Cellphone Reviews Blog

Samsung T119 Phone T Mobile

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Samsung T339 Phone Charcoal T Mobile

Stylish and svelte, the Samsung T339 flip phone for T-Mobile includes built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) that supports both voice and data, making it easier to stay connected to family, friends and colleagues using T-Mobile’s Unlimited HotSpot Calling service. A great phone for staying in touch with family and friends while on the go, it includes SMS/MMS as well as instant messaging (IM) connectivity. Other features include a 1.3-megapixel camera with video capture, Bluetooth for handsfree communication and stereo music streaming, MicroSD memory expansion (up to 2 GB), digital audio player, and up to 6 hours of talk time.

T-Mobile Service

Enjoy unlimited nationwide calling over Wi-Fi networks with T-Mobile’s HotSpot Enabled service.

With T-Mobile HotSpot Enabled service, you’ll effortlessly transition between Wi-Fi calling and T-Mobile’s wireless network while you talk. You can get unlimited nationwide calls over Wi-Fi–at home via your wireless router or at any U.S. T-Mobile HotSpot. You can also use the HotSpot Enabled service via most open, or unsecured, wireless routers, as well as any secured wireless router for which you have access to the password from the owner. Whenever you’re not using a Wi-Fi network, the phone works just like a regular mobile phone, using your Whenever Minutes under your T-Mobile voice plan.

Additionally, this mobile phone operates on GSM 850/900/1800/1900 networks and can handle high-speed data connectivity via T-Mobile’s EDGE network (which stands for “Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution”). As a quad-band world phone, this phone supports international roaming, extending the ability to stay connected while traveling abroad. This high-speed, mobile data and Internet access technology is fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services (with average data speeds between 75-135Kbps), including full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go.

This phone also includes compatibility with T-Mobile’s myFaves service, which allows you to call up to five of your most common contacts–on any network, even landlines–without using any of your minutes. Learn more about myFaves from T-Mobile.

Download cool new games, HiFi Ringers (real songs by today’s hottest artists), MegaTones (instrumental versions of songs), and wallpapers quickly, as well as stay connected via the Web, instant messaging, and email.

Phone Features
The trim Samsung T339 features a 2-inch internal LCD screen (176 x 220 pixels, 262K colors) that’s complemented by an external 1-inch screen (96 x 96 pixels, 65K colors) that displays current time, signal strength, battery life, and incoming calls. The phone’s camera lens sits above this external screen. Flipping open the phone reveals the standard alpha-numeric keypad that’s joined by a five-way navigator, send and end keys, and two soft navigation keys. The phone has a small 20 MB internal memory, which can store up to 1000 contact entries with support for multiple numbers per contact, caller groups and picture/ringer ID. The phone’s memory can be expanded via optional MicroSD memory cards–great for bringing your favorite music along wherever you roam or saving pictures and videos.

The Samsung T339 features a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth stereo music streaming, and MicroSD memory expansion.

With the integrated Wi-Fi networking, the Samsung T339 allows you to quickly surf the Internet over open wireless networks at home, at your business, or at Wi-Fi hotpsots (such as your local coffee shop). Additionally, with a HotSpot Enabled plan, you’ll be able to effortlessly switch between Wi-Fi calling and T-Mobile’s wireless network while you talk.

Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also 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.

If you need text messaging capabilities, the T339 has you covered as support is built-in for sending and receiving SMS and MMS messages. Instant messaging is also supported too, and comes preloaded with AOL, Yahoo!, MSN and ICQ IM clients (additional fees may apply). When it’s time to connect to the Web, you can do so quickly over the supported EDGE data protocol using the WAP 2.0 browser. T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built-into the unit–a plus for text messaging users.

Other features include:

• 1.3-megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom and video capture
• Digital audio player with support for MP3, AAC/AAC+ formats
• Organizational tools: calendar, alarm, stopwatch, calculator, converter
• 64-chord polyphonic ringtones, vibrate mode
• Speakerphone plus 2.5mm jack for wired headsets
• 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 T339 weighs 3.3 ounces and measures 3.6 x 1.8 x 0.8 inches. Its 880 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 6 hours of talk time, and up to 264 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies.

