Samsung U900 FlipShot Black Phone (Verizon Wireless) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you are a camera lover like I am and you love gadgets then you will love this phone!!! It is a great cell phone but an even better camera. It takes great pictures and has excellent special effects. I can only find one thing wrong with this phone. The calendar has a little software glitch where when you put in a reminder it will lose it or it will disappear. Other than that this is the niftiest phone I have ever had and I get lots of comments on it when I flip the screen over and turn it into a really neat camera !!!!!!


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Combining a cellular communications powerhouse with a powerful digital camera/camcorder, the uniquely designed Samsung Flipshot for Verizon includes a rotating display for optimal viewing while capturing still images and video clips on the go. Looking like a typical digital camera on the back with its round silver lens housing and flash, the Flipshot offers a 3-megapixel imager as well as a 10-step digital zoom, PictBridge printing right from the phone, and a wide variety of settings for capturing the perfect picture. Additionally, it's compatible with Verizon's V Cast Music service, which enables you to purchase songs through your phone and download them via Verizon's fast EV-DO data network, as well as V Cast Video for streamed video clips from a variety of channels. Other features include Bluetooth stereo music streaming, mobile email and instant messaging, MicroSD memory card expansion, and a built-in GPS receiver for use with the optional VZ Navigator turn-by-turn direction service.
Verizon Service With support for the EV-DO high-speed data standard, you'll enjoy fast access to the Internet and Verizon's multimedia services (additional charges applicable), with average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps and peak rates up to 2 Mbps. (Learn more about where EV-DO coverage is offered.) The V Cast Music service enables you to download songs instantly to your phone, or purchase music through your PC and transfer the files to your phone. If purchased from your phone, you'll receive two copies of the song: a Windows Media Audio Pro Plus format at 64Kbps stereo is sent to your phone, and a Windows Media Audio 9 format at 160Kbps stereo is sent to your account in the V CAST Music online store for downloading to your PC. V Cast Music offers nearly 2 million songs, with more being added all the time.
With the V Cast Video service, you can stream or download video clips to your phone from a variety of news, entertainment, sports, and weather channels, including CNN, ABC News, E!, CBS Sports, The Weather Channel, and VH1.
Getting on the Internet is easy using Verizon's Mobile Web 2.0 package, which allows you to read and send e-mails, exchange instant messages and view your favorite web content on your phone. Verizon's Get It Now wireless download service is also fully compatible with this phone. This pay-per-download service features application downloads, games and productivity tools. You can also personalize your handset with ringtone downloads using the Get It Now service.
With this GPS-enabled phone, you'll be able to access Verizon's VZ Navigator service (additional charges applicable) for voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions, heads-up alerts, local search of nearly 14 million points of interest in the US (such as landmarks, restaurants and ATMs), and detailed color maps. And Verizon's Chaperone service lets you easily locate your loved ones from your Verizon Wireless phone or PC in real time. After defining a zone, such as an area designating a school or summer camp, you'll be sent an alert via text message when the Chaperone handset enters or leaves the zone.
Phone Features The Flipshot features a traditional clamshell design with a swiveling display that can rotate 180 degrees, enabling you to close the phone so that the large 2.2-inch internal display faces outward and activates the camera mode. This internal display has a 240 x 320-pixel resolution and support for up to 262K colors, while the external 65K-color screen offers a 128 x 96-pixel resolution (1.2 inches) and provides call information, signal strength, and a digital version of an analog clock. You can also change the display wallpaper and the clock style. The phone also includes dedicated play/pause music controls.
The 3-megapixel camera snaps pictures in eight resolution options from 2048 x 1536 (2 MP) to 160 x 120, and it includes a 10x digital zoom, three quality settings, brightness and white balance controls, multi-shot capability, night mode, spot metering, and ISO selection. For video capture, the Flipshot records clips in MPEG4 format in two resolutions--320 x 240 and 176 x 144 pixels. You can shoot video as long as your memory card has available space, and videos shot for MMS messaging are capped at 30 seconds. View your pictures and videos on your home theater system with the TVâ€"out option.
