smittythepig
09-12-2005, 02:30 PM
So far I love it. I was a little less than impressed with the appearance when I first got it. But now I think it looks fantastic. And the build quality is awesome. Fit and finish is fantastic. It's lightweight and about as small as other similar phones. It's a little wider than the LG 225. Probably about the same thickness.
I can't really comment on battery life yet - it's a bit too early. But i'm sure it's at least as good as the LG 225 and probably a bit better (according to official specs).
Reception is equal to that of the 225. Very little difference. Occasionally the 225 would be one or two decibels better than the A840, while at the same time the A840 would show one more bar than the 225. But practically-speaking there isn't a difference. They are both very good.
The screen is very nice for STN, with very vibrant colors. I have noticed an issue that I remember being on the A760 (first samsung ready link phone) - at certain angles you will notice ghostly vertical lines. They were more apparent at all angles on the 760. On the 840 they only show when the screen is tilted. And even then they aren't very noticeable. So I think Samsung made some improvements here. Also, the external screen, being non-color, is very easy to read. Unfortunately, unlike most monochrome screens the display goes completely dark after a set time and there is no way to always keep it on (i don't think) - just like with a color external screen. So it's kinda like you get the drawbacks of being monochrome (if that is in fact a drawback for you) but without the benefits. But again, when it's on it's very legible. Caller ID pics do not display on the external screen. Only name and number and a graphic of a ringing phone.
The camera is pretty decent for VGA. No worse than most and maybe a tad better in some situations. I am pleased with it for what it is. The pics look very good on the phone. And you can turn the camera on with the flip closed and take self-portraits. It's kinda neat because, again, the screen is monochrome and it creates a neat effect on the external LCD. There is a dedicated button on the side for the camera. You can also get to the camera without having to go through the menus by simply pressing the OK button in the center of the navigational pad when the flip is open.
There is also a dedicated button on the outside for the speakerphone and voice dial, allowing you to use both with the flip closed. Awesome feature. I really missed that on the 225, which must remain open for the speakerphone to work. Holding the side speakerphone button down for a couple of seconds will activate Voice Dial. The Voice Signal technology is even better than I remember it being when I had an a660 and a few other older Samsungs. It NEVER seems to missunderstand me. I think anyone who has used it would agree that the technology is fantastic. It allows you to dial names and numbers in your contacts list without ever having to program voice dials due to the text-to-speach recognition capabilities. You can speak names or numbers and it will understand. You can also use it to open certain menus when the phone is open.
The speakerphone itself sounds great when it is functioning. But it is VERY much one-way. I often have problems with my voice reaching the person on the other end. It seems to cut out with the slightest background noise or if the other person hasn't completely finished talking yet or if there is noise on their end. Again, when my voice gets through, it generally sounds great to the person on the other end. And I find the speakerphone to be adequately loud at average levels. Like most it will distort at higher volumes. So it's not very practical unless you take your time and make the other person aware that you are using it and make sure you're in a quiet environment. It is of course perfect for listening to voicemail and waiting while on hold, since you can for example program your home or cell voicemail number into you contacts list and use voicedial to call it without ever opening the phone. Of course, if you have to press buttons to navigate through your voicemail you would have to open the flip. But you can open and close the flip all you like without ending the call, as long as it's in speakerphone mode.
Call quality (not speakerphone audio quality) is very good. It's not quite as good as the 225 in my opinion, but very close. Please note that I think the 225 has the best incoming audio quality of any phone I have ever used. I'm not sure about outgoing audio quality since I haven't bothered to ask anyone how I sound. But I haven't gotten any complaints.
Other things I like are the motion screensavers you can select for the main display. I especially like the motorcycle one. When you open the phone, it looks like you are behind the wheel of a motorcycle, following another one and making all kinds of turns. And there is another with hot air ballons that gently move on the screen. They don't seem to slow the phone down at all when used. The phone has a lot of neat little features you will have to play with to appreciate. Another great one is the slideshow screensaver. You can easily select any camera pics you have stored on your phone and the software will scroll through them while serving as your main display.
Vision speed is average. There are some issues with certain sites and certain pages where the phone will just shutdown every time you click certain links. It seems random and there is no telling when it will happen, until it does. Then you know it will likely always happen with that link. I hear this is typical of many Samsungs since Samsung uses a unique and proprietary browser. It's irritating, but doesn't happen that often. Generally I haven't had any major issues with the browser other than this. Nomrally it works fine.
Finally, there is a menu option to update the phone's software. It's not certain yet if Sprint will ever allow for a handset-initiated firmware update from this phone like they have with the LGs (125, 225 and 325). But it's definitely a possibility. Most other current phones (LGs excluded) are FOTA-capable but don't have the menu option to search for an update. We won't know for sure until there is an actual 840 update avialable, which there doesn't appear to be at this time. But i'll be checking daily :)
Well, those are the main things I thought were worth mentioning. There are others that I just don't have time to touch upon. But so far it's a great phone and I really like it. If you're interested, I suggest you play with one at your local Sprint store. And feel free to ask me any questions! :clap:
I can't really comment on battery life yet - it's a bit too early. But i'm sure it's at least as good as the LG 225 and probably a bit better (according to official specs).
