Best Phone with Memory Card Support?

[uncsuperman]

Title is pretty much self-explanatory

i'm looking for a phone, that HAS to have memory card support for MP3 player capability

other than that....just the best phone, including carrier - seeing as how i'm not under contract right now

i am currently with sprint, but wouldn't get a big rebate if i just bought a new phone and signed another contract

anyway.....suggestions, please!!

[tuolumne]

E815 on Verizon is cheap.

On Sprint, the 535/5600/A800 play MP3s. I like the Samsungs MP3 player than the others though.

[mcurtiss1970]

maybe wait for this announcement?

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000527056498/

not sure if it has removable memory or whatnot,but it could be a cool phone

[uncsuperman]

i have looked at the E815 - it looks pretty good, if a big large

have the phones offered by sprint gotten good reviews? are the MP3 players good?

is it even smart to consider one of these phones to use as my only MP3 player, or should i simply keep the 2 devices seperate for now??

so many questions

[Matt]

Depends on how many mp3's you want to carry.

Keep in mind that with the 815 (and any other phone that uses TF cards) it only supports Transflash memory cards. Those types of cards are limited to 512mb at this point.

[uncsuperman]

speaking of the 5600....why is it not on sprintpcs website??

[uncsuperman]

good point matt...thanks for that tip

although i never really thought i'd be the type of person to need 5GB of memory for songs

i dont even think i have 5GB of songs on my laptop

[Matt]

Well, often times phones will vanish from the site and reappear. Perhaps it is just sold out at the moment. I was at a Sprint store last week, and they had several in stock.

[uncsuperman]

any feedback on the audiovox 8940 for verizon??

[uncsuperman]

has anybody reported on battery life with these phones, using them only as an MP3 player??

[bluecoyote]

MM535 has fairly good memory card support- though I'd like for the ability to create folders with custom names (from the phone) and for the ability to move files around. Battery life is surprisingly good when playing Mp3's, though the friggin backlight stays on to show you those stupid looking bouncing notes.

I'd say go with a Series 60 Nokia if you want good memory card support- full file system access and the ability to really take advantage of it- without having to worry about typical smartphone bogs you get with PalmOS and Windows Mobile. Do be mindful- not all S60 Nokias have "hot-swappable" memory cards- some require you to take OUT the battery. (Not all, though.)

Also, do be mindful that 99% of Verizon phones with memory cards have them crippled, so it's basically useless. (VX8100, 8940, V710, etc.).

[tuolumne]

A970 for Verizon is uncrippled.

[uncsuperman]

what do you mean crippled?

and thanks for all the help/opinions

[Matt]

You can't really transfer files from your computer and have them be on your phone. It's Verizons little way of getting you to use "Get it now" for ringtones and wallpapers. I do not kow if you can transfer mp3's via a Verizon phone with memory card. I do not like Verizon. :)

[uncsuperman]

well i think that the main thing for me with the memory card would be songs and using the phone as an MP3 player

surely they won't make a phone, with memory card support, without the ability to play MP3's..........would they?

what about video playing?? do all 3 phones with sprint that have memory card support also support video playing - meaning could i transfer TV shows or movies to the memory card, then watch them on the phone?

[hizd4life]

Treo650 w/ 2G card..

[uncsuperman]

i'd rather not get a palm-pilot type phone, but i appreciate the suggestion

i'm looking hard at the LG 535 and the Samsung A800 from Sprint, along with some others from cingular/verizon

anyone have any opinions on the sony/ericsson S710a from Cingular??
looks pretty hot to me, with memory card support and nice res screen

[Matt]

Wirelessly posted (MOT-V635/08.48.24R MIB/2.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.0)

i'd rather not get a palm-pilot type phone, but i appreciate the suggestion

i'm looking hard at the LG 535 and the Samsung A800 from Sprint, along with some others from cingular/verizon

anyone have any opinions on the sony/ericsson S710a from Cingular??
looks pretty hot to me, with memory card support and nice res screen

It's a nice phone, but I wonder about the durabilty of the swivel screen.

[uncsuperman]

yea....i hear ya matt - although i like the look of these swivel/sliding form factors
something different i guess - but they also lend themselves to good-sized screens

also...i was reading on phonescoop.com, and it seems the S710a can't accept a memory card above 128MB ??? do you know anything about this?? if so, that pretty much sucks

[Matt]

From what I have read. That is correct.

http://howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=700808

[tuolumne]

A800 has the same high-res screen of the SE.

