Sprint Upstage (Samsung SPH-m620) Review - Software

The Sprint Upstage runs a proprietary operating system. We found the interface to be a little cludgy, and sometimes had to search for awhile before finding the function we wanted, for example the album software. We also found the flip feature add an unfortunate amount of complexity to the interface and was not consistent, for example you would sometimes be thrown back to the home screen when you flipped the phone and sometimes not. When on the front of the phone your menu options consist of only 4 different options, while on the back of the phone you have access to all the features. We score proprietary operating systems on a 1-5 scale, reserving higher scores for more advanced smart phone operating systems like Symbian Series 60 and Windows Mobile.

Home Screen Score (3.0)

As with many features on the Sprint Upstage, there are two home screens, which provide different functionality. On the front of the device the home screen shows you basic information about the device, such as battery, signal strength, time and date. The left soft key is assigned to contacts. When you flip the phone to the back the larger screen provides the same indicator information, but this time has three icons along the bottom for accessing music related features such as the music player, music store and initiating a music sync with your PC. The soft keys are not assigned. Both home screens are fairly basic, for example the Razr V3m allows you to assign programs to the four directions of your D-Pad, as well as the ability to change the function of your soft keys.

Extensibility (3.0)
The Sprint Upstage allows you to install java programs to extend the functionality of your device. This means that you can add programs like Google maps or Opera Mini, as well as an array of java games. Unlike smart phones such as the Treo 750 or 700p the Sprint Upstage will not allow you to install native applications that take full advantage of the device's capabilities.

Customizability (2.5)
The Upstage provides you with several customization options. You can change the menu interface to one of three options, change the background of the home screen on the back of the device and assign which side the phone starts up in. We did not see any option to change the look and feel of the device via themes, nor were there options to change font type or size. We found devices like the Sanyo M1 and LG Chocolate provided better customization options with support for themes.

OS Responsivness (6.0)
We found the operating system on the Sprint Upstage to be very responsive, even when music was playing in the background. The flip feature seemed to occur quickly and easily, and we did not detect significant lag when most programs where launched. One notable exception to this was Sprint's music player. The Upstage was much more responsive than Razr V3m, and displayed a little less lag than the Sanyo M1.

Gaming (1.7)

The Sprint Upstage ships with several demonstration versions of java games and one full version game, Texas Hold'em. This is an improvement over other Sprint phones like the Razr V3m, which had not one full game loaded. The touch controls on the back of the phone that are used to control games leave much to be desired. They lack responsiveness and mistakes are inevitable. They are not quite as bad as the LG Chocolate's controls, but they are close.

Browser Features (6.0)

The browser found on the Sprint Upstage is very similar to the browser on the Sanyo M1. WAP and HTML pages are supported, as are javascript, images and cookies. Advanced features like saving items from a web page or RSS feeds are not included. Overall the browser is run of the mill, those seeking a better browsing experience should consider the Opera Mini browser, which is available as a free java application from mini.opera.com.

Browsing Interface (5.0)
The browsing interface on the Sprint Upstage is also fairly basic. Pages are reformatted to fit the screen, and no other view options are available. There are no shortcut keys beyond the soft keys, which are assigned to Go and Menu. The back button on the touch pad is used to go pack to the previous page. The history is a simple list, with no advanced options, not even the ability to save an item to your bookmarks.

Bookmarks have no folder support, but you can edit existing bookmarks and move them up/down the list of items. We were pleased to see support for 3 different font sizes to accomodate differing needs, as well as the ability to change text, link and background colors. Advanced features like those found on the Series 60 browser are not present. Overall we found the browser to be a step above that found on the Sanyo M1 in terms of features, but still fairly basic.

Browser Access (3.08)
To test how easy it is to access the browser we count the number of steps it takes to access our website. We use steps instead of a timed test here to take the network out of the equation. We count entering the URL as a single step. The Sprint Upstage took 13 steps to access our website. This is the same as the Razr V3m, and slightly more than the Sanyo M1, which took 8 steps. The Upstage is hurt by the fact that without a keypad you are forced to navigate to each item using the directional pad, rather than using numeric shortcuts.

Calculator (3.0)
The calculator on the Sprint Upstage is launched via the tools menu but the interface is located on the front of the device, yet another place where you have to flip the phone. The calculator is simple and straightforward, providing the ability to perform basic arithmetic, but with no advanced features. The directional pad is assigned to each of the four arithmetic functions (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) with the center select key assigned to equals. The star button is used for decimal point, while the pound button is for +/-. The left soft key clears the function.

Alarm (6.0)
The alarm clock on the Sprint Upstage allows you to set 3 different alarms. Each can be set repeat daily, on weekdays, weekends or once. You can set a separate ringtone for each alarm and also change snooze intervals to between 5 and 20 minutes. We liked the ability to set multiple alarms and choose our own ringtone for them, however this functionality is not significantly different than phones like the Sanyo M1 or LG Chocolate. The Razr V3m has a step up in this case as it allows you to set 5 different alarms.

Document Software (0.0)
The Sprint Upstage does not include document software that allows you to view or edit common office documents, such as word and excel files.

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