I will actually have time to return to Ciao soon :-)
I will actually have time to return to Ciao soon :-)
Member since:12.08.2006
Reviews:16
Members who trust:33
I finally managed to get myself upgraded! I had worn my previous phone completely lifeless and could rarely receive a signal when indoors.
So I decided to upgrade my Samsung D600e to a Samsung E900. There had been a lot of advertising for this particular model and I liked the look of it and its features so I decided to go for it. I wasn't happy with the handset the first day I bought it but as I got used to using the buttons It grew on me and now I'm really happy.
* Look & Feel * ---------------------
The E900 is of a rectangular shape and is black. It's another one of Samsung's "slide up" models which seem to be becoming quite popular. The front of the phone has a screen which measures 3.5 cms by 4 cms and is accompanied below by a silver Samsung logo and beneath that the navigation menu button with the central enter button. Apart from that (when the phone is closed) the front just consists of black glass, when you slide the phone up 4 buttons light up around the navigation which are 2 shortcut menu buttons and the answer and end/cancel call buttons. These buttons are touch sensitive and are only visible once the phone has been opened. Now the phone is opened the keypad is exposed, generally it's just a regular keypad (not touch sensitive like the ones on the front) and are easily pressed and when pressed let out a gentle click feeling on the thumb. On the left hand side of the phone there is 1 button that can be clicked from either side for the phones ringer volume control. On the right hand side is a small
on/off button and a button similar to the volume on the other side, one opens the camera and the other opens the mp3 player. There is also a plug you can pull out to plug in the charger or the headphones, both taking the same connection I think is a really clever idea. The bottom of the phone has a section to plug in your micro SD card and the microphone for talking. The reverse of the phone has an engraved Samsung logo and also the URL of their mobileweb address "www.samsungmobile.com" and at the very bottom is the speaker. One other thing I have noticed is that Samsung usually make their handsets so that the back battery door is actually the battery. The E900 is different and has a battery door separate the battery itself, rather to the style of Nokia Handsets.
* Camera * ----------------
The E900 has a 2 mega pixel camera and the lens can be found at the back of the phone when slid open. Next to the lens (located on the left) Is a small mirror should you want to take photo's of yourself and then the flash (right) In the camera's option menu you can set the flash to "off" "Permanent" or "Automatic". When in camera mode you can easily switch to video recording by pressing options and selecting record video which is first on the list. The camera can photograph in either single shot or multiple shot and has various frames and effects you can add to your photos.
The music player can be opened instantly by pressing and holding the side hotkey, from there you can select options, and open your music files. Visually the music player looks like a mini version of media player, a small screen above the onscreen control panel shows a graphic equalizer which can be changed in the settings. The Music player supports .mp3, .aac, .aac+, .m4a & wma file extensions.
Other applications available on the E900 are: Voice Recorder - for recording memo's etc Image editor - to apply effects to your photo's World Clock - to view world times. Alarm settings - you can set up to 3 different alarms in this section. Calculator - general calculator Converter - the converter allows you to convert currency, length, weight, volume, area and temperatures. Timer - you could use this for cooking. Stopwatch Memo - to record your memo's Java World - Games included in Java World are:
Bobby Carrot Time Rider II Lemmings - Try & Buy Fifa 06 - Try & Buy Asphalt Urban GT - Try & Buy Midnight Pool - Try & Buy
* Other Features *
Calendar - the calendar allows you to insert items such as Appointments, Anniversaries, Tasks and Birthdays you can also set an alarm so you don't forget.
Text Messaging - Text messaging is automatically switched to T9 mode, I always switch this off as it's a pain when you want to shorten a word. Can also be quite confusing when you are adding the contact to the message.
Multimedia Messaging & Email.
Browser - the browser is used to access the phone's/operator's Wap services.
Bluetooth - send data and files wirelessly, in the settings you are able to switch it on/off, change your phones visibility and name and enable secure connection. Also in the Bluetooth menu you can read documentation on each setting and what it does.
* Menu * ------------
The menu is nicely designed and has 9 illustrated menu icons. Call Log, Phonebook, Applications, Browser, Messaging, My Files, Calendar, Camera and Settings.
Navigation of the phone is quite easy, although with the touch sensitive buttons you can easily press something wrong by accident and wipe off what you are doing. Very frustrating when you are writing a text message.
* Settings * ----------------
The settings option allows you to configure the settings of the Time & Date, Display, Sound, Light, Network, Bluetooth, security and connections settings. Settings can be configured with ease and are easily understandable.
When it came to the sound settings I was very disappointed with the ring tones, although you can add your own ringers I was annoyed that there wasn't a normal "ring-ring" tone as I prefer a normal tone when at work as it sometimes rings constantly.
* Battery & Talk time * -----------------------------
I charged the handset for four hours when I got it home, I then made some calls that add up to about an hour and then played a few games and messed around with the sound settings. The next morning I was able to go to work without any further charging I was able to make my calls which add up to about 2 hours and send various text messages throughout and still had 1 bar left when I got home at the end of the day! I found that quite reasonable as most of the battery life probably went with me "playing" with my new phone.
* Durability * -----------------
I can't really comment on the durability of the phone seen as I have only had it for 2 days. The phone does seem very firm and sturdy when sliding up and down. The screen doesn't seem immensely strong as I can push it in and make a smudge on the LCD but apart from that everything seems solid. I think this phone could be easily scratched though it hasn't yet, so the ladies may need to be extra careful with their keys in their handbags.
* What's In The Box? * -------------------------------
Included in my box was an installation CD and data cable, you can use this to install the mobile suite onto your PC. When you plug the mobile into the data cable you can synchronize your phonebook between the mobile and your computer, arrange files and photos and transfer them between each other. A wall charger and a pair of Mp3 headphones and the instruction manuals and warranty documents.
* My Summary * ----------------------
By far the Samsung E900 is the best looking phone I have owned, and I have owned quite a few. The sound is very load but good as is the camera and the video recorder. I do think the handset is a bit pricey but so are most of them now days. I don't think I will be buying a new mobile anytime soon, I am very happy with the choice I made in buying the E900 and probably won't replace it until it no longer works. There are a few downsides to the phone, for instance I think that the touch sensitive buttons are a bit "too" sensitive and the shiny exterior of the phone shows every fingerprint which makes it look greasy, however I had the same problem with My D600e and it seemed to calm down through time.
If you have the funds and the hankering for a nice new mobile handset with great features I recommend you look into getting a nice new Samsung E900! I read in the paper the other day that Samsung are catching up with Nokia in popularity and judging my new model - I'm not surprised! I have to say that the pictures of the Samsung E900 don't do it much justice, it looks much better in real life so maybe pop into your local phone retailer and have a look.
I paid £179.00 for mine which was supposed to have £50 knocked off which means it should have been £229.00.
Thanks for taking the time to read my review.
www.samsungmobile.com
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I want this!! aaaaaaaaaaa you make me jealous. everyone has these spiffy phones. unfortunately run out of e's today, this review has everything that everyone would possibly need to know, probably more than the phone manual itself!!!
Remind me and I'll come and rate E tomorrow when I have some.. As far as I can say one of the best reviews I have seen today,s hould have saved me E's!
lazza123 21.06.2007 10:51
Great review, I'm upgrading & this is one of my options!!
Advantages: Stylish design. Easy to use. Simple menus. Takes good photos/video. Sliding mechanism works well. Disadvantages: Accidental button presses. Light remains on when charging. Vibrates too much when battery is dying.
lib-raw 23.11.2007 (23.11.2007)
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