Now, you may want to wait for the A940 for Sprint (very soon). $399 will get you A LOT (bluetooth, TF card, earphones, 2mp camera, EV-DO).

[Matt]

Same res but not as big and you and I both know that currently transflash is limited to 512.

[tuolumne]

1GB card is right around the corner.

But I digress, MMCMicro is right around the larger, evolutionary corner;)

[uncsuperman]

so given what you guys know....what is the best MULTIMEDIA phone - regardless of carrier?

taking into consideration all things being equal - the phone qualities as well as the multimedia qualities

i think the sony/ericsson is off the table for me - limiting the phone to 128 memory stick is plain assinine - and won't do me any good for the MP3 capability

[bluecoyote]

Yeah, Stay away from the SE phone- Memorystick = bad.

The best multimedia phone is a S60 device- simply put, you can always expand and add onto the capabilities of it (Add on Realplayer, etc. support, too, and full screen video option! You don't even need to convert to .3gp with certain applications! S60 devices include the Nokia 7610, NGage & NGage QD, 3650, 6620, and more.

I'd say the best multimedia phone for Sprint is either the Sanyo 5600 or LG Mm535- they use the MiniSD card format which offers much more storage space than TF/MicroSD (Samsung A800.) Since neither are crippled ala Verizon (which disables Java and I believe custom web browsing so you can't view 3rd party streaming media websites.)

MM535's media player could stand some improvement- but no phone is perfect. I like it because mp3's sound laptop-quality and the fact the speaker faces you.

Try it. I'd recommend it.

[tuolumne]

A800s media player is better than the 535s/5600s, but it doesn't have Mini-SD...tradeoff.

[uncsuperman]

great info coyote - thanks a lot

i'm still doing some research, but if i were to stick with sprint, the LG 535 is looking like a great choice
do you do any movie/tv episode watching on your phone? specifically, coming off of a memory card?

in any event, thanks for all the help guys - any info and suggestions are greatly appreciated

[bluecoyote]

I rip all of my DVD's and convert them to .3gp . The media playing software is better on the A800, but the overall design led me to prefer the MM535 (speaker location, memory, etc.) A 1 gig card will hold a vast amount of media files (plus lots of pics from the camera!)

If I had the choice though, I'd SERIOUSLY consider an S60 device. I mean, to put it in perspective, my long-in-the-tooth (over 2 years old) 3650 makes my MM535 look underdeveloped when it comes to utilizing the memory card. I can delete files on the MM535, but I can't rename a folder, move files, etc- things I think aren't too much to ask. Memory card management on the LG is rudimentary and, in my opinion, under-developed (then again, it is on all Sprint phones- and the MM535's memory card abilities are considered ADVANCED for this class!) I think moving files around shouldn't be considered such an advanced feature. As an mp3 player it does the job, but those bouncing notes are both tacky and a bane- you have no choice but to watch them while your backlight stays on, draining your battery. (All Sprint media player phones are on this level, though, so don't think media player annoyances are just exclusive to the MM535.)


Until I got my MM535, I used my 3650 as a media jukebox. Series 60 is officially a Smartphone OS (and is really the only one that still behaves reasonably like a normal phone and is of acceptable reliability.) Since I often downloaded videos from other sources (3gp files) , sometimes there would be compatibility issues (just as there is with my MM535- though very few.) What was nice is that I was able to always find a player that would play the file. Since S60 devices have been out a long time, many sites have realplayer files for them (South Park episodes are plentiful, I know that for sure!) . I liked the freedom to install a new jukebox to listen to music on (something I wish I could do with a Sprint phone that didn't run Palm or WM). Since the OS was engineered from the ground-up for multimedia, you don't risk the numerous reset errors that plague the Palm OS (look, I've got a Tungsten C and media is barely tolerable with it.)

I'd say give it a whirl. I came from a VM4050 and I really like mine, for what it's worth. (Though you WILL miss your Toshiba- there's nothing you can do about that with ANY phone in Sprint's lineup.) People are VERY impressed with the speaker quality (it sounds just like a laptop speaker- damn good for a phone) , and the transflective screen makes my 3 mile walk in the bright South Carolina sun bearable since the media is still visible.

[tuolumne]

you have no choice but to watch them while your backlight stays on, draining your battery. (All Sprint media player phones are on this level, though, so don't think media player annoyances are just exclusive to the MM535.)




