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"Best NON-Smart Phone you can get! (Yes, no PDA Fee!)"
5.0 starson by Jouten_ZaPros: Great, responsive touch screen (not capacitive like iPhone), the haptic feedback enhances texting experience, great sounding music player (yes, I have the iPod touch and this sounds better). Works great with Opera Mini 4.2, thus easy browsing.
Cons: Ringtones are a bummer in that you can't just 'choose a song and go', you have to edit the song to a 300k sized mp3 or other supported format for it to work. If you set the screen's brightness to maximum, it sucks up the battery's life big time.
Summary: I did not even expect to get this phone. I walked into the AT&T store to shop for a touchscreen phone that wasn't the iPhone, I have the iPod Touch and didn't like the qwerty keyboard that it uses. I was looking for a phone with an actual physical qwerty keyboard because my wife texts me short questions that require long answers =)
I got Gmail and that allowed me the ability to check all my POP3 email from my ISP! Gmail is a sweet app and a must for this phone if you wish to be able to check your POP3 emails. I still am absolutely in love with this phone and have no buyer's remorse whatsoever. I usually find faults within a week to ten days of owning something and this phone has survived that honeymoon period. In fact, the more I use it, the more I love it. If you get this phone, you will not regret it (unless you don't know how to use it or you get a defective one like some of these other people seem to have happened).
I went in and tried out the HTC models and didn't care too much for them. They seemed so slow and the top row of qwerty keys were a little difficult for me to type on. I tried a couple other 'cheapo' qwerty phones, but alas, could not appreciate them. I was about to leave the store empty handed when the salesperson showed me an Samsung Epix phone. I loved it! The only problem was, I did not like the screen's real estate. I loved the optical mouse and the haptic feedback screen. I loved that you could use your finger or stylus for input. I told the salesperson that I was interested then I got the lowdown on the pricing =( It required an extra PDA data package (which I expected), and the cost was just a tad bit more than I was willing to pay. THAT's when the salesperson showed me this phone, the Samsung Eternity. I played with it and I liked how quick it responded, I liked the little tool bar on the side, I loved the screens real estate, I couldn't believe how good the music player sounded. I tried texting with the full screen qwerty keyboard and was really wowed by it! I typed two paragraphs with it and did not make one mistake! I had made typos with the Epix. The phone didn't require a PDA data package (I already have the unlimited data package) which was music to my ears! The cost was more in my range, especially after the rebate. Just simply a great multi-media/messaging phone.
If you are a Smart Phone user (BlackBerry, Palm, etc.), you will miss your POP/IMAP email. If you can live without that, this phone is the best way to go. It is veryt well suited for all my multi-media and web browsing needs. I can add contacts full screen with the qwerty keyboard so I'm not sure what the reviewer means when they said, "...Samsung Eternity's virtual keyboard isn't available when entering message recipients...". If you use the names in your contacts, your good to go. Really. I think they were reaching with that one.
This phone sounds absolutely great with my Sony Bluetooth headphones and if you want to go wired, it has the 3.5mm headphone plug in.
The bottom line of my bottom line is:
This phone is an awesome alternative to the iPhone (texting is way better with the haptic feedback).
Updated on Dec 19, 2008
So in summary, must have downloadable apps straight to your phone...Opera Mini 4.2, Gmail ande Google Maps. That should satisfy all your multimedia, web browsing and email needs. Won't need to pay for the PDA or iPhone data package, and you will have a very good phone to last you at least another two years or until your next upgrade times. Thanks all!
- 20 replies to this review
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Hi i realize im a little late but its worth a try... im 13 and my mom already tld me i couldnt have a smartphone... i currently have the Pantech Renue but i dont like that it slides /: i like touchscreens waaaaay better!!! we have unlimited talk an text but like i said before i cant have a smartphone. soo what im getting at here is does this phone require a $30 a month data plan?? i really like this phone and ive looked all ove google but couldnt find anything that says yes or no for sure... PLEASE HELP!!!):
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Yes, you are correct. And data transmissions or received, are chargeable if you do not have a data plan.
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This may sound like a completely stupid question, but I am new at all this. To be able to access your e-mail (yahoo, gmail, etc.) you still have to pay fees to AT&T correct. In fact, anytime you access the internet on your phone you will be charged, right?
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The 3G is average in my opinion. It's not 'faster' or 'slower' than any other 3G phone I've had in the past.
As for after 5 months, I still find that it is still a nice phone for what it is. I mentioned www.samsung-eternity.com before, it's a great resource for information and extras for the phone if needed. -
Jouten_Za,
I am at my upgrade date. I saw this phone tonight and listened to the salesman...and have read your review and found it impressive. I have two questions for you. The first how would you rate the 3G on this phone and the second is now after about five months since your purchase how would you rate this phone. -
I personally have not needed to use a speed dial. I use the 'Favorites' contacts for that kind of function. I heard that they 'might' come out with a speed dial solution in a firmware update, but I have not and can not verify the validity of that claim. Currently, some people use their SIM card '#' function to improvise as a speed dial. As I said before I have not tried this out. I don't know if this site will allow it, but I found a website called 'www.samsung-eternity.com' to be a VERY helpful source of information. There are things at that site that will really help you get adjusted to your Eternity. I found out a lot of things to make everything easier and more productive with my Eternity. Good luck and I hope that helps you McGoonm.