Reception is equal to that of the 225. Very little difference. Occasionally the 225 would be one or two decibels better than the A840, while at the same time the A840 would show one more bar than the 225. But practically-speaking there isn't a difference. They are both very good.
The screen is very nice for STN, with very vibrant colors. I have noticed an issue that I remember being on the A760 (first samsung ready link phone) - at certain angles you will notice ghostly vertical lines. They were more apparent at all angles on the 760. On the 840 they only show when the screen is tilted. And even then they aren't very noticeable. So I think Samsung made some improvements here. Also, the external screen, being non-color, is very easy to read. Unfortunately, unlike most monochrome screens the display goes completely dark after a set time and there is no way to always keep it on (i don't think) - just like with a color external screen. So it's kinda like you get the drawbacks of being monochrome (if that is in fact a drawback for you) but without the benefits. But again, when it's on it's very legible. Caller ID pics do not display on the external screen. Only name and number and a graphic of a ringing phone.
The camera is pretty decent for VGA. No worse than most and maybe a tad better in some situations. I am pleased with it for what it is. The pics look very good on the phone. And you can turn the camera on with the flip closed and take self-portraits. It's kinda neat because, again, the screen is monochrome and it creates a neat effect on the external LCD. There is a dedicated button on the side for the camera. You can also get to the camera without having to go through the menus by simply pressing the OK button in the center of the navigational pad when the flip is open.
There is also a dedicated button on the outside for the speakerphone and voice dial, allowing you to use both with the flip closed. Awesome feature. I really missed that on the 225, which must remain open for the speakerphone to work. Holding the side speakerphone button down for a couple of seconds will activate Voice Dial. The Voice Signal technology is even better than I remember it being when I had an a660 and a few other older Samsungs. It NEVER seems to missunderstand me. I think anyone who has used it would agree that the technology is fantastic. It allows you to dial names and numbers in your contacts list without ever having to program voice dials due to the text-to-speach recognition capabilities. You can speak names or numbers and it will understand. You can also use it to open certain menus when the phone is open.
The speakerphone itself sounds great when it is functioning. But it is VERY much one-way. I often have problems with my voice reaching the person on the other end. It seems to cut out with the slightest background noise or if the other person hasn't completely finished talking yet or if there is noise on their end. Again, when my voice gets through, it generally sounds great to the person on the other end. And I find the speakerphone to be adequately loud at average levels. Like most it will distort at higher volumes. So it's not very practical unless you take your time and make the other person aware that you are using it and make sure you're in a quiet environment. It is of course perfect for listening to voicemail and waiting while on hold, since you can for example program your home or cell voicemail number into you contacts list and use voicedial to call it without ever opening the phone. Of course, if you have to press buttons to navigate through your voicemail you would have to open the flip. But you can open and close the flip all you like without ending the call, as long as it's in speakerphone mode.
Call quality (not speakerphone audio quality) is very good. It's not quite as good as the 225 in my opinion, but very close. Please note that I think the 225 has the best incoming audio quality of any phone I have ever used. I'm not sure about outgoing audio quality since I haven't bothered to ask anyone how I sound. But I haven't gotten any complaints.
Other things I like are the motion screensavers you can select for the main display. I especially like the motorcycle one. When you open the phone, it looks like you are behind the wheel of a motorcycle, following another one and making all kinds of turns. And there is another with hot air ballons that gently move on the screen. They don't seem to slow the phone down at all when used. The phone has a lot of neat little features you will have to play with to appreciate. Another great one is the slideshow screensaver. You can easily select any camera pics you have stored on your phone and the software will scroll through them while serving as your main display.
Vision speed is average. There are some issues with certain sites and certain pages where the phone will just shutdown every time you click certain links. It seems random and there is no telling when it will happen, until it does. Then you know it will likely always happen with that link. I hear this is typical of many Samsungs since Samsung uses a unique and proprietary browser. It's irritating, but doesn't happen that often. Generally I haven't had any major issues with the browser other than this. Nomrally it works fine.
Finally, there is a menu option to update the phone's software. It's not certain yet if Sprint will ever allow for a handset-initiated firmware update from this phone like they have with the LGs (125, 225 and 325). But it's definitely a possibility. Most other current phones (LGs excluded) are FOTA-capable but don't have the menu option to search for an update. We won't know for sure until there is an actual 840 update avialable, which there doesn't appear to be at this time. But i'll be checking daily :)
Well, those are the main things I thought were worth mentioning. There are others that I just don't have time to touch upon. But so far it's a great phone and I really like it. If you're interested, I suggest you play with one at your local Sprint store. And feel free to ask me any questions! :clap: