PCS Phone Samsung PM-740 (Sprint)

Rating:
Summary: Great features - some issue with the sound
Review: I agree with just about everything that the previous reviews have said about the features. One thing I really like on Sprint with this phone is you can very easily send SMS or E-mail directly from a menu without going through a web page (which takes like several minutes). Very useful tool!

The only issue I have with the phone is the sound quality. On some calls it seems perfect on others, especially with other Sprint phones, the A740 seems to "clip" the sound and you get a noticable sound as if someone was switching on and off a mute button. I returned one phone that had this problem and got another which seems to do it less but still does it. I have an older LG phone and tried them side by side and the LG has none of these problems on identical calls in identical places - it also seems like the problem is worse when the battery is not at 100% charge. I took the phone to a local SprintPCS retail center and they tested it ok and told me that "nobody else is returning theirs". If you have one of these and notice anything, maybe you could send me an e-mail at leifer "at" delcoms.com

Rating:
Summary: One of Many Samsung Phones I've Had Over the Years
Review: I have always had Samsung phones. I made a switch back in September of 2004 to a Sanyo 8200. It had the speakerphone and so many features plus everybody told me how great the Sanyo phones are compared to all the other offerings from Sprint PCS. Well, I just returned the 8200 last weekend. It was the biggest piece of garbage phone I've ever used. To start, the audio was terrible on calls. But anyway, enough about the Sanyo.
The Samsung PM 740 is a great little phone. I wanted a small phone that had not only a bright screen but also a brightly lit up keyboard. This phone is one of the brightest lit up keypads I've ever had. I used to have a Samsung A 500 a couple of years ago. It was a great phone. Also small. The 740 is smaller. I would agree with the other reviewer tht the menu screen should be changed from icons to a list as it is hard to tell what the pictures represent. Audio quality is top notch...very loud on calls. The ringer could be a little louder...at full volume up, the ringer is a little weak...not a huge deal as it does have vibration alert too. The battery that comes standard is OK but I know already that a longer life battery is a purchase I will soon make as they really do extend life between charges. It's construction seems like it will last without any problems. One thing I like about the Samsung phones much better than the Sanyo phnes is that if you want to call somebody that either called you or you dialed within the last 20 calls, all you have to do is push talk and scan up or down a few numbers and push OK or talk to dial. On the Sanyo, you have to navigate to the call log, then search for outgoing or incoming, then navigate up or down, and it is just a lot more pushing of buttons which can be a nuisance when driving. Also, this is the first phone that I remember from Samsung that has finally placed the "OK" button in the middle of phone keypad where it belongs, instead of on the left side which was hard to get used to. I would reccomend this phone to anyone who is looking for a very small and lightweight phone that also has a quality feel to it. Love the really, really brightly lit keypad!!!

Rating:
Summary: I recommend!
Review: I purchased this phone last weekend and have been quite happy with it, so far. By no means am I a technical expert when it comes to cell phones (so this review may be a bit lacking) but everything seems great.

Usability:

The menus are easy to navigate. The first change I'd make on the phone is to pick a new format for the menu. I'd view the menu in a list format. The default is set to show the little picture icons. It's a little hard to tell what each small icon is. The small size of the navigation arrows are a bit frusterating, but something I've already gotten use to.

Reception:

The reception seems fine. I'm able to get decent reception (at least 2 bars when the antenna is down.) Most areas are either 3 or 4 bars. My old phone was a Sanyo 4900 and I notice the same type of call quality.

Volume:

Ringer volume and earpiece volume are both good.

Camera:

This is my first camera phone, it works well. Don't plan on using the camera a whole lot, but of course, it's great to have.

Overall Quality:

This is the area that I really look for in a purchase like this. I have yet to find an aspect of this phone that does not seem well built or that worries me about breaking in the future. Okay, maybe the antenna is a bit flimsy when extended, but I'm not concerned. There is nothing on this phone that screams, "Break me." That's a good thing!

As I said, this phone has been very good so far. I recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: great phone
Review: i've had the phone for 2 weeks now and everything is great. the phone has a very solid feel; feels well constructed. i get reception everywhere, usually at least 2 bars (out of 4). clarity and volume are great. the camera is fun to have, but it's more of a novelty than anything. the external display is also very nice to have, especially in full color. the screen has a nice resolution and brightness. built in ringtone selection is very large, including both traditional rings and musical ones. the navigation is very easy. managing your contacts is also simple, and being able to assign different ringtones to different groups is also nice. in response to the other review, you can change the main menu from pictorial to a list. battery life is okay, but this is my first phone, so i can't make a great comparison. very sleek, it will definitely make your friends jealous. amazon ought to add a picture to the site :) lots of stuff not in the manual that you can do. great features, usability, look, and quality. great phone.