A800 has 3 animated vizualizations, and the backlight turns off, saving your battery nad backlight.

[cproaudio]

the Verizon external storage phones are crippled?? no wonder I cant get the 8100 to access the memory card when I played with it. I would imagine the Nokia would have more functions for the memory card since they're pretty well designed.
Here's something to consider. MM535 is a pain in the butt to remove the MiniSD. There are numerous reports in SU that people have hardtimes removing the SD. The 5600's MiniSD is considerably easier to remove than the 535. You can also use the 5600 as mass storage device by pluging in the USB cable. You can copy, move, delete files, rename, just like any HDD. 535 can't.

[tuolumne]

A970 for Verizon has a full MP3 player (with front controls).

[bluecoyote]

I'd stay away from Verizon (The A790 is similar to the A940 due with Sprint, no?) . I mean, I can't imagine you giving up J2ME just for an mp3 player.

Anywho, The LG's memory card is fairly easy to insert- no problems here, though you're absolutely right- the 5600's usb drive functionality is really a fantastic feature. Do keep in mind the 5600 is not without its flaws- I believe you can't skip (ff/rw) through a song. I recommend an external card reader for the MM535- I have a USB one that works like a flash drive (which is pretty cool.)

My first recommendation would be a Nokia S60, though, above all else. The mp3 functionality of any other phone will not even come close.

[Matt]

Oh hell. Get the v635. :)

[tuolumne]

I'd stay away from Verizon (The A790 is similar to the A940 due with Sprint, no?) . I mean, I can't imagine you giving up J2ME just for an mp3 player.

Anywho, The LG's memory card is fairly easy to insert- no problems here, though you're absolutely right- the 5600's usb drive functionality is really a fantastic feature. Do keep in mind the 5600 is not without its flaws- I believe you can't skip (ff/rw) through a song. I recommend an external card reader for the MM535- I have a USB one that works like a flash drive (which is pretty cool.)

My first recommendation would be a Nokia S60, though, above all else. The mp3 functionality of any other phone will not even come close.

It's funny...

The P777 on Cingular had 128MBs of internal memory, and came with a USB cable....The MP3 player on that Samsung had an equalizer, 3-D sound, 5 Visualizer skins, and even a program to load them onto the device from the computer....

Too bad the A800/535 have to use a dumb flash drive and adapter....:irked:

[cproaudio]

...Anywho, The LG's memory card is fairly easy to insert- no problems here, though you're absolutely right- the 5600's usb drive functionality is really a fantastic feature. Do keep in mind the 5600 is not without its flaws- I believe you can't skip (ff/rw) through a song. I recommend an external card reader for the MM535- I have a USB one that works like a flash drive (which is pretty cool.)...
By no means I'm putting down the 535. You're right 5600 has its flaws but so does the 535. 5600 has ff but no rw while the 535 can't use the D pad to control the player. On the 5600 you can use the D pad's up/down to change previous or next songs, left for starting the song over and right for fast forward and OK button to pause or play. The 535's D pad changes between stop, ff, pause, rw, and OK to select the action, too menuish. 5600's QVGA screen means in original view, the video is small b/c of the video's only 176 pixels wide. 535's 176W screen is perfect for video playback. 5600 can upscale the 176W to 240W but doing so will cut off the bottom portion of the video. As you can see, both phones arent perfect. But given the 5600's ease of control, better quality speaker (though not facing the user but I can still hear it just as well) higher screen resolution (though lacks the 535's translusent screen), and the fact that I'm an RL user, 5600 is the only phone for me. I wouldnt mind the 535 but I hate sliders with a passion. I would've probably bought the 535 and save $50 over the 5600 if it had RL and in flip form.

[tuolumne]

The MP3 controls on the LG sound terrible compared to the A800...

[bluecoyote]

The MM535's controls aren't bad unless you're a person who likes "skipping" through their songs like a CD player or iPod shuffle. (I am, however, so I'm taking cpro's stance on this when it comes to music) It'll take you a few days to feel comfortable with the LG's audio interface- it's not BAD, but it's no iPod. To skip through songs you hit the up or down key and select the next song you wish to listen to (bringing up the list does not interrupt the current song playing.)

Where this interface becomes a benefit is when watching a movie, as you are able to easily fast forward or rewind through media. (The inability to do this is what gave the LG the notch over the 5600, as the old media player in my 3650 was unable to do this and it got old... FAST.)


