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Review: Samsung Droid Charge

Form Basics Extras Wrap-up Comments 16

Media Camera Photos/Video Browse/Customize Extras

Apps

The Charge comes with 58 applications on board. That's outrageous, especially since many of them are crappy Verizon bloatware (such as Guided Tours, and Let's and can't be removed. The one saving grace is that the Charge has 1.2GB of internal memory, in addition to support for microSD cards. Aside from the Media Hub, there aren't too many apps from Samsung on board. Obviously, you have access to the full Android Market to find what the Charge lacks out of the box.

Bluetooth

The Charge can pair with mono and stereo Bluetooth headsets, as well as PCs and more devices for basic file sharing. I was able to pair and connect to mono and stereo Bluetooth accessories with no problem, I did run into trouble pairing it with PCs, though.

Clock

The lock screen offers an anemic clock that is shoved way down against the bottom edge of the display. There doesn't appear to be a way to improve the clock without heading to the Android Market. In bright sunlight, the stock clock on the unlock screen is more or less invisible.

GPS

The Charge is preloaded with a flotilla of location apps. In addition to Google Maps, there is Google Places, Google Latitude, Google Navigation, and VZ Navigator. As much as I like how all the Google apps work on their own, it would be nice to see some better integration. I mean, do we really need Maps, Latitude, and Navigation to be thee separate apps? That niggle aside, they all work well, and were able to pinpoint me with scary accuracy. VZ Navigator is the same old software, and also works well if you don't mind the monthly $10 tithing.

Next page: Wrap-up

Samsung's baby is so new, it hasn't even been named yet, so we'll just call it the LTE 4G smartphone. We got hands-on time with the new phone at Verizon Wireless' CES press conference.

Apple Asks Court to Ban 8 Samsung Phones

Aug 27, 2012
In the wake of its courtroom victory against Samsung, Apple today asked the court to ban sales of eight Samsung devices found to infringe on its design and other patents. The devices include the Galaxy S 4G, S2 (AT&T and T-Mobile), S2 Skyrocket, S2 Epic 4G, S Showcase, Droid Charge, and Galaxy Prevail.

Samsung Droid Charge to Get Remote Diagnostic Tool, Too

Mar 20, 2012
Verizon Wireless today indicated that it will begin pushing a system update to the Samsung Droid Charge in the coming days. The update will add the same remote diagnostics tool that Verizon recently delivered to the LG Revolution.

Skype Expands Video Chat Feature to More Androids

Aug 4, 2011
Skype has provided an update to its Android application that adds the video chatting feature to a large number of new Android handsets. Skype notes that Gingerbread is required to use the video chat feature, so owners of the following phones are encouraged to make sure their system is up to date.

Samsung Droid Charge Update Repairs Mobile Hotspot

Jun 13, 2011
Verizon Wireless is offering a new system update to the Samsung Droid Charge that fixes a number of issues, including restoration of the mobile hotspot feature (which was knocked out in May). Other improvements include better battery life, better management of 4G/3G data connections, improved GPS and browser performance, and improvements to the email program's Exchange and folder support.

Samsung Droid Charge

4.3" display 480 x 800 pixels
Samsung Hummingbird processor
1,500 mAh battery
Memory Card Slot, Headphone Jack (3.5mm)

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