Version: 2008
  • On GameFAQs: The Top 10 Literature-Based Games
advertisement

Samsung SCH-A970 (Verizon Wireless)

3 of 24

Full user review

  • 6 out of 7 people found this review helpful

    3.5 stars

    "Good potential if you know what you are doing"

    by LarrySpam on November 23, 2005

    Pros: Feature rich, versatile, decent signal and clarity

    Cons: Quirky software, expensive, pricey accessories

    Summary: I just upgraded to this phone from my LG6000. Basic first impressions are positive. Form factor about not having an external antenna keep 'catching' in my pant pocket is a BIG plus. It's a little thicker than a deck of cards, but to me it's percieved 'heft' shows that it's a solidly built phone. The lens on the hinge will require some care since it doesn't have a cover. The reception is very good so far (NYC), which is the main reason to use a cel phone in the first place.

    The camera is decent considering it's 2MPXLs, and has a feature set that includes a flash, I'm not expecting to shoot movies or wedding albums with it, it's for fun and if I'm gonna go high end, I'll use the proper equipment, in a spontaneous moment, it'll do.

    Some of the quirks, there's no easy way to turn on the external display without opening the phone, so to check time/date, etc. you have to open it instead of maybe pushing a button.

    The phone book REQUIRES you to match the second letter of PPL you are calling if you are searching. Thus, if I was calling "Dr. Adams" vs. "Drew Smith", I'd have to scroll through the D's, the R's and then the E's to get to Drew. It can get tedious. Also, the Defaults on texting is auto set to 123 and this also gets tedious if I'm going from line to line to input text and keeps switching back and forth.

    That said, regarding the opening of the phone, you can easily end up swiveling the camera one-handed, but just using simple technique of opening from the bottom-up causes no issue at all. I would just worry that torquing the swivel a LOT could loosen it up substantially.

    The main negatives are with Verizon nickel & diming the rest of the services. The phone was a bit pricey ($200+) and I have to search for the TransFlash media card as well as a BlueTooth headset with a reasonable price seperately. I HAD to update my plan for some extra $ a month and I got the insurance, so the 'rebate' just ended up getting absorbed in the final cost. Oh, and let's not forget any extras, like ringback tones, games or anything else that "Get It Now" provides.

    On top of that, I've heard that there are no streaming of the MP3's into the BlueTooth headset! Since Verizon 'gimped' the BT, I'd have to play revolving memory card to load my files on and off (and the memory card is fragile by nature).

    Anyway, as a phone, I'm happy overall, if you are looking for extras, they are there, but you should be aware of the costs and what you expect to use them for.

    Was this review helpful? YES | NO

    Reply to this review

  • 2 replies to this review
  • reply by: taddtorborg on June 11, 2006

    LarrySpan said: Some of the quirks, there's no easy way to turn on the external display without opening the phone, so to check time/date, etc. you have to open it instead of maybe pushing a button.

    I found that by holding one of several different outside buttons for a second or 2 that the display turned on.

  • reply by: montyisgod on April 18, 2006

    For my needs this phone did not fit the bill. I went into this device after being sold on the camera and the text mssg features.

    The Camera is special, it is a great feature on this phone, sharp, clear and functional. It is easy to use and the pivoting display is money! It gives you great resolution and functionality for taking all sorts of pictures and wonderful self pictures as well. The flash is bright and there are many setting to control the landscape and flash. Great camera.

    As good as the camera is, the text functions are horrid! The T9 function or "word" as it is called on this phone is useless because you do not get choices of word, you get one word and that is all. The other text functions like flipping between word and ABC or Number are cumbersome and take a while to get comfortable with.

    Sending pictures is a snap and that is nice. Useing the phonebook is easy and direct, the bluetooth is great.

    The get it now stuff is to costly and for ring tones and wallpaper it is difficult to save to the flash card, which is also to costly!

Write review Back to product review See all 24 reviews

Submit your review

Log in or create an account to submit your review for:

Samsung SCH-A970 (Verizon Wireless)

ORLog in with your Facebook account
1. Rate this product:
(Mouse over the stars to rate this product and click to set your rating.)
2. One-line summary:(Summarize your review in one line. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 55 characters
3. Pros:(Tell us what you like about this product. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 250 characters
4. Cons:(Tell us what you don't like about this product. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 250 characters
Bottom-line summary:(Explain to us in detail why you like or dislike the product, focusing your comments on the product's features and functionality, and your experience using the product. This field is optional.)
0 of 5000 characters

The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks are prohibited.
Click here to review our site terms of use.

Submit

Compare prices for Samsung SCH-A970

This product is currently not in stock at any of our online merchants.

Email me when this product is available

advertisement
advertisement

Compare this cell phone to:

advertisement