I disagree that the 5600's speaker sounds nicer. Both sound very nice, and the LG has *snort* "stereo surround sound" (don't even count that as a feature, because you know damn well surround sound requires speakers be further than a millimeter apart) the LG does have two speakers up in there, though.

The pisser is that LG's other media player phones (not sold in the US) all include the ability to disable the freaking bouncing notes- or replace them with a REAL visualizer. Why LG's US CDMA flagship lacks this ability is BEYOND me. Other aspects of the media player are fairly nice- the bottom part of the screen mimics an OLED display when streaming media (very cool IMO- a touch of Cyon :-P) , but that cool effect is offset by the bloody bouncing notes.

[tuolumne]

The MM535's controls aren't bad unless you're a person who likes "skipping" through their songs like a CD player or iPod shuffle. (I am, however, so I'm taking cpro's stance on this when it comes to music) It'll take you a few days to feel comfortable with the LG's audio interface- it's not BAD, but it's no iPod. To skip through songs you hit the up or down key and select the next song you wish to listen to (bringing up the list does not interrupt the current song playing.)

Where this interface becomes a benefit is when watching a movie, as you are able to easily fast forward or rewind through media. (The inability to do this is what gave the LG the notch over the 5600, as the old media player in my 3650 was unable to do this and it got old... FAST.)


I disagree that the 5600's speaker sounds nicer. Both sound very nice, and the LG has *snort* "stereo surround sound" (don't even count that as a feature, because you know damn well surround sound requires speakers be further than a millimeter apart) the LG does have two speakers up in there, though.

The pisser is that LG's other media player phones (not sold in the US) all include the ability to disable the freaking bouncing notes- or replace them with a REAL visualizer. Why LG's US CDMA flagship lacks this ability is BEYOND me. Other aspects of the media player are fairly nice- the bottom part of the screen mimics an OLED display when streaming media (very cool IMO- a touch of Cyon :-P) , but that cool effect is offset by the bloody bouncing notes.


Yuk....Why wouldn't they just make it where you press left and right to continue to the next song, and hold them down to rewind/fastfoward? Weird. The A800 does that and has a list popup grid that you can utilize (press up) while listening to music. LG sure dropped the ball when it came to this media player. Also, what do you mean by OLED? It's a TFT.

Also, the 535 is not the US flagship LG phone...That would be the VX8100. Flagship Lg for Sprint maybe.

[bluecoyote]

The VX8100 has no mp3 player, no 3gp, and no Java. In addition to that, bluetooth is crippled, as is the web browser. Not very high end, if you ask me.

As for the media player..

I think LG did this because they didn't want the songs skipping when you put it in your pocket. If it's worth it is up to you. This interface is the best setup I've used for movies, though, but I liked the linking to the d-pad over this. Is it a huge difference? Nope. Neither of these devices are iPods, so either system you adjust to pretty fast.

By OLED, LG stuck to cyan, orange, and green for the display, and shows it in flashing patterns not unlike a car stereo. It is an LCD display, but it mimics it surprisingly well.

[tuolumne]

A800s media player sounds better developed to me.

[bluecoyote]

It is in many regards (Audio), but the overall experience is not an improvement at all (the ability to click-skip is much better for video.) Furthermore, the A800's choice of media (Transflash) makes it a poor choice, as is the lack of a good external speaker.

To Compare the media player UI's:
LG
http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=23290&stc=1

Samsung:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/tuolumne/PICT0001.jpg

I would not purchase the A800 if you demand anything other than an exceptional camera from a phone- it's not worth it otherwise (and mine had some serious stability issues.) The phone is a mishmash of third-rate execution (horrendous-but-pretty UI) and cost cutting (no T9). For $500.00 , you can buy a much nicer phone. (As an example, check this out: http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-NOKIA-6681-VIDEO-CAMERA-BLUETOOTH-WORLD-PHONE-6680_W0QQitemZ5805373298QQcategoryZ64355QQrdZ1QQcm dZViewItem .)

Battery life is extremely good with the LG's media player, too (almost disproportionately to the rest of the phone.) Again, at this point it's an issue of the interface you prefer. I'd try out the 5600 and MM535 and see which you prefer.

[tuolumne]

I love my A800 and so do many other forum members. Use all the phones and get the one you like the best.