Cellphone Reviews Blog

Samsung Rugby A837 Phone Yellow ATandT

Ideal for on-site field services, the ruggedized Samsung Rugby for AT&T can take just about anything you can throw at it. This highly durable handset is certified to Military Standard MIL-STD 810F standards that’s perfect for users like construction foremen and landscape designers. In addition to access to AT&T Navigation turn-by-turn direction service, the Rugby also features compatibility with Push to Talk communication, Enterprise Paging, and AT&T’s breakthrough Video Share calling services. This quad-band GSM phone runs on AT&T’s dual-band 3G (HSDPA/UMTS) network, for fast downloads and seamless video calls. It also offers a 1.3-megapixel camera, microSD memory expansion to 8 GB, Bluetooth for handsfree communication and stereo music streaming, access to personal email and instant messaging, and up to 5 hours of talk time.

The ruggedized Samsung Rugby is certified to Military Standard MI-SID-810F, withstanding dust, shock vibrations, rain, humidity, solar radiation and altitude and temperature extremes.

AT&T Service Options
This AT&T phone can handle high-speed data connectivity via AT&T’s 3G mobile broadband data network, which is available in most major metropolitan areas. The AT&T 3G network uses the dual-band UMTS 850/1900 MHz network (also known as WCDMA), making it possible to enjoy a variety of feature-rich wireless multimedia services. It also gives AT&T the advantage of offering simultaneous voice and data services.

In areas where the 3G network is not available, you’ll continue to receive service on the AT&T EDGE network, which offers availability in more than 13,000 US cities and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. Providing average data speeds between 75-135Kbps, it’s fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services, including video and music clips, full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go. You’ll also enjoy quad-band GSM connectivity, which allows you to make calls in more than 190 countries and access data applications in the more than 135 countries where AT&T offers international data roaming.

With 3G connectivity, you’ll be able to access AT&T’s Video Share service, which enables you to send a live, one-way video stream to another compatible phone during a standard voice call. The service also allows you to switch the direction of the video stream during the same phone call. (Customers must be in an area served by the company’s 3G network and have a Video Share-enabled phone.) A majority of users in the architecture, engineering and construction industries rated the ability to share live video through Video Share highly, according to research commissioned by AT&T. Video Share lets you see progress on a job site or review the day’s work without having to drive from an office or other site to do so.

This 3G-enabled handset is compatible with AT&T’s Video Share calling.

You can take advantage of the AT&T Navigator GPS software and service, a full-featured premium navigation application that includes audible turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates and re-routing options, and 3D moving maps (additional charges applicable). AT&T Navigator offers several other features to make your commute more enjoyable and reliable, including mobile access to Yellowpages.com. Additionally, AT&T Navigator is the only mobile phone-based GPS service that provides integrated speech recognition for address entry and points of interest search.

With 3G connectivity, you’ll be able to access AT&T’s Cellular Video (CV) service and the Internet while on the go. Cellular Video features content from CNN, The Weather Channel, iFilm, Comedy Central and exclusive premium content from HBO and much more. And you get access to AT&T Mobile Music, which enables you to buy tracks while on the, access the Napster subscription music service, stream music video, discover what’s playing with Music ID song-recognition software, and find out what’s hot with The Buzz music news portal. (A MEdia Max subscription bundle is recommended for accessing AT&T’s Internet, video, and music services.)

The phone has a built-in web browser for MEdia Net downloads and mobile web browsing. AT&T’s MEdia Net service enables you to receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more.

Small business and enterprise customers also have the option to use AT&T’s Enterprise Paging to connect quickly to its workforce from a central location. Enterprise Paging is an AT&T-hosted service that allows a centralized dispatch system administrator to build customized group distribution lists of workers in the field and to send group notifications via text messaging. Workers can respond immediately or take the appropriate action in the message.

With its built-in A-GPS, you can use the optional AT&T Navigator service to get you to your destination with points of interest and turn-by-turn navigation.

The Rugby features a rubberized and metal casing that is easy to grip.

Phone Features
The rugged clamshell Rugby is certified to military standard MIL-STD-810F to withstand dust, shock, vibration, rain, humidity, solar radiation, altitude and temperature extremes, and it features a rubberized and metal casing that is easy to grip. The exterior of the phone has a large speaker for easy Push to Talk (PTT) communication as well as a small LCD screen that displays current time, incoming calls, signal strength, and battery life. The interior 2-inch LCD screen has a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels and a 262K color depth. The phone has a 128 MB internal memory, which can be expanded via optional microSD memory cards (up to 8 GB in size). The phonebook can hold up to 1000 contact entries with up to 6 numbers per entry. It also offers 8 one-touch dialing numbers and support for picture and ringer ID.

Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated full duplex speakerphone–perfect for conference calling from the office or on the road. This phone provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2.0), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and file transfer. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking–surf the Internet, send email, and access files from a server.

The 1.3-megapixel camera provides three resolution choices (1280 x 960, 640 x 480, and 320 x 320 pixels), and it features a 4x digital zoom, multi-shot capabilities (up to 9 shots in a row), brightness adjustment, and a self-timer. Additionally, you can capture videos in QCIF resolution up to 1 hour in length (as well as audio clips of that length), as long as you have space available on your memory card.

Whether on a trip to a new job site or looking for a place to eat lunch in a new area, Rugby is aGPS-capable, which means AT&T Navigator can get you there with points of interest and turn-by-turn navigation. Assisted-GPS technology allows Rugby to locate itself to get you headed in the right direction quickly.

Other features include:

• Push to Talk (PTT) enables you to pull an entire work group into a wireless call from a PTT session as well as set one’s own status to available, unavailable, do not disturb and more.
• Organizer tools: Calendar, Calculator, Currency Converter, Tasks, Note, Alarm, World Time
• Instant messaging services: AOL, Windows Live, Yahoo!
• Access to personal email
• SMS text and MMS multimedia messaging
• T9 predictive text entry
• Music playback formats: AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, WMA, 3GP, MP4, M4A
• Any key answer
• 64-chord polyphonic ringtones, real music ringtones, and vibrating alert
• Multi-lingual display (English, French, Spanish)
• Bluetooth version 2.0 with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), BPP (basic printing profile for text, email), DUN (dial-up networking), FTP (file transfer), OPP (object push for business cards, calendar items, and pictures)

Vital Statistics
The Samsung Rugby weighs 4.66 ounces and measures 3.95 x 2.05 x 0.9 inches. Its 1000 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5 hours of talk time, and up to 250 hours (10+ days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies as well as 850/1900 MHz 3G frequencies (UMTS/HSDPA).

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Not As Tough As It Looks
THE YELLOW MODEL MAY NOT BE A GOOD CHOICE. With the military specs and all, I thought this phone would be a tank. In the first hour after I bought it, I placed the phone in my pocket with my old phone, a Sony Ericsson W810i. I later noticed scratches all over the front plastic panel of the Rugby. Over the next few weeks, I also noticed mysterious dark stains appearing on the yellow rubberized coating. It appears that whatever this colored material is made of is picking up stains that can’t be removed, almost as if the coating was wearing off to expose a darker material beneath. It’s worth noting that I keep this phone in a zipper pouch designed for a small digital camera, so there is no friction applied to the phone. I treated my phone’s exterior to Vinylex protectant in hopes this will reduce the absorption qualities of the yellow coating. Looks like a snap-on cover will be required for true protection. I also noticed that the hinge has more play than I would have expected for this type of phone and more than I would like to see.

Otherwise, the phone isn’t bad. I like the size and feel of the keypad – with the exception that the clear key is too close to the navigation keys; a small ridge between the two would help prevent pressing clear when you had wanted to hit the down function of the navigation key. Talk quality is good as is the battery life. Push-To-Talk does not have a means to shut it off, so you will constantly hit the button by mistake and be prompted whether you want to accept the charges of that feature. I was surprised that the small 1.3mp camera actually takes pretty good pics.

Actually a good phone overall, but it would be more durable with a protective cover – which then would eliminate the novelty of the yellow “DeWalt tools” color scheme.

UPDATE (2/8/09): YELLOW MODEL WAS A BAD CHOICE. I now know that the yellow coating absorbs anything with grease or dyes that it comes in contact with. The black and red from the inside of the carrying pouch I keep this phone in is being soaked up by the yellow coating. Again, this staining cannot be removed. It appears that Samsung neglected to do proper R&D on this coating – anything else on the phone? A hard yellow plastic shell would have been far superior. Unless you purchase a clip-on cover (which I am looking into), this phone can only be stored in something like a cotton bag that has not been dyed – unless you don’t care if the phone looks dirty and old. Functionally the phone might be military spec, but esthetically it is the least durable phone I’ve ever seen. Samsung blew it with their choice of cover material. Also, I’ve seen a demo model of this phone in an AT&T store where the speaker grill on the front was badly dented and the paint scratched off. It’s unfortunate when you spend a lot of time researching something only to find out after you finally bought it that you made the wrong choice. If you want the Rugby, get it in black.

4 Stars Not for Mac Users
I like this phone but I wish I would have known in advance that I would not be able to install ring tones and other Mac sounds/music on it. Had I known this I would have purchase and IPhone instead.

3 Stars Great potential, but it falls way short
Received the Rugby in 2 days. I knew it didn’t support voice dial, figured I could get used to that. But what really suprised me, and is a constant annoyance is the outer display. It turns completely off within 5 seconds of closing the phone. There is nothing in setup to configure it differently. What is the point of even having an outer display, especially a 65,000 color display, if it is never on for more than 5 seconds? Furthermore, the display does not respond to any buttons on the outside of the phone. You have to actually open, then close the flap to check the time, or to see if you have missed a call.( a two handed operation). It does not even light when connected to the charger. It appears dead unless it is handled constantly.

This complaint may seem insignificant, but I am a carpenter/ woodworker, I use loud machinery, so I miss a lot of calls, and I do not wear a watch. I keep my phone on the bench near where I am working, and often glance at the phone to check for missed calls, or the time. Sometimes I have glue on my hands- even paint- I can’t be picking up and manipulating the phone every few minutes. This phone is being marketed as a workingman’s device, but it falls way short.

It is a fairly large size, a bit large for jeans pocket, but one could get used to it. The speakerphone is excellent. Loud. Very Loud. I would be extremely satisfied with this phone if not for the front display issue.

1 Star Don’t be disappointed
I bought this phone for its rugged specifications. I’m an active person (firefighter) and I thought I’d like some additional protection. The specs are nothing more than window dressing. The phone got wet, admittedly immersed, and failed.

When warranty work was sought, Samsung simply voided the warranty for the reason of “moisture.”

Worthless company, worthless product.Samsung Rugby A837 Phone, Black (AT&T)Samsung Rugby A837 Phone, Yellow (AT&T)

3 Stars A bit of a letdown
This refers to the MAROON model but color shouldn’t be a factor.

I purchased this phone primarily because of its ruggedness, and on that score it’s fine. As an old guy (not old enough for a Jitterbug), I won’t use 90% of the features but those I want are lacking. I wanted voice dial: nada. With all the bells and whistles available, why can’t we record a call? How often are you in a position to jot down info a caller provides?

Buy/More Info

HTC Touch PRO Phone Black Sprint

Get down to business and stay close to all your most important contacts and documents while on the go with the HTC Touch Pro Smartphone for Sprint, which combines a slide-out QWERTY keyboard paired with HTC’s intuitive, graphic-rich TouchFLO 3D touchscreen user interface. The TouchFLO 3D user interface responds perfectly to your finger gestures when scrolling through contacts, browsing the web, and launching media–all vividly displayed as photos and artwork on the 2.8-inch screen powered by the 3D graphics processor. And with the power of the updated Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, you’ll stay easily connected to your business and personal data on the go with support for a wide variety of email accounts as well as the ability to edit Microsoft Office documents.

With the TouchFLO 3D interface, album artwork, calendar items and snapshots are brought to life for you to interact, play and launch at your fingertips.

The HTC Touch Pro for Sprint provides a mobile Internet experience that uses the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network (EV-DO Rev. A). You’ll also enjoy GPS navigation capabilities for accessing the optional Sprint Navigation turn-by-turn direction service as well as access to Sprint TV’s video-on-demand with full-motion video and vivid sound. Other features include built-in Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g), a 3.2-megapixel camera/camcorder, Bluetooth for handsfree devices and stereo music streaming, and up to 4 hours of talk time. Compatible with MicroSD memory cards for expansion up to 16 GB, this package includes a 1 GB MicroSD card to give you the room you need for larger work files, presentations, reports, documents or fun files like photos and music.

Sprint Service
Supporting the EV-DO Rev. A high-speed data standard, this phone enables you to download and stream high-quality video, straight onto your phone. Where coverage is available, EV-DO Rev. A connectivity provides peak network download data rates of up to 3.1 Mbps and peak upload data rates of up to 1.8 Mbps; average download speeds range from 600 kbps to 1.4 mbps and average uplink speeds range from 350 to 500 kbps.

With Sprint TV, you can make your cell phone your always-on source for news, weather, sports and more. This comprehensive service allows you to access your favorite channels and networks within seconds to watch live TV or video-on-demand with full-motion video. Choose from more than 50 live television channels and watch programs such as CNN mobile, FOX sports and E! Entertainment; access NFL Network and special programming via Sprint Exclusive Entertainment.

Sprint brings you closer to this season’s NFL action with NFL Mobile Live, which enables you to listen to the live radio broadcasts of every NFL game throughout the 2008 regular season. Sprint is making it easier to follow a specific team by carrying a live radio broadcast for each game, including pregame and postgame reports in most instances. NFL Mobile Live also allows NFL.com fantasy owners to monitor the performance of every player in real time directly from their phone. Key information for individual players will be easily accessible, including real-time game and season cumulative stats, rankings, player profiles and photos. NFL Mobile Live is free of charge to Sprint data subscribers.

The slide-out, backlit QWERTY keyboard makes sending email and editing documents fast and familiar.

This GPS-enabled phone provides optional access to Sprint Navigation for driving directions on your mobile phone–by voice and onscreen. Along the way, turn-by-turn directions will be announced in a clear voice and displayed on your phone. For example, Sprint Navigation will say, “Go 1.2 miles and turn right on Elm Street.” As you approach the turn, you will hear, “Turn right on Elm Street.” Sprint Navigation also provides proactive traffic alerts with one click re-routing. And it’s easy to find restaurants, banks, cafes, hotels and more from over 10 million points of interest across the U.S.

The Sprint Mobile Sync service enables you to store and manage up to 5,000 contacts in your Sprint Mobile Sync address book, including phone numbers, addresses, notes and other fields. After your phone is activated, every change you make to your address book will be automatically saved on the Sprint network and every change you make online will be updated on your phone. Create and manage personal Group Connect groups to instantly reach up to 20 other users, at the same time, via Nextel Direct Connect or texting. Import contact fields to your address book or synchronize them with your Microsoft Outlook contacts.

Phone Features
With the TouchFLO 3D interface, HTC has taken a great leap forward in touchscreen innovation. It’s designed for one-hand operation using simple, gesture-based navigation, allowing you to simply touch, hold and slide along the screen tabs. A quick slide on the home screen quickly activates the most used features such as e-mail, text messaging, music player and camera. This instinctive interface extends to the powerful Web browser, where a useful “zoom in, zoom out” feature makes it especially easy to access the Web via the included Opera browser, which provides for desktop-like Web page renderings and user interactions. An integrated accelerometer senses when you change the position of the phone from portrait to landscape viewing, and it auto-rotates the screen’s orientation.

The HTC Touch Pro features a sharp, 262K-color 2.8-inch VGA touchscreen (480 x 640 pixels) for touch-sensitive navigation control, complete with three-dimensional animated transitions. For email, messaging and other data input, the HTC Touch Pro also comes equipped with a full QWERTY keyboard that slides out from the smartphone’s side.

Business users can choose from several popular platforms to access your corporate e-mail. The Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional platform offers seamless integration with Microsoft Outlook information including email, contacts, calendar and to-do lists. You can access and edit email attachments using mobile versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint.

In addition, the HTC Touch Pro supports scores of industry-specific applications as well as Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager (MDM), an enterprise-grade mobile device management solution that also provides security, mobile Virtual Private Network (VPN) and software distribution for Windows Mobile devices enabled for Windows Mobile 6.1. For maximum flexibility, customers can choose to use either the classic Windows Mobile interface or HTC’s acclaimed TouchFLO 3D graphical interface, which makes popular applications easily available at the swipe of a finger.

This phone provides Bluetooth version 2.0 wireless connectivity with EDR (enhanced data rate), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and audio/video remote control. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You’ll also be able to access open Wi-Fi networks in offices and hotspots via the integrated 802.11b/g wireless connectivity.

Other features include:

• 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus; video capture up to CIF resolution (352 x 288 pixels)
• Windows Media Player compatible with MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV file formats
• 512 MB of ROM, 288 MB of RAM
• Compatible with ActiveSync 4.5 and Windows Mobile Device Center
• Support for polyphonic ringtones as well as real-music ringers
• Voice command capable.
• MicroSD memory card expansion (up to 16 GB capacities)
• WorldCard Mobile business card reader
• USB 2.0 connectivity with mass storage capabilities
• Bluetooth version 2.0+EDR with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), BPP (basic printing profile for text, email), DUN (dial-up networking), FTP (file transfer), HID (support for mice or joysticks), OPP (object push for business cards, calendar items, and pictures), PAN (personal area networking), PBA (transfer contacts)
• Hearing Aid Compatibility = M3

Vital Statistics
The HTC Touch Pro weighs 4.94 ounces and measures 4.17 x 2.04 x 0.71 inches. Its 1340 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4.0 hours of talk time, and up to 350 hours (14.6 days) of standby time. It runs on the CDMA 800/1900 frequencies as well as Sprint’s EV-DO Rev. A data network.

Powered by Windows Mobile 6.1
Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.1 offers a number of handy features that make searching through email, editing Microsoft Office documents, and staying on top of your most important communications even easier. Emails can now be viewed in their original rich HTML format and now offer the ability to visit embedded links. It also includes Windows Live for Windows Mobile, which provides a full set of Windows Live services, such as the Windows Live Messenger IM application, which now enables you to chat with more than one person at one time or send a file.

With Windows Mobile 6.1, your phone will finally be able to emulate the power and features of your PC’s Microsoft Office suite. You’ll be able to neatly view, navigate and edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets in their original formatting–without affecting tables, images or text–as well as view PowerPoint presentations.

• Microsoft Office Word Mobile features include spell-check, Find and Replace commands, bulleted lists, text formatting, and support for tables for the first time.
• With Excel Mobile, you’re not just confined to editing charts: with the new Chart Wizard you can create charts quickly and easily.
• PowerPoint Mobile allows you to view the full presentation, rehearse timings, check the order and any live links you may have in your presentation. You can then email comments back to the team or communicate via MSN Messenger for an immediate response.
• After creating or editing a Word document or Excel spreadsheet, you can synchronize it with your PC and it will automatically be converted to the PC version.

All Windows Mobile 6.1 powered devices include Direct Push Technology for up-to-date e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization of Outlook calendars, tasks and contacts through Microsoft Exchange Server. It also offers a set of important device security and management features that include the capability to remotely wipe all data from a device should it be lost or stolen, helping ensure that confidential information remains that way.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Best phone
Ok I have gotten into the world of PPC’s with a real old model,

This is by far the best phone, and the wife loved it so much she had to get it. Now for thoose not used to a ppc it might feel a bit clunky with the interface, but do to all it can do it will.

I will say battery life could be better, although there are registry tweaks and such that greatly help ([...]). There are certain programs to help with the TF3D feel. Overall I highly recomend this to someone with the need and use for a powerfull phone, and business use.

Dave

1 Star Amazon Customer Service
Amazon customer service is terrible. If THEY have a problem, they just simply cancel your order without notification and tell you “if you really want the product, you just have re-order online because there is nothing else we can do”.

It is a shame because Amazon’s price is great for this phone. If I ever get this phone, because this will be the 4th time I’m ordering it, I’ll rate the actual phone in another review.

But shame on Amazon!!! Their customer service is weak.

3 Stars Noob perspective – it’s a computer not a phone
I recently switched from a traditional cell phone to this phone because of the reportedly good web experience. It does have a good web expereince, but alas I miss having a phone. This is a warning to all you “phone only” users wanting to transcend to a higher plain…this might not be the one for you.

Pro: fast internet and good browser experience

Cons: weak battery and clumbsy phone interface.

Short story: this device is less of a phone and more of a very small computer. Still bleeding edge in IMHO.

1 Star Flashy, but……
I must concur with fellow reviewer Neil Brown. The interface of this phone is an inconsistent mess. Coming from the Palm OS, I was always presented with a consistent user interface, just one example: the save and cancel key buttons always in the same place, regardless of the feature. The HTC buttons change functionality and position with each program; even the basic buttons work differently. The OK and cancel buttons (tiny! keep your fingernails long) appear almost randomly on the top and bottom of the screen. The back arrow sometimes takes you back to the previous screen and sometimes it doesn’t. Furthermore, the same program will act differently with the pull out keyboard than with the phone in the vertical position. The TouchFlo feature is useless because of the delayed inconsistent screen feedback. Unfortunately, the HTC was chosen by my company as THE phone for us to use.

5 Stars Best phone on the market
For people who want a device that is a computer in their pocket this is the right device for you. For those of you who aren’t comfortable with computers and there make-up and don’t know how to customize things to your liking on a windows mobile device than this device is not for you. The great thing about windows mobile is there are so many customizable options you have out there and the programs you can install are limitless. If you don’t like how a certain program functions install a different one. There are tons of custom rom’s (operating systems) You can install to turn this machine into a beast that cannot be touched by any other phone out there today.

Buy/More Info

Samsung Trance Phone Red Verizon Wireless

The successor to the popular Juke music phone, the Samsung Trance slider phone for Verizon Wireless is designed for anyone who has an ear for music and an eye for style. Sound technology by Bang & Olufsen ICEpower transforms your playlist into a performance while one-touch music access puts your personal concert right at your finger tips. A unique music sharing capability also enables you to listen to music from one Samsung Trance through two Bluetooth stereo devices simultaneously, so you can share your music experience with friends.

The Samsung Trance slider phone has an ear for music with a unique Bluetooth Music Share feature, Bluetooth stereo music streaming, and access to the Verizon Wireless V CAST Music with Rhapsody service.

It’s also compatible with the VZ Navigator turn-by-turn direction service and includes a 1.3-megapixel camera, 1 GB internal memory, and MicroSD expansion up to 16 GB.

It’s compatible with Verizon’s V Cast Music with Rhapsody service, which allows you to side-load music downloaded from Rhapsody on your PC to the Trance’s 1 GB internal memory or to an optional MicroSD memory card. This phone also offers an A-GPS receiver, which enables you to access the Verizon Wireless VZ Navigator service for turn-by-turn directions. Other features include a 1.3-megapixel camera for still photos, Bluetooth for handsfree devices and stereo music streaming to optional headphones and speaker docks, MicroSD memory expansion up to 16 GB, access to mobile email and instant messaging, personal organizer tools, and up to 4.5 hours of talk time.

Verizon Wireless Service
This phone is compatible with the Verizon Wireless V CAST Music with Rhapsody, which enables you to access this exclusive digital music service for RealNetworks and for MTV Networks. V CAST Music with Rhapsody delivers unlimited monthly access to music on up to three Rhapsody-compatible mobile phones and players and online on multiple PCs and Web browsers. For a monthly fee (billed on your Verizon Wireless bill), you can load and reload your subscription songs from your PC to your V CAST Music with Rhapsody phone as often as you want, and take your music on the go. On your computer running the Windows XP or higher operating system, you can also browse, preview and purchase music using the V CAST Music with Rhapsody software, which is available as a free download from the V CAST Music with Rhapsody download website.

With this GPS-enabled phone, you’ll be able to access the Verizon Wireless VZ Navigator service (additional charges applicable) for voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions, heads-up alerts, local search of nearly 14 million points of interest in the US (such as landmarks, restaurants and ATMs), and detailed color maps. And the Chaperone service lets you easily locate your loved ones from your Verizon Wireless phone or PC in real time. After defining a zone, such as an area designating a school or summer camp, you’ll be sent an alert via text message when the Chaperone handset enters or leaves the zone.

Phone Features
The Samsung Trance slider phone has a 2.1-inch LCD screen with a 176 x 220-pixel resolution and support for 262K colors. Below the display, lighted touch navigation buttons appear only when touched or the phone is moved, and controls include a four-way navigator, two soft navigation keys, and a dedicated music play key. The face slides smoothly up to reveal a standard alpha-numeric keypad that’s complemented with send/end keys and a dedicated camera button.

The Trance comes with a built-in 1 GB of memory (actual formatted capacity is less) for storing music as well as a 64 MB of RAM and 128 MB of flash memory for storing applications. You can expand the phone’s memory via optional MicroSD memory cards (up to 16 GB in size). The internal phonebook can store up to 1000 contact entries with multiple numbers per entry as well as support for caller groups and photo/ringer ID. Other features include display of the last 90 incoming/outgoing/missed phone calls, embedded ringtones, compatibility with 72-chord polyphonic and real-music ringtones, and silent/vibrate modes.

The digital audio player supports a full range of music files, including MP3, AAC, M4A, AAC+, EAAC+, WMA, WMA Pro, and WMA Pro Plus. You can repeat one song or the whole playlist, shuffle music, or listen to a playlist in order. Other features include the ability to create and manage playlists while on the go, multi-tasking while listening to music (such as sending text messages or email), and PC synchronization.

It also includes Bang & Olufsen ICEpower, the world’s most advanced digital amplification technology, which utilizes less power and produces less excess heat while creating a more powerful and crystal clear sound. It offers superior audio quality comparable to professional audio systems with total harmonic distortion under 1 percent and a signal-to-noise ratio of -80dB. The 3.5mm headphone adaptor enables you to connect any type of earphone.

With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. This phone also includes a unique Bluetooth Music Sharing capability, which allows you to listen to music from one Samsung Trance through two Bluetooth stereo devices simultaneously–so you can share your music experience with friends (Music Sharing does not allow you to transfer any music files via Bluetooth technology).

Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. You’ll also enjoy handsfree communication when using optional Bluetooth communication headsets and handsfree car kits. It also includes profiles for object push (vCard and vCalendar only) and basic image and phonebook access.

The 1.3-megapixel camera shoots still photos only, and it offers six resolution options (1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480, 320 x 240, 160 x 120, 128 x 96 pixels) as well as a digital zoom, Night Shot capabilities for shooting in low-light situation, multi-shot, brightness adjustment, and a self-timer.

Stay in touch with friends while you’re on the go using SMS text messaging. When used in combination with the phone’s built-in still camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging fun. The phone comes with a built-in web browser for downloads and mobile web browsing. It’s also compatible with accessing mobile and web email as well as popular instant messaging services.

Other features include:

• Threaded messaging for organized, easy-to-follow text conversations
• Personal Organizer: Calendar with Scheduler, Note Pad
• Tools: Alarm Clock, World Clock, Calculator with Converter, Stop Watch
• Voice Commands: Voice Dial, Menu Readout, Digit Dial Readout, Text Message Readout, and Call Alert
• Bilingual interface: English/Espa

Samsung Glyde Phone Black Verizon Wireless version 1

A powerful and sleek multimedia and messaging phone, the Samsung Glyde for Verizon boasts a robust feature-set, an innovative and colorful touchscreen, and full QWERTY keyboard. The 2.8-inch advanced touchscreen offers a tactile response as you tap onscreen buttons, and the slide-out QWERTY makes it easy to stay in contact via text and instant messaging. It’s compatible with Verizon’s V Cast Music Service, which enables you to purchase songs through your phone and download them via Verizon’s fast EV-DO data network. You’ll also stay on course thanks to the VZ Navigator GPS turn-by-turn direction service. Other features include a 2.0-megapixel camera, microSD memory expansion (up to 8 GB), Bluetooth connectivity for both communication headsets and stereo headphones, and up to 3.5 hours of talk time.

The 2.8-inch display doubles as a state-of-the-art interactive touch pad for more user-friendly navigation.

Verizon Service Options
With support for the EV-DO high-speed data standard, you’ll enjoy fast access to the Internet and Verizon’s multimedia services (additional charges applicable), with average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps and peak rates up to 2 Mbps. (Learn more about where EV-DO coverage is offered.) The V Cast Music service enables you to download songs instantly to your phone, or purchase music through your PC and transfer the files to your phone. If purchased from your phone, you’ll receive two copies of the song: a Windows Media Audio Pro Plus format at 64Kbps stereo is sent to your phone, and a Windows Media Audio 9 format at 160Kbps stereo is sent to your account in the V CAST Music online store for downloading to your PC. V Cast Music offers nearly 2 million songs, with more being added all the time.

The V Cast Video service enables you to stream or download video clips to your phone from a variety of news, entertainment, sports, and weather channels, including CNN, ABC News, E!, CBS Sports, The Weather Channel, and VH1.

Getting on the Internet is easy using Verizon’s Mobile Web 2.0 package, which allows you to read and send e-mails, exchange instant messages and view your favorite web content on your phone. Verizon’s Get It Now wireless download service is also fully compatible with this phone. This pay-per-download service features application downloads, games and productivity tools. You can also personalize your handset with ringtone downloads using the Get It Now service.

With this GPS-enabled phone, you’ll be able to access Verizon’s VZ Navigator service (additional charges applicable) for voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions, heads-up alerts, local search of nearly 14 million points of interest in the US (such as landmarks, restaurants and ATMs), and detailed color maps.

With one quick slide, enjoy a large QWERTY keyboard to text or IM friends with lightening speed.

Phone Features
The combination touchscreen, slider keyboard design of the Samsung Glyde provides a variety of ways of interacting with the phone’s features. The large touch-enabled LCD measures 2.8 inches vertically and has a 240 x 440-pixel resolution and support for 262K colors. The front of the chassis has a single button (much like another, often talked about touchscreen phone), and the phone offers most of its controls via the touchscreen–which provides adjustable haptic vibrating feedback, so you know when you’ve pressed a button.

The front of the Glyde’s face slides open from the left side of the phone and it’s easy to open and close with just one hand. When the keyboard is opened, the display automatically changes to landscape orientation. The keyboard offers no dedicated numbers, so you’ll do your dialing via the numeric keypad that appears on the or touchscreen.

The Glyde can store up to 500 contacts, with each entry able to store five phone numbers, two email addresses, notes, and a picture ID. It’s compatible with saving contacts to groups and pairing contacts with a ringtone (polyphonic or real music ringer). The phone has a 45 MB internal memory, which is expandable via optional microSD memory cards (up to 8 GB in size). It also provides speaker-independent voice activated commands, including dial, menu readout, text message readout, and call announcement.

A speakerphone means you can easily talk hands-free, while Bluetooth (version 1.2) allows you to use your favorite wireless headset. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. It also includes profiles for printing images directly to printers, dial-up networking, and sending vCard and vCalendar items to other phones.

The 2-megapixel camera has six resolution modes for still photos (from 1600 x 1200 for printing to 176 x 144 pixels for sending via MMS). It features a 9x digital zoom, an integrated flash, self-timer, multi-shot mode, and customizable settings for brightness and white balance. The camera can also capture video with sound and it offers two resolution settings (320 x 240 and 176 x 144 pixels). You can shoot for up to 30 seconds for sending or as long as you have space on your optional memory card.

You can easily add new music to your collection while on the go from Verizon’s V Cast Music service and listen to them on the integrated digital audio player, which offers compatibility with MP3, WMA, AAC/AAC+ file formats. You can sync your tunes from your PC (Windows Media Player 11 or higher), as well as create and manage playlists right on the phone. The enV2 can also play video clips from Verizon’s V Cast Video service, and ti’s compatible with WMV, MP4, 3GP, and 3G2 formats.

The Glyde weighs 4.2 ounces.

The Glyde has all the bases covered when it comes to messaging, too, with support for sending and receiving text, picture, and video messages as well as mobile instant messaging (IM). There’s also a complete e-mail client on the device for POP- and IMAP-based accounts. And of course, the QWERTY keyboard makes it a snap to type your messages. The Glyde ships with a number of handy tools, including a calendar and a voice memo application. An alarm clock and calculator are also included. The Glyde supports V Cast 3-D games, as well as other 2-D-based games, which are available from Verizon’s Get It Now service. You can also customize the phone’s wallpapers and screen savers to give your phone a look that suits your style.