This phone provides Bluetooth version 1.2 wireless connectivity, and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and audio/video remote control. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking--surf the Internet, send email, and access files from a server.
A messaging and wireless Internet powerhouse, support is built in for sending and receiving pictures, text, graphics, sound and video via messages. When used in combination with the phone's built-in still and video camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging fun. Instant messaging is also supported, and the phone ships with a built-in email client. The Flipshot also comes stock with a built-in web browser for downloads and mobile web browsing. T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for entering text on handsets, is built into the unit--a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.
The Flipshot's internal phone book can hold up to 500 contact entries with five phone numbers and two emails per entry, while the phone's picture ID system allows you to assign pictures to your most common callers. And the Flipshot's voice dialing feature makes calling family, friends, and business associates as easy as saying their names. Other features include:
MicroSD expansion up to 4 GB
USB 2.0 connectivity with mass storage capability
Compatible with 72-chord polyphonic ringtones
PIM tools: Calendar with scheduler, note pad, alarm clock, world time, calculator, unit converter
Stereo speakerphone
Vibrating alerts and silent mode
Supported digital audio formats: MPE, WMA, WMA Pro, WMA Pro+
2.5mm headphone jack
Bluetooth profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), BIP (for sending images to another device), BPP (basic printing profile for text, email), DUN (dial-up networking), OPP (object push for business cards, calendar items, and pictures), PBA (transfer contacts); note that this phone does not support all Bluetooth OBEX profiles
Hearing aid compatibility = M3/T3
TTY compatibility

Vital Statistics The Flipshot weighs 3.88 ounces and measures 3.76 x 1.83 x 0.73 inches. Its 880 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3.5 hours of talk time, and up to 250 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the CDMA 850/CDMA 1900 frequencies for voice and Verizon's EV-DO data network.

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Samsung i8510 INNOV8 Unlocked Phone with 16 GB, 8 MP Camera, International 3G, GPS, Wi-Fi, and MicroSD Slot--International Version No Warranty (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is an extremely short post.
This is the phone the Nokia N96 dreamed of becoming.
The battery life is nearly twice that of the N96. Granted, I'm not in a 3G coverage area (it's not even supported in the US for this phone, just EDGE), but I can last at least 2 days per charge with heavy browsing, music listening, and "messing around" for a few hours, on this device.
Symbian S60 is an awesome OS, but it is beginning to show its age (especially after coming from an iPhone). However, Symbian is my favorite OS by far, but perhaps that is largely biased by my "geeky" figure-it-out-as-you-go nature. Now, it isn't HARD to use, it's just not as user friendly as some of the newer, more mainstream devices are. And this isn't a problem at all for me. The third party app. development for S60 is strong as ever. Immediately after unboxing, I installed both a p2p and a torrent app. This is a pretty amazing and convenient feature, for a phone. Granted, I have not used Windows Mobile, but I'm sure there are similar apps available for that as well. However, finding and installing those apps was very easy and non-problematic on the i8510's S60 OS. Not to mention, there are thousands of more useful apps available for your perusal (but they may take some effort to find; there is no "App Store" for easy-as-biscuits app-discovery and installation).
The hardware on this phone is amazing. It has an optical mouse for true, PC-like web browsing. Long gone are the days of using a 4-way directional pad for choppy and slow browsing on the included WebKit browser. With the optical mouse, the web is smooth and flowly to browse. And the sensitivity is easily alterable as per your own personal preference. I opted to increase the sensitivity vastly, which makes it even easier to use. Unlike most high-end Nokia phones (excluding some of the E-series), a good amount of hard, sexy metal is employed in the device design. This both makes it very sturdy as well as visually and tactically appealing to the fingers. Perhaps one of the few things Apple does right is incorporate metal into their devices; the new Macbooks being a prime example. I am very happy that this is being more generously applied to other electronics by other manufacturers now, and I hope it continues.
