Samsung U740 Alias Black Phone (Verizon Wireless) Review

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(More customer reviews)After nearly six months in waiting to get rid of my old and broken Audiovox cellphone, I received my Samsung SCH-u740 from Fed-Ex. But, for the six months of waiting, I had some big choices to make. I am a texter. Verizon offers a $10 IN 500 text message plan that I have been using for a while now. But I hate how I have to use the classic cellphone text: three or four letters per number and painful headaches. Texting should not be a headache. And that's where the u740's QWERTY keyboard offering comes in handy...
The u740 is a dual hinge phone. It opens two ways: one like a standard flip phone and two like a laptop, from the side. When you open it like a standard flip phone, you'll see a nice D-Pad with a big "OK" button in the middle accompanied with two gray pre-set buttons to access Menu and Contacts or choose options while using the camera, etc. You'll also see small numbers with the standard texting system (pqrs, etc.) highlighted in gray. These buttons are also on the keyboard once you flip it the other way, revealing a full-scale QWERTY keyboard. When you're not typing a text message or in memo form, the gray buttons will act as numerical buttons in order for you to call people from the sideways-opening feature. It's a bit of a problem here, because calling people from the sideways feature requires you to remember your numbers all over again because they're sideways. (See the next paragraph for solutions...) The QWERTY keyboard is accompanied by a num lock button, which allows you to type in buttons to access symbols and numbers while texting. It makes it an easy and fluid feature.
The keyboard is a bit cramped, though, but there are some new features that come with the phone that make life a lot easier. For one, most new VZW phones come with VoiceSignal, a voice command feature that allows you to speak through the speakerphone to call people and translate your voice into a text message. "Dictate Message" allows you to say words you'd like to include in a text without typing--it requires a 3 minute session for VoiceSignal to become familiar with your voice. And, as long as you train it properly, it will say basic words right. But, longer words (such as "banana") take so much time. It took me 13 words to actually get banana, which was actually pretty sad. The feature isn't the best, but it's a step up. VoiceSignal allows you to call out numbers and people and have your phone immediately call them. This works great when you flip the phone sideways so you don't have to memorize typing numbers sideways.
Like most Verizon phones today, the u740 includes the full workings of the popular (argumentatively) VCAST service, which features Music, Video, Games, and News for download (for a fee). It also allows you to buy ring tones through applications for small fees and use VCAST Song ID, Verizon's latest technology that allows you to identify songs that are playing. This feature is rewarding and handy when you're on the road and here something you like, but it takes some time (I'd say about a minute in total). Unless you're an absolute music junkie, you might just want to go along your way and forget about it. The VCAST service only works in the sideways flip form, which is a bit odd. This phone has a nice speaker and could serve as a great music phone, except for the exclusion of the standard 2.5mm port. It comes with a headset adaptor that you plug in to the charger slot. Then, you must find the smaller headphones (or even get a different adapter for the standard port), which seems too much of a hassle to me. And, to download music from your PC to the u740 requires a VCAST Music package, which retails for $30.
The u740 has a decent camera (1.3MP) that takes great photos when the lighting is right. It also has a teeny stamp screen on the front, and I think that Samsung should have made the front screen a bit bigger. (The LG VX8600 has a lovely front screen that allows you to view texts from the front) And, it includes pre-set play, next song, and previous song buttons that are nice to use if you're listening to music. But, like all Verizon phones, you can't listen to any music while using other components of the phone, so it ain't that rewarding. On the sides of the phone, you have the charger slot, a handy microSD slot (for storing video, music, photos without having to go through the hassle of buying the VCAST music pack), a dedicated VoiceSignal button, a dedicated HOLD button, a volume rocker, but no dedicated camera button. This was quite surprising.
If you're looking at the u740, you've probably also looked at the VX990. If you have fat fingers and need to type on a full scale keyboard, the VX990 is probably for you, but at the same time, the u740 can fit in your pocket without revealing a big bump. The LG enV/VX990 cannot do that. This is why the phone is so enticing.
Overall, the u740 is a great phone that has really been good to me so far. Available in two colors, Champagne Gold or Black, the phone is sleek and sexy, thanks to its dual-hinge technology, QWERTY keyboard, and RAZR-like thinness. It's an attractive package and Verizon's best phone for texters. Right now, it retails for about $100.
So if you're in to texting and don't mind the cramped keyboard, take the u740 in stride and enjoy. I'm sure you will!
Pros:
*Dual-hinge flipping
*Full-scale QWERTY keyboard with symbols available through NUM LOCK
*Access to Verizon's large multimedia service, VCAST
*VCAST Song ID Capable
*microSD slot
*VoiceSignal/Dictate Message Service
*Sleek, sexy, and THIN like Motorola's RAZR.
*Great speakerphone
Cons:
*QWERTY keyboard is a bit cramped.
*No dedicated camera button on the outside of the phone.
*Stamp front screen that can only show the time.
*No standard headphone jack, even with adapter.
For the texting savvy: Recommended
For the phone user: Not Recommended
For the businessman replacing his smartphone: Not Recommended
For the teenager: Recommended



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HTC Touch P3450 -Gsm- Cell Phone (Unlocked) Tri Band Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this cell phone 1 year ago and everything went all right untill last month when I found that the touch screen went all white and I couldn't do anything with it. I sent the phone to HTC's RMA department, they said the LCD was brocken and repaired it for no warranty. I received the phone back and 3 weeks later my screen is once again white and can't do anything with it. I really don't recomment this brand because I always treated the phone good so I don't see I am responsible for the fail.