Buy/More Info

Samsung Memoir 8 MP Camera Phone Black T Mobile

Is the Samsung Memoir a high-megapixel point-and-shoot digital camera or a full-featured 3G-enabled smartphone? It’s both, thanks to the 8-megapixel lens mounted on the back of the device and support for T-Mobile’s HSDPA 3G network (in select markets), which provides fast web downloads and multimedia messaging. It will also keep you connected to your closest friends and family members with T-Mobiles myFaves.

The camera is outfitted with a Xenon flash, 16x digital zoom, video capture capabilities, and six shooting modes as well as easy access to your favorite online photo sharing sites. This touchscreen-enabled phone has a large, brightly colorful 3-inch screen, and it includes Samsung’s intuitive and easily customizable TouchWiz user interface. It also offers built-in Assisted GPS (a-GPS) navigation, which allows you to utilize location-based services including turn-by-turn directions. Other features include Bluetooth for handsfree devices and stereo music streaming, MicroSD memory expansion (up to 16 GB), digital audio player and FM radio, access to personal email and instant messaging, and up to 5.5 hours of talk time.

The Samsung Memoir’s 8-megapixel camera makes it easy to capture photos and videos on the go without sacrificing the quality of your point-and-shoot camera (see larger version).

T-Mobile Service
The Samsung Memoir operates on GSM 850/900/1800/1900 networks and is compatible with T-Mobile’s UMTS/HSDPA 3G network, which operates on the 1700/2100 MHz AWS spectrum. This phone is designed to automatically connect to the best available network (3G or GSM/GPRS/EDGE) to provide faster data speeds when accessing the Web or downloading content from the T-Mobile Web2go content portal. T-Mobile is currently rolling out its 3G network, and it expects by year’s end that its high-speed data network will be available in those cities where a majority of its subscribers currently use data services.

In areas where the 3G network is not available, you’ll continue to receive service on the via T-Mobile’s EDGE network (which stands for “Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution”). This high-speed, mobile data and Internet access technology is fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services (with average data speeds between 75-135Kbps), including full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go.

While this phone is optimized for use with T-Mobile’s high-speed 3G network, many of its functions will also work well on the moderate-speed EDGE network. If you plan to access the Internet extensively on your phone, 3G network coverage may serve you best.

Activities that work well on EDGE or 3G networks:

• Email, instant messaging, and texting
• Downloading ringtones, CallerTunes, wallpaper, light data files
• Sending photographs via e-mail or picture messaging

Activities that work best on a 3G network:

• Viewing content-heavy websites (lots of images or videos playing)
• Viewing YouTube and other video files (they will play on EDGE, but require loading time)
• Uploading large files (photos, videos, presentations) to sharing websites
• Downloading large files from an e-mail or a website

It’s compatible with T-Mobile’s myFaves service, which allows you to call up to five of your most common contacts–on any network, even landlines–without using any of your minutes. Learn more about myFaves from T-Mobile.

Download cool new games, HiFi Ringers (real songs by today’s hottest artists), MegaTones (instrumental versions of songs), and wallpapers quickly, as well as stay connected via the Web, instant messaging, and email.

This phone is compatible with T-Mobile’s Mobile Backup, a free service that stores your phone’s contact information is case your phone is lost, stolen, or damaged, so you do not have re-enter all of your contact information when you get a new phone.

Phone Features
The slim Samsung Memoir camera phone delivers impressive images on it large 3-inch LCD color display (240 x 400 pixels, 262K colors) and offers haptic responsive feedback that vibrates when you press a button. For easy operation and navigation, the stylish Memoir features three dedicated keys–call, end call and back–on the front of the device under the touch screen. The Memoir also provides quick and easy access to a customer’s favorite features through Samsung’s innovative TouchWiz user interface, which has specially designed widgets to customize and personalize your phone. The quick and simple drag-and-drop feature provides instant access to your favorite functions, such as the clock, music player, instant messaging and photos and a custom widget for myFaves. The Memoir’s full-touch virtual QWERTY keypad and multiple messaging capabilities–including text, multimedia messaging, instant messaging and email–make staying connected quick and easy while on the go.

Other features include Assisted GPS, Bluetooth for handsfree devices and stereo music streaming, and MicroSD memory expansion to 16 GB (see larger version).

