:D

[tuolumne]

om!! om!!


:D

om!!!!!!!!!

[dougc]

Mr Slice -- Sprint is always upgrading their tower capabilities and roaming agreements but you have to have your phone updated to use them, so like Enmulout suggested just go to your local Sprint store and ask them to update it. They can also show you how to do it yourself. It's good to update every few months so you get the best service. Firmware is a different thing. It's an update to the software in your phone from the manufacturer, generally to correct problems in earlier versions, and your Sprint store can do that for you too. These are two separate things. I've never done the firmware update because I haven't had any problems, but others who have finds it helps. But the other update for coverage and reception really helps!

[tuolumne]

Mr Slice -- Sprint is always upgrading their tower capabilities and roaming agreements but you have to have your phone updated to use them, so like Enmulout suggested just go to your local Sprint store and ask them to update it. They can also show you how to do it yourself. It's good to update every few months so you get the best service. Firmware is a different thing. It's an update to the software in your phone from the manufacturer, generally to correct problems in earlier versions, and your Sprint store can do that for you too. These are two separate things. I've never done the firmware update because I haven't had any problems, but others who have finds it helps. But the other update for coverage and reception really helps!

PRL- or prefered roaming list, tells the phone what signal to leach onto when there is no viable Sprint covereage...It will not give you better Sprint coverage or make your reception any better unless you are roaming off network, or are in an affiliate market...

Firmware update is a new version for the software within the phone...it is always best to have the new firmware...the A620 should really get the new WJ15 update...FIXES LOTS....

[GaryK]

so what is the latest update for A620? WL15?

[RFguy]

A good test
Make a 3way call on the A620
then try and make one on the 8200!

[Pavilion1]

A good test
Make a 3way call on the A620
then try and make one on the 8200!
Works fine. Whats your point?

[dougc]

In case it's not clear to the original poster, everybody agrees it's a good idea to stop by the store every few months and have your phone updated.

Sorry about the overly general explanation of why that's a good idea -- yes, you could infer technically inaccurate conclusions from it. As to the rest, sit, breath, om. Rats. Still gotta say I do know what PRL stands for. Been doing phone updates since phone update, if you want to call it that, meant stopping by the store to get the latest booklet of codes to lug around and punch in. And I'm not against phone updates. Just saying that with the a620 the PRL updates have helped and since I haven't had the problems other users report being fixed by the firmware update I haven't done it. Just my experience.

[Ted]

Still gotta say I do know what PRL stands for.

Preferred Roaming List

[tuolumne]

so what is the latest update for A620? WL15?

Yeah, WG09 is the old firmware...

[mastercare]

Dear Friends,
Firmware for Sprint Samsung SPH-A620 , WL15 is required. Please help.
A thousand appericiations. Thank you.
sam.skp@gmail.com