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Review: Samsung A900

Form Function Extras Video Wrap-up Comments 66

The Samsung home screen is clear and easy to use. The two soft buttons are fixed to access favorites - a user configurable list of shortcuts, and contacts. Time and date are displayed just above the softbutton labels, and can be supplemented with much larger clocks in the center of the home screen.

Pressing the D-Pad select button opens the main menu. It is initially displayed in a 3 *4 grid pattern with each square on the grid mapped to the corresponding position on the keypad. As we mentioned before, because the D-Pad is difficult to use, these shortcuts are a lifesaver. The icons in this grid view are highly detailed - so much so that in a few cases it's difficult to understand what they represent without the labels beneath. Sprint and Samsung simply tried to pack too much graphic information into too few pixels. We still prefer the icon view to the list view, which forces you to scroll in order to access about half of the applications.

Most of the main menu choices bring up a secondary menu which is a tightly packed list of applications or functions each with a numeric shortcut. After a selection is made from this menu, navigation is done strictly from the D-Pad, back key and softkeys. Inside applications the left softkey or D-Pad select both function as the "ok" or next step button, the right softkey summons the options menu, and the back key goes back one step. The end key exits applications and returns you to the home screen.

home screen

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Samsung MM-A900 / SPH-A900 / Ace

Display: 240 x 320 pixels

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