With the 8-megapixel Samsung Memoir, you’ll be able to capture all the special moments from your on-the-go life without sacrificing image quality, and the full touchscreen interface makes it easy to capture both brilliant still photos and high-resolution videos. The built-in 8-megapixel camera includes a CMOS autofocus lens, Xenon flash, 16x digital zoom, six shooting modes, multi-shot capabilities. A photo-sharing widget also makes it easy to quickly upload images to several photo sharing sites, including Flickr, Kodak Gallery, Photobucket, and Snapfish (as well as T-Mobile’s My Album online sharing service). The Memoir also includes a TV output that enables you to connect the phone to a TV or compatible monitor to display photo slideshows to friends and family on a larger format.

The phone has a 180 MB internal memory, which can be expanded via optional MicroSD memory cards (up to 16 GB in size). The internal phonebook can store up to 2000 contact entries, each with multiple numbers per contact and support for caller groups as well as picture/ringer ID. You can download MP3 real-music and 72-chord polyphonic ringtones, and the phone also includes a vibrate function for when you need to keep things silent.

Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also 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.

Other features include:

• Built-in A-GPS navigation allows access to location-based applications
• Virtual, landscape QWERTY touchpad
• Instant messaging via AOL, ICQ, Windows Live, and Yahoo!
• Access to personal email with document viewer for attachments
• Organizer tools: Calendar, calculator, alarm clock, task list, voice memo
• Digital medial player compatible with audio (MP3, AAC/AAC+) and video files (MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV)
• 72-note polyphonic ringtones and vibrate mode
• Sync contact swith Outlook
• USB connectivity with USB mass storage capabilities
• Voice dialing: Call someone with simple voice commands to keep your hands free for activities like driving.
• Hearing Aid Compatibility = M3
• 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), FTP (file transfer), OPP (object push for business cards, calendar items, and pictures)

Vital Statistics
The Samsung Memoir weighs 4.4 ounces and measures 4.17 x 2.11 x 0.55 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5.5 hours of talk time, and up to 300 hours of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies as well as 1700/2100 MHz UMTS/HSDPA 3G frequencies.

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Returning Mine Tomorrow
After being very frustrated with my Blackberry Curve deleting all of my text messages and call log over and over and over again (T-Mobile tells me this is a known issue with Blackberries), I decided it was time for an upgrade. I could not decide between this and the G1, but because I have 3 small children and love snapping pics and being able to send them to friends and family, I went with the Memoir. I’ve now been using it for 3 days. There are some really cool features. I do enjoy the call features such as the speakerphone. The display is cool. The phone looks amazing. But the negatives outweigh the pros–for instance, you really can’t personalize it–there’s no adding apps or widgets suchas Facebook (which I LOVED having on my BB), there’s no WiFi, a fact I missed when trying to decide between this and the G1, and trying to text on the touchscreen is difficult-even after callibration. I also find the touchscreen to not work very smoothly–it’s definitely not as responsive as my iTouch. I definitely think it’s an upgrade over my Blackberry–minus the Facebook, of course, but I don’t think it’s the phone for me. I have a great digital camera-so I’ll just rely on it to take pics of my kids. I’m going to T-Mobile tomorrow to return this bad boy.

5 Stars Awesome!!
I’ve had this phone for a week and a half and every day I’ve been excited to find cool new features. I knew it would be great, but was really surprised by how far it exceeded my expectations. It’s definitely not perfect – there are several things that could be improved – but overall I really love it.

Great:

- 8MP Camera.

- Takes better outdoor pics than my old 5MP digital camera. Seems to like sports cars – those pics always come out awesome!

- Nice, clear screen. Zooming in/out works great.

- The touchscreen works well, and I haven’t even calibrated it yet.

- The display rotates based on how you’re holding the phone.

- Call quality is better than any cell phone I’ve ever had.

- The speakerphone is loud and clear.

- GPS works well.

- Mobile internet sites load fast and work well.

- I love having email access on my phone!

- Text messaging works great – far better than my old Samsung flip phone.

- The ‘www.’ and ‘.com’ buttons are cool for web address entry.

- Alarm settings are easy to work with.

- Overall I love the Touchwiz interface – it’s easy and fun to use. The whole phone works well as one integrated package, and is very well organized and designed.

- Setting up internet bookmarks is easy.

- Porting my number to the new service/phone was easy and fast.