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i have been reading about this phone and excited to do my upgrade-have read that it does not have speed dial though-and curious how you handle this. i am used to calling with the push of that 1 button. thanks a lot..
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When that happens, I usually turn off the bluetooth on the phone and make sure that there are no other devices running bluetooth connections (or trying to) and then re-try. I've had this happen to me on numerous occasions but I come to find out that it was either my Macbook or my wife's cellphone trying to connect to my phone while I am trying to sync up to my PC. If that doesn't work, make sure you are not running any other apps on your phone and that there are no other devices trying to connect to you via bluetooth. I only used the USB cable once and didn't have any problems so you might want to try that if all else fails. I think they cost about 10 bucks (9.99) at Radio Shack. I believe the keyword to look for would be anything that says, "S20 Connection". I hope that helps.
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I have not been able to connect my Samsung Eternity with my PC. It keeps telling me that "the device is not in Idle mode.'
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Thanks fletch! I'm glad you got a good phone and enjoying it! Thanks for the comment! =)
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I just finished writing my review, and came across yours. Similar story. I enjoy this phone more and more everyday. Your review is dead on. This phone rocks.
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Jouten_Za:
Thank you for the reply! I actually think I found what I needed yesterday after a little searching. I'll offer you a couple of things that might be of interest to you:
First, if you love the phone, you'll probably be interested in checking out www.samsung-eternity.com. It's essentially a big "users group" devoted (as if you couldn't tell) to this phone. Lots of helpful info to be found there if you, yourself, have any questions.
Secondly, I found a free program for audio editing mentioned there by several folks. Haven't tried it quite yet, but it's called Audacity. You can download it here: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/.
Now...STOP paying AT&T for your ringtones (they're often bad parts/edits of the songs anyway)! You pay enough for the data; enjoy your ringtones for free! ;)
Best,
S1C -
S1CEM,
It can not be done on the phone itself. There are 3rd party audio editing software out there but I have not used any. What I have done was give in and just purchase the ring tones I want from the AT&T store. I know that is not a popular or acceptable choice to most, but I really don't utilize the ring tones so much. I just got a few ring tones that I know I will use and left it at that.
I wish I could be more help on this topic. Maybe if you check out w w w . c n e t . c o m and search the site to see if there are any free software downloads for audio manipulation programs you might strike some gold. Maybe with some luck, you might even share your experience with us and fill us in with the how to-s and where to go-s =) -
Jouten_Za:
GREAT review! Coming up on my upgrade date and planning to get this phone to replace my unbranded, unlocked Moto Ming. The lack of need for a PDA data package , but still having all of the multi-media features is the biggest draw.
One question that I have is, how have you been able to change the file size of your MP3s to be used as ringtones? Is there something I can download to do this? Can it be done on the phone itself (I'm guessing unlikely)? -
@Motattellav
I have not. I checked the message and it states that you can be rid of that annoying question once and for all if you could only get that coveted 'signed' version of Opera. I followed the instructions but it appears that there is no way at this time to get the 'signature' required to stop that annoying question.
If anyone else has figured it out, please, feel free to post a reply explaining how to do that and both Motattellav and I will be grateful.
Thanks again for the feedback Motattellav! =) -
Hello again, Jouten_Za. Your advice on GMail solved one of the only issues I had with my phone: not being able to access my ISP's email. You are the 'Bomb'! The more I'm using Opera Mini, the more I'm liking it, despite the slight loss of real estate when viewing pages. One final question concerning Opera Mini 4.2. Is there a way to eliminate that absolutely annoying screen that pops up requesting permission to access the internet every time I click on a link??? I want to keep my hair a little longer! Thanks again for some very valuable information.
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Thank you for your compliments, glad I could help. Now to help you more :)
Opera won't mess up your phone. it will not disable the default browser either. It is not completely true <landscape mode>. It will view pages in landscape mode, but you have to change it in the settings. In other words, the accelerometer does not automatically put it in landscape mode. Also, you can still key in information (filling out forms) in landscape mode with the virtual QWERTY keyboard. If you choose to view in landscape mode, it just moves the buttons on the bottom to the right side. I am comfortable just using it in portrait mode anyways.
Thank you for your vote of confidence and always glad to help =) -
Hello! Great review. My situation was very similar to yours and I too walked out with the Samsung. My question is this: I am interested in the Opera Mini Browser. If I download it, will it disable the default browser on the phone or mess up any settings? I also heard that the Opera Mini will not allow pages to display in the landscape mode. True? Thank you....
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I believe It has 200mb of internal RAM and the Micro SD card capacity is 8gb. I have an 8gb Micro SD in it myself so at least that much. Hope that helps and enjoy your new Eternity, I know I am =)
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hi thanks for the review.. i am planning to buy it..and i have one question. Does it have internal memory?(how much) and whats the maximum memory we can reach with sd cards?
thanks
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