The camera is insatiable. It is 8 megapixels, which is high, but as they say, megapixels aren't everything. This is true. However, the camera quality is basically unrivaled in the phone arena. Some Sony Ericsson models aren't too shy of equality in this matter, and I think most of them have Xenon flash (which is amazing). Unfortunately the i8510 does not use Xenon, but LED flash instead. This is definitely acceptable, but for its price tag one would expect the highest of standards to be employed. The Nokia N82 is a very, very close second contender for the "best" Camera-Smartphone in my opinion. And I have owned one previously. Onto more of the things this camera does superbly, it employs a mechanical shutter. This is both very safe for the internal lens, and very cool. When you initiate the camera app., the shutter opens automatically. When you are finished, it closes automatically. Beautiful.
Other insanely useful qualities include WiFi, GPS, an external memory slot, a removable battery, and a gorgeously large 2.8inch 16M color display. In comparison to the iPhone (it can hardly be resisted nowadays, sorry), it trumps it almost unanimously in all of these aspects, exclusive of WiFi. They are both equal. GPS, memory slot, and removable battery, on the other hand, are all destroyed on the iPhone by the i8510. The GPS chip in the iPhone is fine, except for the software on the device is severely limiting. There is no voice navigation. This is ridiculous for such a "premium" device. The S60 OS of the i8510 allows for employment of third party applications (and there are already a couple) which offer voice-assisted navigation. Some of them are even free. An external memory slot is greatly valuable in a mobile phone, which the iPhone does not offer. The i8510's memory capacity is dramatically increased by this. I believe the highest capacity the device can "theoretically" (Samsung claims it is 16GB) support is 32GB. I have read a few reviews confirming tests with this result. Either way, 16GB + 16GB > iPhone 4/8/16GB. Not to mention the cards are hot-swappable; you can use more than one flash card and basically claim unlimited capacity in the i8510, only limited by the number of cards you have laying around. This is quite cool. A removable battery is something that has long plagued the iPhone for it not having one. You are free to modify and change it when you see fit. If you start seeing noticable decreases in battery performance, buy a new one. Hell, keep the old one as a spare fully-charged unit for when you are on a long trip. Just this trick alone beats the user-limiting non-removable battery of the iPhone. Apple is known for being quite restrictive of their consumers' freedoms. Symbian S60 is the exact opposite, and the hardware on the i8510 agrees as well.
Having DivX support is a plus, although XviD support would have been nice as well. Why stop at plain old DivX? There have also been reports of certain DivX encodings not working at all on the i8510. I have yet to experience this, but please be aware.
The build of the i8510 is stellar. It feels fantastic in the hand; the pictures do not do the device justice. Again, it incorporates a large amount of metal, both apparent in the back of the device and the keypad, as well as other key highlight locations. It is an extremely sturdy and durable design; there are no creaks or cracks/pops when you fondle the device. On my old Nokia N82 I heard all sorts of cracks and creaks when handling the device; this is the complete opposite on the i8510. Samsung really did a phenomenal job with the construction of the unit. I imagine the device can take a fair amount of abuse before showing any audible signs of it.
One small issue concerning the display is its lack of respectable readability in strong rays of sunlight. Many high-end Nokia models with similar (but admittedly lesser) specifications employ screens which are much more readable in direct sunlight than the i8510. Granted, I don't imagine most users will find themselves blinded by sunlight, but maybe that's just me. I seem to be taking more pictures at night (Xenon, please) than out and about in direct sunlight with my i8510.
Another area of note is the availability of software (firmware, specifically) updates for the i8510. I, and from most of what I've read so far, most other i8510 users are unsure of how often and how effectively Samsung will deliver firmware updates for the device. I know there are ways to update your phone to the more current firmware "unofficially," but this has its risks. Granted, I do not see any current issues with my firmware that warrant an immediate and emergency firmware update, but that could very well be due to the vast amount of my dorkiness and contentness with the amazingness of the phone in its out-of-box state. Your mileage may vary. However, it can only get better with updates.
