PCS Phone Samsung N400 (Sprint)

Rating:
Summary: This phone is crap
Review: Everything that the reviewer below (Sarahnoid) said is accurate.

This phone offers a lot of attractive options - surf the wireless web, speakerphone, slim design, nice phone book, etc.

Of course, on the negative side, IT OPERATES HARDLY, IF AT ALL.

I have owned this phone for almost two years. In those two years (my service plan is thankfully almost over), this phone has repeatedly dropped coverage in the midst of calls. Never mind that I have been standing in the same freakin' room, in the same POSITION.

The battery, fully charged, is good for a hour, maybe two tops, of sporadic use. If you don't use it at all, it might stay powered three hours. This model also likes to shut off once you plug the charger into the phone. As if plugging in the charger is injurious.

So, if you don't mind a weak antenna, a worthless battery and the always-fun propensity for shutting down in the midst of operation, then this is the phone for you.

Rating:
Summary: Good little tank of a cell-phone...
Review: Samsung is a good phone company because in the two years I have owned their products, they still work for me just as well as they did when I first opened the box up.

I had this phone's older brother first. The N200 seemed to be invincible. I could drop it and it would take a licking and continue ticking. The decision was easy once it was time to upgrade. I had heard not-so-good things about the new Sanyo 5300 and found a heavily-discounted N400 at the Radio Shack near my house.

A year or so later, this phone has done me well. It has a few dings and scratches but so far, has been there for me whenever I need it. If you DO pick one up, I would recommend going to a Sprint Store to get the firmware flashed and updated.

The phone has the ability to screen calls thanks to an ingenious flip design that enables you to still see the call-screen even with the lid down.

It features a speakerphone...however, the speakerphone does not work as well as one would like it to. I never got the idea of a speakerphone on a cell-phone since you could do a hands-free headset and get better voice-quality. It works just well enough but I would advise against using it in a car since the noise in a car just adds to the break-ups and already-hollow sounding voice quality.

The battery has about a week's worth of standby-time and about three hours worth of talk-time, which I don't like very much. A three-hour battery is pretty worthless. What's more, you need a car-charger since it's horrible on the go and the car-charger doesn't come with it, only an A/C Adapter is found in the box.

It supports polyphonic and mp3 ringtones as well as color-photos (you can even take photos using a Sprint-manufacture digi-cam) and the ability to take them. It doesn't support mono ringtones but really does not need to since polyphonic and mp3 ringtones are better. Sprint also CLAIMS that the N400 does not support animated screensavers but the default Aquarium screensaver is animated, so I don't understand why Sprint says this.

You can save up to about 250 contacts with about 6 numbers per contact and a calendar/organizer. You can e-mail, surf the Wireless Web (which is a lot different than the actual Web seeing as how the phone doesn't have the ability to read HTML) and use text-messages. It supports voicemail, 3-way calling and voice-command dialing.

You can also play a ton of basic games...and, oh, by the way, you can make phone calls, too.

I am looking to upgrade soon but this little phone was a godsend. It's durable, light, and compact.

Nice product.

Matt

Rating:
Summary: I wish it were possible to give 0 stars.
Review: This phone was sent to me as a replacement when my fabulous Sanyo lost an argument with gravity. It is, quite possibly, the most worthless piece of crap I've ever owned. It's so horrible that I've called Sprint on several occasions trying to get a replacement for this phone, as it doesn't work very well, if at all. I'm always told that since it was issued to me through the insurance policy I took out on my plan, I have to go through the insurance company. The insurance company then tells me that if I get another phone via the insurance, they will cancel my insurance, as two phones in a year is some sort of red flag--nevermind that the one they sent me is worthless.

If you're lucky, it won't suddenly die when you're talking. "Three hour battery" when talking is generous. I'm lucky to make it an hour. I feel I'm constantly charging the damn thing. The voice dial that comes with the phone dials the wrong numbers, if it recognises your voice at all. If you can move two inches to the right or left without dropping the call you're on, it is an act of God. Connecting to the internet to text or get email? Don't even bother. You'll never get on, and if it does make some sort of connection, it's simply to tell you there was a connection error and to try the entire 15 minute process again.

But the best part? The phone jams up. It freezes like a bad computer. You could be mid-dial and the screen will freeze on whatever number you just punched. Nothing will get you out of the freeze except removing the entire battery and starting up the phone again. This will happen whenever you most need to make a call. And it will happen repeatedly. As in, 5 times in a row.

That this phone is still sold is practically a crime. It is a complete rip off. The reception is horrible. It jams. You cannot connect to the internet. You can put in 12 characters for a phone book entry. 12. Got a first name longer than 12 characters? Tough. Don't even waste your time thinking about putting a last name in.

And just to further my point: I am stopped at least once a week by someone who recognises my phone. They always ask me how much I like my phone and when I tell them I hate it, they immediately go off on a tirade on how big a piece of junk this phone is. That it jams. That it drops calls. That it doesn't connect. That it's about as useful as a cup of sand in the desert.

I believe the phone is now discontinued on amazon.com. If I ever saw anyone buying this phone in public, I would do everything in my power to convince them to do otherwise. Do yourself a favour and do not waste your money on this p.o.s. Get yourself a Sanyo. Just don't drop it like I did mine.