- It took nearly an hour of video on a single battery charge, with juice left over for surfing and taking a dozen pics.

Ok:

- USB file transfer seems faster than Bluetooth, and charges the phone simultaneously

- The Samsung software (downloaded from their website) works well to pull images and videos off the phone via USB, and to work with the files on my PC. But why should these be required? Why not let the PC recognize and access it as a native device like it does via Bluetooth?

Could be better:

- Regular internet sites can fail to load or display, or take a really long time to do both. (That’s partly the cellular service.) I’m spending most of my time on sites that have a mobile version for phones.

- Picture quality varies depending on lighting. Indoor shots frequently come out yellow and fuzzy.

- Sometimes the camera seems to focus on anything but what you’re aiming at, so the subject is blurry but the background and foreground is sharp. (I have not tried different settings yet – just pointed and shot.)

- The screen could be bigger. Especially since I’m so addicted to it and am using it to surf all the time!

- Bluetooth file transfer (of 8MP pics) isn’t very fast and uses lots of battery power.

- The phone doesn’t tell me when it’s fully charged while using the wall charger. (It does if it’s charging via USB.)

- Amazon signed me up for a $19.99 100MB/month data plan that wasn’t compatible with the phone. Only the $24.99 unlimited data plans (and higher) seem to work.

4 Stars Nice phone and excellent deal from Amazon
Pretty nice phone overall. The camera flash could be improved. It doesn’t have enought flash for indoor pics.

1 Star Wow..yellow and blurry pictures
Well, the title says it all. I was so excited to get this phone but after I took so many pictures I found out that most of my indoor pictures are yellow (flash is not strong enough) and blurry. It’s on the way back to Tmobile now. The outdoor pictures are not great also. It’s about the same as my old Tmobile Dash phone.

3 Stars Forget the GPS
The only way the GPS on this phone works is if you subscribe to the Telenav software service for a fee of $9.99 a month. The phone is unable to download the free google maps program which will do the same job for free. Also the GPS software will waste a few minutes while it connects to Telenav to verify your account. After that you still have to go into the menu to activate your gps reciever and wait a few minutes to get a signal.

That is the biggest complaint I have about this phone. I upgraded from my nokia N93. Compared to the N93 I found that the memoir does not have WiFi, a focusing lense, a flashlight, and is unable to take video in lowlight conditions.

Buy/More Info

Samsung Katalyst Titanium Phone T Mobile

The latest addition to T-Mobile’s Hotspot @Home service, the Samsung Katalyst (T739) offers easy pocketability thanks to its slim slider design. In addition to its quad-band GSM and EDGE connectivity, it includes integrated Wi-Fi connectivity for use with Hotspot @Home, enabling you to make and receive unlimited nationwide calls over Wi-Fi from home or at any US T-Mobile HotSpot location. The phone also features a 1.3-megapixel camera/camcorder, Bluetooth connectivity for communication headsets, MicroSD memory expansion, voice recognition capabilities, and built-in instant messaging via popular services.

T-Mobile’s HotSpot @Home service provides unlimited nationwide calls over open Wi-Fi networks.

T-Mobile Service
With T-Mobile HotSpot @Home service, you’ll effortlessly transition between Wi-Fi calling and T-Mobile’s wireless network while you talk. You can get unlimited nationwide calls over Wi-Fi–at home via your wireless router or at any U.S. T-Mobile HotSpot. You can also use the HotSpot @Home service via most open, or unsecured, wireless routers, as well as any secured wireless router for which you have access to the password from the owner. This phone is compatible with the 802.11b/g Wi-Fi standard. Whenever you’re not using a Wi-Fi network, this phone works just like a regular mobile phone, using your Whenever Minutes under your T-Mobile voice plan.

This phone also includes compatibility with T-Mobile’s myFaves service, which allows you to call up to five of your most common contacts–on any network, even landlines–without using any of your minutes. Learn more about myFaves from T-Mobile.

Download cool new games, HiFi Ringers (real songs by today’s hottest artists), MegaTones (instrumental versions of songs), and wallpapers quickly, as well as stay connected via the Web, instant messaging, and email. And share pictures and video easily with T-Mobile’s My Album. You can add picture, voice, and video messages from your T-Mobile camera or video phone using the My Album link built into the send menu or by using a simple short code. You can also upload pictures, video, or sound from a home computer.