I am extremely pleased with this phone (it makes phone calls too?!). For me, the only thing I wish it had was US 3G capabilities. Again, I don't live in an area with 3G access, but it would be nice if an investment of this stature warranted more longevity in my usage of it. EDGE data speeds are very, very acceptable for me though. Data-intensive web pages still load in a snap, and there is always the option of employing the WiFi chip for faster speeds, if applicable.
Aside from the 3G issue, everything else "wrong" with the device are very, very minute details. A lot of them are going to be remedied with firmware updates. On Samsung's website, they claim an update to be due by the end of 2008 or Q1 2009. Very agreeable, in my opinion, given how new the phone is.
This phone is a winner, and should definitely be considered over all Nokia N-series devices, with exception of the Nokia N85. From there, it is personal preference, and the i8510 stands out as the clear top-end champion of the smartphone/cameraphone arena.

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Nokia N95 Unlocked Cell Phone with 5 MP Camera, 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, MP3/Video Player, MicroSD Slot--U.S. Version with Warranty (Silver/Red) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is an excellent phone.
I had an iPhone 8GB and sold it on ebay and bought the Nokia N95-3 Red. I like this phone much better.
I love this phone. It is feature rich and works great.
Reception is very good and calls sound loud and clear.
There are a lot of programs ( applications ) available for free that you can download and install.
It is totally unlocked so you can use any SIM you please with any GSM carrier. You sure can't do that with the iPhone which is locked to AT&T and forces you into a 2 year contract. Yuck !
It works great with my 2 Apple Mac computers now that Nokia supports Mac. Very nice addition Nokia !!
The camera is the best of any phone and shoots nice stills and even better videos. Extremely handy ! Finally a phone with a camera that actually works and is useful.
Music, photos, and videos are fun on the N-95 too.
Bottom line, this is a very high quality, feature rich phone. Highly recommended.

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Nokia N95-3 Silver/Black Phone (Unlocked, U.S. Version) Full Warranty Review

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(More customer reviews)This phone is terrific from many points of view:
Calls: Nokia always excels in voice quality and minimal dropped calls. Sound level is very good too.
Camera: the only ones comparable are the SonyEricsson cameraphones. Not only is this 5megapixels, but the most important thing--lens optics--is great. A lot of phones out there have high megapixel counts but still take muddy pictures.
GPS: it has it and it works fast
High-speed data: supports 3G and 3.5G and WiFi
The only slight negative is size and battery life. For a phone with so many things going on you can't expect the best battery performance. Still I got over 3 hours of talk time in on a day when I didn't use the GPS function). Plan on recharging every night if you talk for a couple hours, especially if you use a bluetooth headset.

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Combining a cell phone, GPS receiver, digital camera/camcorder, digital audio player, and PDA into an all-in-one multimedia computer/phone, the stylish Nokia N95 features a unique 2-way slide design for easy switching between telephony, entertainment, and Web browsing. The quad-band Nokia N95 GSM/EDGE phone is also ready to run on 3G networks here in the US (850/1900 MHz UMTS), enabling fast downloads and streaming multimedia while on the go. It also includes integrated Wi-Fi connectivity (802.11b/g) for accessing open networks at work, at home, and on the road from a variety of wireless hotspots.
It's based on S60 software operating on the Symbian OS, enabling you to personalize the N95 by choosing from a wide choice of compatible applications that can be downloaded--including games, navigation, entertainment, and productivity titles. This version of the Nokia N95 (model N95-3) has an internal 160 GB memory, and it includes a MicroSD expansion slot compatible with cards up to 4 GB in size.
This unlocked cell phone can be used with a GSM network service provider and it provides quad-band connectivity (850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz). It does not come with a SIM card, and it requires that you provide a SIM card for usage with your selected service provider.
The innovative 2-way slide concept makes it easy to switch between different modes, going from reading maps to watching a video with a simple slide. A numeric keypad slides out from one end of the device while dedicated media keys slide out from the opposite direction, converting the display into full screen landscape mode.