Other features include:

• Bluetooth version 1.2 with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), BIP (for sending images to another device), BPP (basic printing profile for text, email), DUN (dial-up networking), OPP (object push for business cards, calendar items, and pictures), PBA (transfer contacts)
• Music Player for WMA, MP3, unprotected aac and aac+ formats
• Full HTML browser
• Instant messaging via AIM, MSN, and Yahoo!
• Personal organizer with calendar, calculator, notepad, currency converter, alarm clock, world time and stop watch
• TTY compatible
• Hearing Aid Compatibility = M4

Vital Statistics
The Samsung Glyde weighs 4.2 ounces and measures 4.09 x 1.98 x 0.71 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 210 minutes (3.5 hours) of talk time, and up to 250 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/1900 CDMA/EV-DO frequencies.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Samsung finally righted their wrong
well i got the samsung glyde originally 2 months ago and the touch screen was great at times and than out of nowhere it got all funky hitting buttons on the totally other side of the phone, and the fact u could not hit the buttons at the edge of the screen, when mobile iming it is totally a pain, well a few weeks ago i was reading online about a new model being snuck in by samsung into the verizon lineup, by people it was termed the glyde refresh, samsung actually switching from the capacitive touch screen to a pressure resistant screen (like the lg voyager or dare). well after a quick phone call to my local verizon store, i talked to someone in the technical department saying yes there is a new model out and the screen is a millimeter or two bigger. well he put it on hold for me b/c of the year warranty through samsung and i picked it up that day and all i have to say is this phone finally touches its original billing, although not the termed iphone killer, i say its pretty darn close. on both models the speaker is better than the iphone or ipod touch (which i own and ive compared), the layout is simple and i love the option of either using the touch screen or QWERTY keyboard to text, the touch screen is perfect now and every button u want to press it presses it, i can dial numbers no like i use to on my RAZR or my cordless phone at hoome. i am soo happy with this phone now and i have to say it is my favorite phone ive ever owned. DEF 5 STARS!!

1 Star STAY AWAY FROM THIS PHONE!!!
If you’re smart you will avoid this phone!!! I loved it for the first few months and then things went south. I got the phone brand new in September 08, and 6 months later, in March, a friend knocked the phone off of my desk and it stopped charging completely (mind you, it was in a case!). Verizon sent me a refurbished phone, and within TWO WEEKS, for no reason at all, half the screen went white and the other half was completely grainy. No water damage, no cracks, no other physical damage. Verizon people told me “Thats just a crappy phone.” They’re sending me my second re-furbished one, but PLEASE, save yourself the time and stress–GET SOMETHING ELSE.

2 Stars Not recommend
I would NOT recommend this phone! The second week into glyde, the touch screen started lock up and sometimes when I’m not touching the phone it would scroll and click all by itself. After 5 months of torture, I took it back to verizon and they replaced it with a new upgraded version of glyde. It works alot better unlike my haunted one. The one in the picture however is not the upgraded one so I would not recommend it.. it’s a nightmare!

1 Star Samsung Glyde: the worst phone ever
I’ve been stuck with a Samsung Glyde for almost a year and it is by far the worst phone I’ve ever had. My son also had one that was unusable. He ended up just buying different phone and eating the $100. Verizon would only replace it with another Samsung phone, despite that fact that the phone is flawed by design (my son, me, my daughter and my sister all got them at the same time and all have had problems). The touch screen very often does not work at all or brings up the wrong thing. I’ve missed a lot of important calls since the phone would not respond to “touch to unlock”. Verizon’s response is that you have to return the phone twice within 90 days before they will (possibly) give you a credit towards a phone that works. Great, and each replacement is over an hour of my time waiting for tech support and waiting for them to configure my replacement phone, which I know will not work any better. My response? I’m switching service providers as soon as my contract with Verizon (that covers 5 phones) is up!

1 Star How Far Can I Throw This Phone?
The phone is a disaster. Much like everyone else, the touch screen is just awful. Locks up, wrong buttons being pushed, phantom dialing, complicated to operate. I took it back for the software update, and it failed massively. Actually made the phone more of a pain in the a$$ to operate with the new slide lock touchscreen. Verizon won’t let you return it after warranty, which is expected, but they won’t fix it either. I’m not due up for my upgraded phone for 12 more months.

I reactivated my old KRZR and am using that again. I’m not paying full retail for another Verizon phone. There really should be a class-action suit on this one, or a full refund.

Shame on you, Verizon. You just dropped a notch in my book (although it’s still better than AT&T and Sprint).

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BlackBerry Pearl 8110 Phone Oyster Pink ATandT

Stay connected wherever you roam and keep yourself on track for your next meeting with the GPS-enabled BlackBerry Pearl 8110 from AT&T, which is compatible with the new AT&T Navigator turn-by-turn driving directions. You’ll also enjoy push-to-talk (PTT) capability–an AT&T exclusive–as well as music downloads from AT&T Mobile Music.

The Pearl 8110 continues to offer all the communication features that you’ve come to expect from Blackberry smartphones, including email served up by the BlackBerry Internet Service and a full menu of messaging options (SMS, MMS, and IM). And it’s easy to type emails and messages on the go using the Pearl’s SureType QWERTY keypad, which provides word completion, advanced editing, and the ability to learn new words. Other features include a 2.0-megapixel camera with video capture, Bluetooth for both communication headsets and stereo music streaming, MicroSD expansion, digital audio player, speakerphone, and voice-activated commands and dialing.