The slim slider Katalyst includes a 1.3-megapixel camera, MP3 player, and MicroSD expansion.

Phone Features
The Katalyst offers a generous color LCD with a 176 x 220-pixel resolution and support for 262K colors. The face includes a standard five-way navigation toggle, soft keys, and send/end keys, and it smoothly slides up to reveal the numeric keypad underneath. The phone has an internal 5 MB memory, and it can be expanded via MicroSD memory cards up to 2 GB. You can store up to 1000 contact entries, each with five numbers and an email address per entry.

This phone provides Bluetooth version 2.0 wireless connectivity and comes fully packed with a variety of helpful profiles, including communication headset and handsfree car kits. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. The phone also includes a full duplex speakerphone for hands-free communication when you don’t have a Bluetooth headset available.

In addition to SMS and MMS messaging, the Katalyst also features instant messaging support for AOL, ICQ, Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger. T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for entering text on handsets, is built into the unit–a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

The phone also sports an airplane mode feature, which allows the user to safely use the non-wireless functions of a phone (such as music, games, or organizer functions) on an airplane during flight. Other features include:

• Speaker-independent voice-activated dialing enables you to dial a contact just by speaking it when your hands are busy.
• 1.3-megapixel camera with multi-shot capability, a self-timer, spot metering, and white balance/brightness/ISO controls
• Digital audio player
• Picture and Ringer ID
• Vibrating alert
• Polyphonic and MP3 (real music) ringtones
• PIM tools: Calendar, to-do list, alarm, calculator, tip calculator, unit converter, voice memo
• Java-enabled downloadable games
• USB 1.1 wired connectivity with support for mass storage

Vital Statistics
The Samsung Katalyst weighs 4.1 ounces and measures 3.97 x 1.98 x 0.65 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5 hours of talk time, and up to 10 days of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Excellent phone
I recently upgraded from Samsung t619 to the Katalyst after my previous phone’s external screen cracked. The Katalyst has exceeded my expectations and has turned out to be an all-around excellent phone.

My previous t619 was a tiny phone. The Katalyst is a tad bigger and heftier, but it also feels far more solid. I like the look of the chrome trim, and everything has a nice glossy feel to it. Although functionally they are similar phones, the Katalyst is by far the better built of the two. The sliding mechanism is smooth and secure. It feels like a top-tier phone.

One of the primary reasons I chose the Katalyst was the feel of the directional pad. I was only comparing it to other free/cheap phones, but this had the best d-pad and OK button of all of them. All of the upper buttons are subtly larger than most phones, and the difference is very noticeable. It makes everything easier to use. The t619 is tiny and clumsy in comparison. The number buttons are a marginal step up from the t619 (both have smooth numbers that aren’t very well distinguished), but they are more than adequate for texting and dialing.

The speaker is loud and clear, and so far I have no sound quality complaints on the other end. One of the knocks the t619 had was a quiet speakerphone. I was happy to discover that the Katalyst is far louder and more usable, and it only requires one button press to activate (the t619 requires two).

The t-zones web interface has been upgraded from previous Samsung phones. Now your home page can be customized with any RSS feed. This isn’t quite as quick to use as the number-driven home page of previous phones, but it’s far more powerful and flexible. Also, for some reason T-Mobile has enabled full http access, which allows you to view almost any web page (forget about javascript or Flash though, of course). This isn’t a perfect feature; many websites will not load at all and will post an error. This is OK for me since I prefer to view phone-optimized WAP pages anyway, for the most part. The default Yahoo! search box does a nice job of miniaturizing any full-sized web page accessed through it to be easier to view on your phone. The overall experience, while not quite up to par with an iPhone, is relatively quick and convenient. Most of the waiting done is due to T-Mobile’s slow servers for the home page; once I navigate to a page like Reuter’s things move much more quickly. The phone’s volume up/down buttons function as page up/page down, which greatly speeds up scrolling (if the t619 had this feature somehow I missed it). For reading basic websites (glorified RSS feeds) I actually prefer using this little Katalyst to the iPhone! (Everything remotely complex works far better on an iPhone of course.)