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Palm Pre Plus Mobile Phone Review

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(More customer reviews)I received my Palm Pre Plus from AT&T about two weeks ago. I have owned a Palm Centro for a couple of years now, and I naively expected the same functionality from the Pre Plus that I enjoyed with my Centro. That really was my fault as I didn't do enough homework on the features and functions of this phone compared to the traditional Palm OS.
Physically, the phone felt comfortable in my hands. It wasn't heavy enough to be burdensome, but it wasn't so light that it felt like a toy. The keys have the traditional clear overlay that protects the letters, and they are a bit larger and better spaced than on my Centro or Treo 650. I was very pleased with the slide out keyboard.
Learning to navigate the phone via the swipe motions took about three or four days to become totally natural. It would have been much easier if Palm had included better instructions with the phone, but the included manual contained little more than instructions on how to turn it on, answer a call, etc.
Setting up the necessary software to customize the phone was moderately challenging, even though I am one of two of my school's officially labeled "geeks". Web OS seemed to me to have been shipped prematurely. There are many wonderful customizations available, but you have to download several programs and rely on what's called "Homebrew Apps" or third-party software for the features that old-school Palm users take for granted. For example, there is no custom ringtone for unknown callers, no options for reminders, no easy scrolling through a text message to quickly fix an error in the line above, limited or no brightness options, etc.
Traditional Palm software for the Centro and Treo phones will not work on WebOS. You can buy an app for the Pre that will allow you to run some (but not all) Palm OS apps on the Pre.
There is no included phone-to-pc sync option. For me and many other Centro/Treo users, this was a BIG deal. There is an app that will allow you to back up your Pre to your desktop, BUT the the traditional hot sync is not available on WebOS. The phone comes with Google calender sync installed, but any attempt to sync Google Calender, the Pre, AND Outlook will result in possibly hundreds of duplicate event entries. There is third-party software you can purchase to allow a full sync with Outlook, but it can cost as much as $60-$70. Even those software options do not back up your media to your computer. You are on your own with that one.
Another nasty surprise was the missed call notification. When the Pre informs you that you have missed a call, a tap on the screen will open up the dialog that lets you know whose call you missed. Unfortunately, it immediately dials the number of the missed call AT THE SAME TIME. It is really unpleasant to be in the middle of a meeting or other activity and find yourself trying to explain to your mother that you really didn't mean to call her back right then or why you felt compelled to call her and hang up.
As they say in the world of Pre, though: There's a patch for that. In other words, you can download system tweaks that change many of the basic functions of the Pre and make it more user-friendly. While I think that's great, I also believe that most of it shouldn't be necessary.
On the bright side, should you brick your phone playing around with Homebrew (unofficial freeware) apps or patches, Palm has available for download Web Doctor. This script will restore your phone to factory specs, erasing everything except what your Pre shipped factory with. When you sync with your Palm account, your address book, Palm store apps, and a few other things will be restored. Your media, however, is gone forever unless you have used USB mode to access your media folders and backed them up manually or used a cloning app to copy your Pre data for restore.
There is no removable memory option. The Pre comes with 16g on-board drive space, and that's it. It offers the option to choose "charge" or "Use in usb mode" when you plug in the included USB charging cable.
While the battery life is terrible, there has been a sharp drop in the price of charging accessories. The Touchstone (a cable-less charger) has dropped from the $70 range to around $20 shipping and all here on Amazon. There has likewise been a similar drop in the price of car chargers, AC to USB converters, and replacement batteries.
An item of note: The batteries for the Pre are physically indistinguishable from Centro batteries with the exception of the black outer packaging that the Pre battery comes in. Palm says that you are not to use Centro batteries in the Pre, but they have not as yet made an official statement as to why. They only warn you that using a Centro battery in a Pre can damage your phone. They just won't tell you how. This is especially frustrating as not only are the two batteries both listed at 1150mAh, but there is a substantial price difference between the two - not to mention that many Pre users already have a ton of Centro batteries lying around gathering dust. If you ever get bored, you can always head over to one of the Pre message boards on the web and get the Pre/Centro battery argument going (again). You'll have more entertainment than you can stand, I promise.
There are many features of the Pre that made the phone worth the (mostly initial) aggravation. The ability to minimize apps, leaving them open as you open another, is wonderful. As I don't have the best data access in my location, I can open the web browser and leave it minimized while I send a text or record an event into my calender. It comes GPS enabled, and while the AT&T GPS servie is extra, Google maps is not.
The browser is incredibly easy to use, and it offers several short-cut options that put your favorite sites within single tap availability. It also switches between apps quickly and easily without forcing you to start from the beginning in each one. It also still threads chat messages.
You get thirty days of free phone support with your new phone, and after thirty days, phone support is about $15 an hour. Chat support is always free.
The Pre Plus is is a great geek phone that with many options available for customization - including many free themes. It can get expensive buying the apps that many Centro users have felt should have been included with the phone, however, and setting up the customization will be beyond the comfort zone of may users. While the battery life is abysmal, chargers and replacement batteries are becoming more affordable. The graphics are stunningly clear and sharp, the screen is an optimal size in relation to the device, and the versatility of functioning as a thumb drive is an added plus.
In summary, the crux of it is this: it has a mixed bag of positives and negatives, and the way you will feel about it will be directly related to the degree of tech-savvy that you have. If you are a Treo or Centro user who is upgrading, don't expect a great (or even pleasant) out-of-the-box experience, and you need to be prepared to shell out additional $$ for third-party software needed to complete the functionality of the phone. For me, that meant spending about $100 on additional software to allow me to sync, run some classic apps, and to replace a couple of old favorites that just wouldn't run on an emulator.


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