Nicely compact and lightweight at just 3.2 ounces and 0.55 inches thin.

AT&T Service
This quadband phone operates on GSM 850/900/1800/1900 networks and can handle high-speed data connectivity via AT&T’s EDGE network, with availability in more than 13,000 US cities and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. It also offers global voice roaming in over 190 and data roaming in over 130 countries.

Among the unique features of the Blackberry Pearl 8110 are AT&T’s Push-to-Talk (PTT) service and AT&T Navigator GPS direction service. AT&T Push-to-Talk boasts the largest push to talk coverage area in America. PTT features on the Pearl 8110 include “availability” icons, quick group calling, and the ability to easily convert a PTT session to a regular wireless voice call. You can use your Pearl 8110 to Push-to-Talk to communicate with individual colleagues or friends, or set up groups for broader communication. In addition, the AT&T service offers such standard PTT features as call waiting, contact alerts, as well as text, picture, and voice messaging to anyone in their contact list.

Get turn-by-turn directions from AT&T Navigator.

You can also take advantage of the AT&T Navigator GPS software and service, a full-featured premium navigation application that includes audible turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates and re-routing options, and 3D moving maps (additional charges applicable). AT&T Navigator offers several other features to make your commute more enjoyable and reliable, including mobile access to Yellowpages.com. Additionally, AT&T Navigator is the only mobile phone-based GPS service that provides integrated speech recognition for address entry and points of interest search.

The Blackberry Pearl 8110 delivers the legendary BlackBerry email experience. With BlackBerry service plans from AT&T, you can receive emails instantaneously from up to 10 email accounts (personal and enterprise). With BlackBerry push technology, you don’t need to retrieve your email. BlackBerry devices are designed to remain on and continuously connected to the wireless network, allowing you to be discreetly notified as new email arrives. Support is also built-in for viewing email attachments (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, WordPerfect, and PDF formats).

If your company has a BlackBerry Enterprise Server installed, you can also take advantage of the power of wireless calendar synchronization. Your calendar events are exchanged wirelessly and automatically so that your desktop calendar and BlackBerry handheld calendar are synchronized. All your Outlook meeting requests, changes, and updates are instantaneously synchronized instantaneously with your desktop. Make meeting requests, invite new attendees and more, all on your Blackberry Pearl 8110. Users without BlackBerry Enterprise Server support can manually sync with their desktop calendars and contacts via Bluetooth or USB using the included BlackBerry Desktop Software.

Phone Features
Weighing just 3.38 ounces and just 0.55 inches thin, the Pearl 8110 manages to fit a QWERTY keyboard onto the handset’s slim frame. Each button on the keyboard shares two letters and the unit automatically determines which letter is the intended one based on what it predicts you are trying to spell. This unique predictive text technology, known as SureType, makes the Pearl 8110’s diminutive size possible. SureType also learns the words you use most often, further enhancing your typing speed.

It sports a large 240 x 260 screen that supports over 65,000 colors–plenty of real estate to view your e-mails, Web browser content, messaging sessions, and attachments. The venerable BlackBerry trackwheel has been replaced on this model with an innovative four-way trackball placed below the screen. On the rear of the handheld, you’ll find a 2.0-megapixel camera and a self portrait mirror. The handheld’s MicroSD memory card slot is located inside the device, behind the battery. There’s also a standard 3.5mm headset jack that can be used with the included headset, as well as a mini-USB port for data connectivity.

The Pearl 8110 features an updated visual interface and integrates a new font rendering technology that displays characters with enhanced legibility at even the smallest point sizes. The BlackBerry Browser is further improved with a new “Page View” option that displays a full web page on the screen along with a magnifying glass that allows the user to quickly and accurately point and zoom in on a specific area of the web page.

This phone provides Bluetooth version 2.0 wireless connectivity, and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, audio/video remote control, and printing. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. The integrated media player allows you to create and edit playlists right on the handset. The Pearl 8130 also features a 2 megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom and enhanced flash. The new camera also supports video capture in two resolutions: 240×180 or 176×144 for sharing via MMS.

Other features include:

• Phone as Modem Capable: Use the included USB cable to connect to laptops for a wireless modem, or choose to run this capability via Bluetooth with no USB cable requirement.
• Voice Command and Voice Activated Dialing: Built-in speaker independent voice command allows users to look up contacts, place phone calls and access key information from the device.
• Voice Notes: Make a voice note and send as an email .wmv file attachment.
• Productivity Tools: View and update your calendar, schedule appointments, checks your task list and more while you’re on the go. Also includes a calculator, alarm clock and memo pad.
• Notification: Polyphonic, MIDI, MP3 ringtones plus vibrate mode
• Rating for hearing aids: M3, T3
• 64 MB internal memory
• 3.5mm stereo headset capable
• Built-in speakerphone

Vital Statistics
The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 weighs 3.2 ounces and measures 4.2 x 1.97 x 0.55 inches. Its 900 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4.5 hours of talk time, and up to 240 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars best phone I have ever owned
I recently purchased the Blackberry Pearl, and am delighted with it. It is easy to use, versatile, and best of all small and elegant and fits nicely into a purse.

I did have an issue with teh address book freezing up. Apparently it is a known issue, and it was recommended that I take out the battery and then plug it in again. This worked.

5 Stars GVanHorn
This is the phone I have now I really enjoy the quality of the phone and its many features.

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