Like I said, I chose this phone primarily based on feel, so I was surprised to learn that it has a WiFi feature. Contrary to my assumptions, you don’t need to subscribe to a service to use this feature. You can use WiFi without restriction; the only caveat is that it pulls from your regular minutes, so the only benefit is an improved signal. This is a fantastic feature if you live in an area with poor coverage, because you can utilize your broadband connection to make calls. It also speeds up the web browsing, which is a nice plus. Just be careful when leaving the house mid-call, because leaving the WiFi signal area will cause the call to drop. If you dislike this, you can just disable WiFi calling altogether.

I am not a power user. I use my phone for calls, and to pull up t-zones to check the news or find movies. Other reviews have complained about the bluetooth functionality being limited in this phone. Apparently it works with headsets, but not with communicating to your PC, which is fine for me because I would probably never do that anyway. I also don’t use the built-in MP3 player, so I can’t really comment on its quality, other than to say there’s no standard headphone jack (you need a proprietary adapter).

Overall this phone just feels right. Everything is solid and natural. There may be some fringe features that this phone lacks or doesn’t do quite as well as other phones, but the people who use these features know who they are and know to do their research before diving in and expecting the world. For everyone else who are just looking for a great phone, I highly recommend this one.

2 Stars No Memory!
Even with my memory card the phone can only hold about 100 texts and about 4 pictures. There is no options to save my texts to the memory card and no option to save pics directly to the memory card either. (you can do that after the pic is stored on your phone)

You have to go through 5 steps to send a simple text if you don’t know how to use that predictive text nonsense.

I can’t do simple things like assign a ring tone from my memory card to a name in my contact list because the phone constantly says “memory full”. I thought the point of a phone with external memory was so I could do stuff like this.

When I went to t mobile they suggested an upgrade that would cost me another $130, which was another SAMSUNG! Never again!

1 Star Just a dreadful phone.
Seems to be well built but the menu is hard to navigate thru. The ringtone is very weak and there is no ringer/vibrate combination. It’s either one or the other. Forget carrying this phone in your pocket… when a call comes in the front keypad is activated so instead of sliding the phone to answer it, there are 4 buttons to either accept or decline the call. So pretty much your either gonna decline or answer the call before you can dig it out of your pocket… and that’s if you hear the ringer at all. Next time I’ll pass on slider phones.

4 Stars Good reception
First of all I dont demand much in a phone, so you may want to take that into consideration with my review. The only things I really care about are signal strength, size, and the capacity to take pictures.

The thing I love about this phone is that I have had three or four other phones that get bad reception. They were all good phones, but I live in a hilly area with strange buildings that block antenna signals. This phone has the capacity to transfer to Wifi, but even before I had that set up I was getting and making calls in buildings that previously had NO reception whatsoever. I can’t figure why and I’m not one of those people that really knows about these things.. perhaps it’s because its a quad band? Any way, I was SO irritated not getting calls or having them cut out all the time with ALL my other phones and this one is great in that respect. The only thing is it echoes sometimes where I can hear my own voice bounce back… not sure why.

Other than that it’s a little on the large side for me but not *huge* by any means. Its not much thicker than any of my other phones so at least thats the same. The easiest way to open it is to push on the screen with your thumb so its smudgy a lot which is very apparent with the chrome finish as well but… eh. that doesnt bother me too much, would make my boyfriend nuts though so I thought I’d mention it for you folks that freak over that stuff.

It seems to have lots of features, most of which I dont care about, but one thing I’ve noticed thats neat is you can record a voice note (or sound, etc.) and set it as the ring for people… so you can have your phone make a farty sound when your ex is calling if you like. hehehe

I wish it had the capacity to move things around and prioritize them like my last phone, that was really nice since I dont use all the features ever, but it doesn’t that I can find. Pictures seem good and clear enough.. it’s irritating to not be able to use the headphones and the charger at the same time as they share a port. Bad design.

Only had it a week or two so thats all at the moment but man does the thing get good reception in all my trouble zones. That alone makes it worth it to me.

4 Stars Great phone
keep in mind i’m a 20 year old that just needs a simple phone to make simple phone calls and be able to text efficiently and i am not that picky.

this is my first slider phone and i do love it! it’s a good upgrade from the motorola razor flip phone.

the only negatives i can think of from this phone is

-i can’t personalize all the shortcuts and the soft keys and menu layouts

-default ringtones and wallpapers aren’t that great (oh well!)

