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CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 05/03/2005
At first glance, you'll notice that half of the 1.6-inch-diagonal, 65,000-color display screen is obscured, with just enough space to display the time if the clock wallpaper is chosen. But simply press the twin white keys on the left and right spines simultaneously, and the spring-loaded screen pops up to its full size. While clean and colorful, the display is not nearly as bright as the one on the similarly designed LG PM-325 from Sprint, which uses a sliding keypad to cover its LCD screen. The screen is suitable, though, for viewing the user-friendly menus.
Releasing the slide activates a cool blue backlight behind the keys. When down, the slide acts as a key guard, preventing you from making calls. In fact, the slide has to be up even to power on the phone. Calls, however, can be answered with the slide closed. But because the Talk key is locked, you must use the left soft key to open the connection. It's a minor point but worth noting. You can also set the N300 to automatically answer calls when the slide is released and to end them when it is closed; however, the slide doesn't lock in the up position, so you'll have to keep a finger against it to prevent it from slipping down (thus, losing your call). It's best to program the phone so that you can answer and talk with the display in either position. Though the mobile seems solidly constructed, we were concerned with the long-term durability of the slide mechanism. That said, we played with the slide almost continually (it became sort of a nervous habit), and it worked every time. Samsung assured us it tested the spring exhaustively to make sure it would stand up to rough real-world handling.
Under the screen-release key on the left side is the speakerphone button (operable only after a call is active) and the up/down volume-toggle keys. Besides the 2.5mm headphone jack, there's nothing on the right side except the other screen-release button. The small five-way navigation toggle has direct-access keys to the Web browser, the message center, and the Get It Now shopping area. Additionally, while the up direction is preprogrammed to access the voice-memo function, it can be reprogrammed to access any menu item desired. The soft keys above the Send and End keys access the main menu and the phone book. The distaff appeal of the N330 is a good thing because the small but well-spaced curved dial-pad keys seem designed with smaller fingertips in mind. With not a lot of real estate on the keys, the backlit numbers and especially the letters on each key are not easy to read. Yet the keys are raised above the surface of the phone, making it easy to dial by feel.
The Samsung SCH-N330 is equipped with a bare minimum of the usual features. The phone book can hold up to 500 phone numbers. Each contact can include five numbers (home, mobile, office, fax, pager) and an e-mail address. The 1 key is marked with period, dash, and apostrophe icons, and there's a .com option that saves multiple key tapping when filling in e-mail addresses. You can assign contacts to a caller group or pair them with a ring tone. You can also assign images for caller ID, but since there's no camera, and no images come preloaded on the phone, you must download them for a fee. You also get a vibrate mode, text (but not multimedia) messaging, voice memos, three-way calling, a calendar, a to-do list, a calculator, a memo pad, a world clock, a countdown timer, and an alarm clock. Two surprises on such a basic handset were a speakerphone and voice commands, which allow you to dial a phone number by speaking the digits or a contact's name. Continue readingMost helpful user reviews
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