With the Carl Zeiss optics on the 5-megapixel camera, you can capture print quality photos and DVD-like quality video clips. Carl Zeiss, a world leader in high quality camera lenses, brings an award-winning legacy to the Nokia N95 with state-of-the-art optics for mobile photography and mobile video. The Zeiss name has been associated with cameras from Hasselblad, Rollei, Yashica, Sony, and Nikon.
The Nokia N95 actually has two cameras, a high resolution camera on the back of the device (the main camera in landscape mode) and a lower resolution camera on the front (the secondary camera in portrait mode). You can use both cameras to take still pictures and record videos. It supports an image capture resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels using the main camera. Images saved as JPEG files while videos are recorded in the MPEG-4 file format with the .mp4 file extension, or in the 3GPP file format with the .3gp file extension (sharing quality). Photos and video clips can be enjoyed on a compatible television thanks to the device's TV out feature and support for Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) technology.
With instant access to the Internet, sharing life experiences with the world by uploading pictures and videos directly to popular picture sharing and blogging sites is quick and easy. The N95 includes software for uploading images directly to the Flickr.com website, one of the world's most popular photo communities, which allows you to share pics with friends and family, send photos directly to your blog, or simply organize and store.
Aspiring photographers and film makers don't have to stop at just capturing stunning images and DVD-like quality video (640 x 480 pixelsat 30 fps) with the Nokia N95. An integrated photo and video editor allows for music and tags to be added before sending images to friends or uploading them to the web.
The Nokia N95 also offers a large 2.6-inch QVGA 16 million color display, impressive 3D graphics, built-in stereo speakers offering a 3D stereo effect, standard 3.5 mm audio jack, support for compatible microSD cards (up to 4 GB) and mini USB for convenient data transfer. Other highlights include 802.11b/g Wi-Fi with WPA2/WPA security, Bluetooth v2.0 connectivity, and 160 MB of internal memory, as well as the following features.
Lifeblog Designed with mobile photographers and bloggers in mind, the Nokia N95's Lifeblog feature lets you view, search, edit, and share your personal digital content with ease. Lifeblog's synchronizing software automatically pulls your media together into an easy-to-browse, searchable multimedia diary: SMS, MMS, images, videos, sounds, and text notes stay organized between the N95 and your PC.
GPS Mapping Plan your route, find your way home, and get to know places you've never visited with the integrated GPS mapping capability. The Maps application includes maps for more than 100 countries, enabling you to explore the world, find specific routes or locate services such as restaurants and hotels and covering more than 15 million points of interest. You can also purchase additional features, such as city guides and voice guided navigation.
Nokia Web Browser with Mini Map View web pages as they were originally intended with the integrated Nokia Web Browser, which enables you to zoom out to a full screen view of the entire page using the Mini Map feature. Find the section you want and then zoom in to the content you need. The text instantly adjusts to the size of your screen. The browser also keeps a history of your browsing so you can quickly get back to where you started.
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) technology means that the Nokia N95 will discover, interact with, and control other compatible home electronic devices. This includes PCs, media centers, home entertainment systems, new smart appliances, home automation systems, networked peripherals, and Web-based services. With compatible equipment, you can stream video from your Nokia device directly to your TV, or hear music tracks stored on your PC through your living room's sound system.
RealPlayer Multimedia Playback Take your media with you when you're out on the go. With the built-in RealPlayer software, you can stream and download your favorite content onto the N95, giving you access to the latest news, sports, and entertainment updates. Or sync up with your PC and play the music and movies stored on your hard drive.
Vital Statistics The Nokia N95 weighs 4.25 ounces and measures 3.9 x 2.1 x 0.83 inches. Its 950 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of GSM talk time (2.7 hours using 3G networks), and up to 225 hours of digital standby time. This quad-band phone runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies, as well as the 850/1900 UMTS (WCDMA) 3G frequencies in the United States.

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