-it does feel a bit thicker than what i’m used to from my razor, but i can get a better grip on my phone and doesn’t feel as flimsy

-the outside gets easily smudged

-looks like it could scratch easily

-sometimes it can lag when going through menus really fast, but i think that’s with all phones…?

-doesn’t show off a red light or anything like that to show an unread text or a missed call. but you can have a reminder tone of an unread message go off every minute or two

other than that everything is great!

-wifi is an interesting feature, but i’m sure it’s not for heavy internet users (like a computer!)

-i haven’t tried the music player, but that’s what my ipod is for

-texting is easy since the buttons are somewhat big (but i do have small fingers)

-the texting response is really good

-sliding feature is smooth

-i can connect my bluetooth headset easily

-calls are much clearer!

-the camera takes pretty decent photos (for a 1.3 megapixel…keep in mind…it’s not a real camera!)and has quite a few fun features for messing around with it

-my razor didn’t have this: if you have multiple numbers for one person, you can save it all under one name

overall, even though i’ve only had this phone for one day and this is my third phone i went through with t-mobile in the past two weeks…i can see that this is the phone for me! it’ not a very high-techy phone, but it is enough for a simple user with simple needs!

Buy/More Info

Samsung T229 Active Phone Red T Mobile

Keep your friends and family close even when you’re away with the uniquely stylish tri-band GSM/EDGE Samsung T229 from T-Mobile. It offers stunning good looks with a bright red clamshell face, champagne-hued back, funky off-center external display, and gray keypad. This affordable, entry-level flip phone also includes a VGA camera for still photos, Bluetooth connectivity for easy handsfree communication, speakerphone, 2.5mm wired headset jack, access to instant messaging services, and up to 6.5 hours of talk time.

Get unlimited any-network calling to any 5 people with a myFaves plan.

T-Mobile Service
This phone operates on GSM 850/1800/1900 networks and can transfer data (text messages, email, photos) using the GPRS network. It’s compatible with T-Mobile’s myFaves service, which allows you to call up to five of your most common contacts–on any network, even landlines–without using any of your minutes. Learn more about myFaves from T-Mobile.

Download cool new games, HiFi Ringers (real songs by today’s hottest artists), MegaTones (instrumental versions of songs), and wallpapers quickly, as well as stay connected via the Web, instant messaging, and email.

The affordable clamshell Samsung T229 includes Bluetooth connectivity and access to instant messaging.

Phone Features
The clamshell T229 has a squarish body with rounded corners, and its face features an off-center monochrome display (96 x 96 pixels) that provides caller ID, current time, signal strength and battery level. The internal 1.7-inch LCD has a 128 x 160-pixel resolution with support for 65K colors. The internal phonebook can store up to 1000 contact entries, each capable of storing up to five numbers and an email address as well as picture ID (which displays on incoming calls). It does not include a memory expansion slot.

The T229 includes a built-in VGA camera that can capture still photos up to 640 x 480 pixels (it doesn’t include video recording capabilities), and it includes a 4x digital zoom. The Audio Postcard feature allows you to add a personalized message to a photo before sending it to friends and family using multimedia messaging (MMS). You can also send quick SMS text messages and keep in touch with friends and family while on the go using popular instant messaging services such as AOL, Yahoo!, Windows Live, and Google Talk.

This phone provides Bluetooth version 2.0 wireless connectivity, and includes profiles for communication headset and handsfree car kits. It also provides a handsfree speakerphone as well as a 2.5mm jack for connecting a wired headset.

Other features include:

• Organization tools: calendar, calculator, currency converter, notepad, to-do list
• Airplane mode allows you to safely use the non-wireless functions of a phone (music, games, or organizer functions) on an airplane during flight or in other situations where you need to turn off your cellular connection.
• T9 predictive text entry technology makes it easier for you to enter words and text on handsets
• Polyphonic ringtones, vibrating alert
• Voice memo recording (up to one minute in length)
• Rated for hearing aids: M3 & T3

Vital Statistics
The Samsung T229 weighs 3.3 ounces and measures 0.8 x 1.9 x 3.6 inches. Its 880 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 6.5 hours of talk time, and up to 264 hours of standby time. It runs on the 850/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS frequencies.

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