Parting Shots: Samsung Glyde
Added on 2008-05-29 10:08:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 We spent the last couple of weeks with the Samsung Glyde from Verizon. Unfortunately this $200 handset doesn't live up to its billing as an iPhone (review) competitor. The biggest problem with the Glyde is the very difficult to use touch screen. We found that we had to press on screen buttons multiple time and in particular areas like the web browser the touch screen seemed very inaccurate.
It's a shame since on paper the Glyde had a lot going for it, including a full QWERTY keyboard, GPS and support for V Cast Mobile TV, but given that you have to live with the touch screen very minute that you use the phone the problems with it ruin this device.
Read our full review of the Samsung Glyde here.
|
|
Parting Shots: Samsung Ace
Added on 2008-04-29 12:58:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 We wrapped up our review of the Samsung Ace from Sprint today and the phone turned out to be a solid smart phone. That's not to say that it doesn't have its negatives, however, starting with the poor camera, lack of Office Mobile and a price tag twice as high as comparable smart phones. The Ace's key feature is the ability to function on both Sprint's CDMA network and international GSM networks. This makes it a big winner for international travelers. If this isn't an issue for you we recommend saving $100 and going with the Palm Centro (review), which provides similar functionality. If you're not married to Sprint you can also go grab the Blackjack II (review), which is very similar to the Ace but with some upgrades like a better camera, from AT&T for half the price as well. Plus it will work on any international GSM network as well.
|
|
Parting Shots: Samsung M520
Added on 2008-04-08 09:31:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 After returning from CTIA 2008 we were able to wrap up our look at the Samsung M520 (review), a slim slider phone for Sprint that sports some impressive features like GPS at a fairly low price point. After spending a couple of weeks with the device we've come away with a generally positive feeling about the phone as an entry-level device. It's not perfect, for example talk time is shorter than average and the camera is poor, but given that you'll be paying only $49.99 for this handset with a two-year contract you have to expect some compromises. For those looking for a budget handset on Sprint the M520 should definitely be on your list for consideration. If you want some more functionality you can step up to the Palm Centro (review) for about twice the price.
|
|
Parting Shots: Verizon SMT5800
Added on 2008-03-18 14:27:00
by Alfredo Padilla
 After having spent the last week with Verizon's SMT5800 Windows Mobile Standard device we found any positive thoughts we had about the device overwhelmed by one major drawback: battery life. Like any Windows Mobile device the SMT5800 provides users with a powerful set of tools that will let you use it as both a cell phone, PDA and email device. The latter is helped by the slightly cramped, but still very usable, slide out QWERTY keyboard. The Standard version of Windows Mobile does have a few drawbacks, but these can always be addressed with third party software if you want.
Throw in some professional good looks and solid build quality and we were on our way to what looked like a positive review on a solid device. Unfortunately this trajectory was upset when we started running battery tests. Quite simply the SMT5800 put up some of the worst battery scores we've ever seen from a phone. In fact it's talk time of two hours eighteen minutes is the worst we've seen from any device and music playback and browsing times were barely better. Given that any smart phone is inevitably going to be put to more use than regular phones this drawback means anyone looking at the SMT5800 as their all-in-one device better be ready to invest in chargers everywhere and a selection of backup batteries, or maybe just look elsewhere.
Read the full SMT5800 review here.
|
|
|
|
| << Prev | Next >> |
|
|
